MEDEX Northwest Admissions and Student Services Team

The MEDEX Northwest Physician Assistant Program Admissions and Student Services Team—Tove Blake (Director), Roxana Palma-Orantes (Counseling Services Coordinator), and Kalee Warnimont (Counseling Services Coordinator)—conducts admissions and student support for the MEDEX program. Their responsibilities span managing complex processes across five campuses in Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii, serving hundreds of students annually. Their dedication to excellence is evident in their ability to meet 100% seat fulfillment, recruit a cohort reflecting increased diversity, and coordinate major department events such as orientation, white coat ceremonies, and graduations. Their innovative approaches, like implementing new digital tools and fostering a culture of collaboration, have made a lasting impact, advancing not only program goals but also the University’s mission of equity and community engagement.

Tell us why you are nominating this team

The team embodies a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through targeted outreach and inclusive practices:

• Targeted Recruitment: By attending events like Pre-PA Students of Color Clubs, Black College Expos, Latino College Fairs, and Juneteenth celebrations, they actively engage with underrepresented groups, inspiring them to consider careers in healthcare.
• Inclusive Admissions Outcomes: Their efforts led to 60% representation of URMs in the 2024 class and 88% of students with regional connections, ensuring the program reflects the populations it serves.
• Cultural Competence in Education: Their initiatives cultivate a culturally competent learning environment that equips graduates to meet the needs of diverse patient populations.

By prioritizing outreach to underrepresented groups, the team builds a pipeline of culturally aware healthcare providers poised to serve communities that have historically faced healthcare inequities.

What makes this nominee worthy of the DSA?

The MEDEX Admissions and Student Services Team’s initiatives have far-reaching effects:

• Institutional: Achieving 100% seat fulfillment ensures that the program continues to meet regional workforce demands for primary care providers addressing critical shortages.
• Community: Their recruitment efforts have resulted in a cohort that includes 60% URMs and 13% military veterans, enriching the program with diverse perspectives and experiences that directly benefit underrepresented communities.
• Operational: Tools like shared project management platforms have significantly reduced email volume, streamlined workflows, and enabled team members to achieve 100% task completion rates on time.
• Applicant Experience: By reducing application barriers, such as unclear prerequisite requirements, the team has made the admissions process more accessible, evidenced by a 20% increase in applications this year.

Their contributions go beyond routine responsibilities, ensuring that the MEDEX program fulfills its mission of addressing healthcare shortages while promoting equity and inclusion.

Was there anything else?

When a team within an organization functions and delivers as consistently and as strongly as the Admissions and Student Services Team does, it makes the work of other teams all the better through association and collaboration. The work of the Communications Team is certainly no exception.

Additionally, each of the three members of the Admissions and Student Services Team are skilled beyond their immediate job tasks, and bring a breadth of experience and knowledge to the table at almost every turn. And just importantly, they are very nice and considerate colleagues. MEDEX is lucky.

James Wehmeyer
Communications Director
Communications/Department of Family Medicine/MEDEX Northwest

Meet the MEDEX Northwest Admissions and Student Services Team

• Tove Blake (she/her), Director of Admissions and Student Services, MEDEX Northwest PA Program, School of Medicine
• Roxana Palma-Orantes (she/her), Counseling Services Coordinator, MEDEX Northwest PA Program, School of Medicine
• Kalee Lynn Warnimont (she/her), Counseling Services Coordinator, MEDEX Northwest PA Program, School of Medicine