Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Rima grew up on a hobby farm in Western Washington with her four younger siblings. She spent vacations hiking with the family donkeys in the Olympic Mountains. Camping beside mountain streams is still a coveted activity. She attended college in rural Oregon, combining lots of time in the chem lab with even more time running with her nationally ranked small college cross-country and track teams. After a few episodes of fainting at the sight of blood she put her desire to study medicine on hold and attended graduate school in the Midwest where she learned to enjoy the beauty of fall and spring. Rima graduated with a M.Div. and subsequently spent 5 years working with kids and the volunteers that taught, coached, and cared for them in a local church back in Western Washington. Being close to family and introducing kids to the outdoors, study of Scripture, and the community of faith were special highlights of that season. Along the way she had the privilege of hiking in South America and traveling to visit friends on four continents. After a short trip to assist with construction of a medical clinic in South Sudan, all attempts to get rid of the medicine bug were banished. Rima attended Loma Linda University in Southern California where she was active with the Christian Medical and Dental Association and the Medical Strategic Network. After enjoying pretty much all her rotations at Loma Linda, she committed to the long standing desire to provide broad spectrum primary care in a rural setting and found AKFMR to be a wonderful fit. Since arriving in Alaska she has quickly found that this program is a great place to grow and learn. She continues to love being outdoors, learn to cross country ski, be creative/crafty, bake and cook when there’s time, and mostly hang out with the great group of residents/faculty that make up AKFMR, especially the class of 2016.