Founded in 2021, Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) is a nonprofit, four-year MD program that will enhance traditional medical education with the arts, humanities, and whole health principles. The School’s culture embraces self-care to empower students to care for their own well-being as well as their patients’. The School’s state-of-the-art medical education facility is under construction in Bentonville, Arkansas on the Crystal Bridges campus, home to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and Heartland Whole Health Institute. The School has been granted preliminary accreditation status by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. AWSOM's inaugural class of 48 students will start in July 2025.
External link for Alice L. Walton School of Medicine
Bentonville, AR, US
During an outdoor class session led by Lance Bridges, PhD, and Marie Berenguer, PhD, Alice L. Walton School of Medicine M1 students learned about how iron is absorbed into the body through dietary sources and how to remove bilirubin from the body to prevent jaundice. Sharmila Makhija MD MBA #AWSOM #MedicalEducation
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AWSOM grows to nearly 100 students The Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) in Bentonville recently expanded to 96 students after welcoming its second class of 48 students in July.... https://lnkd.in/g-kappv5
Alice L. Walton School of Medicine M1 students learned Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) procedure for a variety of medical scenarios and practiced handwashing techniques. This session was held in AWSOM’s 8,800-square-foot Simulation Lab and utilized surgical scrub sinks, a specialized handwashing station designed for medical professionals. Sharmila Makhija MD MBA #AWSOM #MedicalEducation #MedicalStudents
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For the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, Ozark Green Roofs was tasked with installing an unprecedented rooftop landscape. Today, I want to share behind the scenes photos of our construction journey while building this green roof. We took plans, turned them into two virtual models, and executed the installation. This journey was made possible by two forces that are essential to each other in today's modern construction world: Technology and People. Technology and modeling changed our field execution: 📍 GPS Precision: Our crew used GPS rovers connected directly to the BIM model to place geofoam and soil profiles with exact field accuracy to meet the soil grades outlined in the plans. 📐 Topographic Slicing: Horizontal slices were cut every 6" through the model to define exact geometry of the geofoam layers. 🖥️ Visualization: Having a "pre-built" virtual model of the green roof was eye-opening. It took the guesswork out of the field and turned a high risk installation into a (mostly!) smooth and highly prepared process. It was critical that our geofoam installation was accurate, as it was the base for concrete to be poured on, and stone to be placed on. If our geofoam was placed at the wrong elevation, all subsequent layers of materials would also miss the required elevation. The People: 🤓 Chloe and Kenneth Hiley at Catalpa Architects: This team managed our BIM Coordination, modeling, and all shop drawings. The huge lift of making our installation accurate was because of their attention to detail and experience with modeling. 👷♂️ JonesPlan: We subcontracted JonesPlan for labor for this project. Every one of their guys was dedicated to installing their materials correctly. They did it, with a smile, every single day. 🏗️ Crossland Construction: The people on this job from Crossland made us feel like a true team. The listened, supported, and guided us to the endzone. ⚡Superior Roofing: Dan, John, and the crew went to town installing the geofoam at what felt like lightning speed! ✍🌿OSD: The Landscape Architects at OSD didn't just draw plans and walk away. They were on site making sure their vision was accurately realized. While we "saw" the green roof virtually for months prior to the build, our team was in awe of the design after it was all said and done. The design of this rooftop landscape is truly badass. 🏦🏫 Polk Stanley Wilcox: None of this would have been possible without the BUILDING itself! PSW trusted us with the landscaping on top of their structure, and we loved every minute of working with their team! Read the full Case Study of our BIM Coordination journey on our website, see link in comments below. Chloe Hiley JONESPLAN Brad Kmita Polk Stanley Wilcox OSD Crossland Construction Company, Inc. Cori Wilson Sika Roofing Photo Credit: Ashley Thompson Photography and Iron Lotus Creative
