ElevateMeD Scholar: Sarah Rasmussen-Rehkopf
Meet Sarah Rasmussen-Rehkopf
ElevateMeD Scholar 2024-25
Sarah Rasmussen-Rehkopf discusses access to healthcare in rural areas, why she is pursuing primary care, and making the path to medical education more accessible.
Hometown: Sitka, Alaska and I am Quileute and Makah
Medical Education: University of Washington School of Medicine
Undergraduate Education: Linfield College in Biology with a minor in Chemistry
Current Career Plan: Become a primary care physician serving rural and American Indian/Alaska Native communities.
Specialty Interest: Full Spectrum Family Medicine or Obstetrics and Gynecology
I am most proud of my communities and the work I've been able to be a part of supporting American Indian and Alaska Native students achieve their educational goals and envision themselves as healthcare professionals.
You might be surprised to know that I didn't meet a Native physician until I was 24 years old! It changed what I thought was possible for me in healthcare and higher education and altered the course of my life.
ElevateMeD is… like a lighthouse in unfamiliar waters. Although I’ve come to build a community of supports as I’ve navigated medical school and the path to becoming a provider this is still a new experience for me and my family and there are many reminders that medical school was not made for Indigenous and other historically underrepresented students. ElevateMeD is empowering and validating; affirming that there is space for students like myself in medicine. I see the opportunity to study medicine as a gift and to be part of the ElevateMeD community as an honor.
