“Go Cougs” is what we say, but what does it mean? Go Cougs means innovation, community, welcome.  Go Cougs captures the spirit of Washington State University on the field, in the lab, at the job and throughout our lives. #GoCougsMeans

Go Cougs Means

A Healthier Community

A healthier community is part of the curriculum at WSU Health Sciences

medical student w/white coat

Someone educated at Washington State University Health Sciences will know more than the practice of medicine, nursing or pharmacy.

They’ll know how to build healthier communities. 

Students will understand the challenges of living far from healthcare resources, and how someone’s neighborhood, income and education can shape their wellbeing.

They’ll be comfortable talking to people about difficult topics like substance use and suicide. And they’ll appreciate how someone from a culture not their own might have different expectations or needs when it comes to their healthcare.  

The truest form of medicine, bringing the care to the person

Dr. Matthew Hansen, Program Director for the College of Medicine’s Internal Medicine Residency Program in Everett, Washington
medical student w/white coat
A student at the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine participates in a community health fair.

With community health at the forefront, the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, the College of Nursing and the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences are committed to improving the lives of the individuals, families and communities of Washington.

That means students learn in classrooms and labs, and in clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, nursing homes and on the streets.

Such outreach is “the truest form of medicine, bringing the care to the person,” said Dr. Matthew Hansen, program director for the College of Medicine’s Internal Medicine Residency Program in Everett, Washington.

Students might administer immunizations or speak to parent groups about fentanyl and opioids.

They can volunteer to give physicals to ensure kids can participate in school sports.

They could provide health screenings in homeless shelters or mental health care to students in rural school districts who don’t have that access.

We know we need to be connected to the community, to make sure we’re positively affecting the communities we reside in.

Jennifer Robinson, Associate Dean for professional education at the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
nursing students in crimson and gray scrubs
WSU College of Nursing students take part in the Healthy People + Healthy Pets event in Spokane.

Medical residents in clinics work with veterans, indigenous peoples and people experiencing homelessness, and are rotated into rural areas to practice in those communities.      

To Jose Pares-Avila, associate dean for community engagement at the College of Nursing, these kinds of outreach are the hallmark of a fully engaged citizen, something he encourages all of his students to be. To him, he said, that means “feet on the ground, having a finger on the pulse of the community and joining that community to become a change agent for them.” 

Added Jennifer Robinson, associate dean for professional education at the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, “We know we need to be connected to the community, to make sure we’re positively affecting the communities we reside in.”

At WSU Health Sciences, a healthy community is in the curriculum.

More Go Cougs Means

Facing the challenge

At Washington State University, more than 60 departments are active in climate-related research, work that in many cases has been under way for decades.

Teaching outside the box

Chris Clarke uses TikTok to learn – and to teach. Explaining economics on TikTok has made Washington State University Assistant Professor Chris Clarke a bit famous.

Bringing science to life

A ball hurtles toward home plate. A batter swings. Contact. These are rituals of the ballpark. But to Professor Lloyd Smith and the researchers at Washington State University’s Sports Science Laboratory, they’re also matters of science.

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Our lives are better, thanks to WSU

Research at Washington State University affects the very rhythm of our days. WSU research and scholarship makes our sleep better, it makes the food we eat healthier, our water cleaner, the wine we drink more delicious. It improves our homes and our health.