Alice L. Walton School of Medicine Director, Medical Student Research Projects and Associate Professor Abhishek Deshpande MD, PhD, FIDSA, was recently interviewed by Medscape about his first-authored study in Gastro Hep Advances, a national survey of >300 U.S. physicians conducted with support from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), documenting wide variation in how Clostridioides difficile infection is diagnosed and managed in the U.S. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ekuceY6K Sharmila Makhija MD MBA #AWSOM #MedicalEducation #Research #Cdifficile
Alice L. Walton School of Medicine M2 student Emily Bunch was recently featured in the Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society as a student trustee. In this profile, she shares why she joined AMS and what drew her to pursue medicine. Read the profile on page 25 of the Journal’s Summer 2026 issue: https://lnkd.in/eHkitYYx Sharmila Makhija MD MBA #AWSOM #MedicalStudent #AMS #ArkansasMedicalSociety #Arkansas
As part of Orientation Week, Alice L. Walton School of Medicine students connect with the community during AWSOM in Action, a day of service across Northwest Arkansas. Our second cohort made a positive difference working alongside four of our community partners. Thank you to Boys and Girls Club of Benton County, AR, EverHope Arkansas Children’s Shelter, Samaritan Community Center, and Family Network Inc for inviting our students to help enhance your impact. This year, AWSOM students: 🔸 Repainted approximately 700 square feet of wall in fresh blue paint at the Boys & Girls Club of Benton County, while meeting and interacting with Club members 🔸Helped clean, organize, and set up a new activity wing at EverHope Children’s Shelter 🔸Packed six activity bags for home visitors to use during developmental assessments, 50 welcome kits for new families, and 8,275 diapers for distribution by Family Network Inc 🔸Guided community members through different food choices, stocked shelves, and bagged produce in the Samaritan Community Center Market and served community members in the Samaritan Community Center Café Sharmila Makhija MD MBA #AWSOM #MedicalEducation #Outreach #CommunityService #AWSOMinAction
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It was so great welcoming the second cohort of Alice L. Walton School of Medicine students to the warehouse this week during their day of service, as they work to make a difference in their community. They packed 6 home visit activity bags, 50 welcome kits for new families, and prepped 8,275 diapers for distribution! Thank you students! We’re so grateful for you and this partnership with the Alice Walton School of Medicine. #enddiaperneed #homevisitingworks #familynetwork #supportfamilies
During today’s White Coat Ceremony, Alice L. Walton School of Medicine’s Class of 2030 received their first white coats, a key milestone in their medical education journey, and committed to serving their future patients with integrity, humanity, and empathy. At the ceremony, students heard from AWSOM leadership including Founding Dean and CEO Sharmila Makhija MD MBA; Associate Dean, Student Affairs Kristin Kassaw, MD; and Senior Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education and Interim Executive Vice Dean Beth Nelson, MD. Sonal Bhakta, MD,MPH,FACP, Chief Medical Officer of Mercy, AWSOM’s primary educational partner, delivered an inspiring message to the students: “You have the opportunity to be part of something transformative, helping shape a model of care that treats the whole person and reaches more people, more effectively, than ever before.” Congratulations to these incredible students. Welcome to the #AWSOM community! Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eZcU6fkX #MedicalEducation #WhiteCoatCeremony #Classof2030
Give a warm welcome to Alice L. Walton School of Medicine’s Class of 2030! AWSOM’s second class of students kicked off their medical education journey with a social event and local Honeybean Ice Cream Co. ice cream. During the rest of orientation week, these M1 students are starting classes, giving back to the community, and connecting with each other through team-building exercises. Founding Dean and CEO Sharmila Makhija MD MBA, spoke to the students on Monday and encouraged them to embrace this opportunity to learn and lead. Students also heard insights from leadership and faculty including Yerko Berrocal, MD, MHPE, Kristin Kassaw, MD, Sarah Assem, M.D. FACP, and Lance Bridges, PhD. #AWSOM #Classof2030 #MedicalEducation #MedicalStudents