Ep. 7 - