Welcome from our program director
John H. Choe, MD, MPH
Program Director
The University of Washington Internal Medicine Residency Program is home to the GHITKU, the Greatest Housestaff in the Known Universe! Our program is dedicated to training the future leaders of medicine regardless of whether they plan to work in academic medicine, community practice, biomedical research, or healthcare policy and administration. We provide a world-class and diverse learning environment where outstanding patient care and education are woven together seamlessly to offer opportunities for rich, individualized learning opportunities for our residents. Our faculty members love to teach, and our department promotes a humanistic approach to education and patient care. We value applicants from diverse backgrounds, as we know this enhances the educational experiences for all residents and faculty, as well as for patients and their families.
We are committed to providing a comprehensive experience for our residents. With the abundant clinical, research, and educational opportunities that we offer, and in partnership with the resources of a world class medical school and department of medicine, we believe that we offer one of the richest training experiences in the country. Please explore our website and see if you would like to join our GHITKU community!
John H. Choe, MD, MPH
Associate Professor
Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program
University of Washington
About us
History
Beginning in 1957, shortly after the UW School of Medicine and Department of Medicine were founded, the residency program began with 24 positions and residents completing all of their training at one site, Harborview Medical Center. We’ve grown quite a bit since then! In 2025-26 have 185 residents, including 13 chief residents, and rotations at over 20 medical centers, affiliates, and clinics.
Mission
We graduate residents who are fully prepared to thrive and serve the community in the next chapter of their careers.
Purpose
We prepare medicine residents to care for individuals and the community.
Core Values
- Integrity
- Excellence
- Curiosity
- Compassion
- Community
Educational Philosophy
- Develop an educationally motivated curriculum, not a service-based curriculum
- Provide broad-based foundational training during the R1 year
- Focus on a core curriculum for senior residents, the essentials for all IM residents regardless of career path, with a graduated increase in patient care autonomy, leadership, and teaching
- Allow for greater individualization of training based on a resident's career goals through:
- Elective time
- Learning pathways
- Mentorship (RAMP; Residency Advising and Mentoring Program)
Program Aims
| VALUES HIGHLIGHTED | OUR PROGRAM AIMS TO: |
|---|---|
| Superb clinical training | To improve the health of the public by training superb clinicians who are leaders in academic medicine, community practice, public health, and healthcare policy and administration utilizing an individualized curriculum in a supportive and caring environment. |
| Diversity | Recruit residents with diverse backgrounds and experiences, reflecting the patients we serve. |
| Inclusion, wellness, humanism | Create an inclusive, supportive, engaged, and healthy community centered on our core values and that embraces our shared humanity. |
| Intentionality, unparalleled range of opportunities | Provide a competency-based, intentional curriculum across an unparalleled range of clinical and non-clinical training opportunities driven by the varied educational needs and career interests of our residents. |
| Individualized training | Support resident career development through individualized training. personalized mentorship and robust, differentiated opportunities for leaning and scholarship. |
| Leadership | Cultivate graduated increases in patient care autonomy leadership, and teaching across all learning environments to prepare our graduates for roles as leaders in medicine. |
| Community, advocacy | Engage with the communities we support through service and advocacy. |
Explore Medicine At University of Washington
locations
Rotating through a number of sites during training provides our residents with the opportunity to experience highly varied patient populations, medical and social problems, and healthcare environments.
Diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging (DEIB)
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) are our core values, encompassing inclusiveness, mutual respect, and multiple perspectives.
Professional Development, Mentoring, & Career Choices
The University of Washington Internal Medicine Residency Program is dedicated to training future leaders in all sectors of internal medicine, including academic medicine, biomedical research, community practice, healthcare policy, and health administration.
Resident Life
Residency is demanding, but our program is committed to helping our residents grow, thrive, and build a full life both inside and outside the hospital.
Contact Information
Email Addresses:
Resident Recruitment: medres@uw.edu
Verifications of Training: verifyim@uw.edu
General Inquiries officeim@uw.edu
Phone: (206) 543-3605
Street Address:
1959 NE Pacific Street
Box 356421
Seattle, WA 98195-6421
Patient Care:
For all clinical or patient care related matters, please contact UW Medicine at (206) 520-5000 or visit the UW Medicine website.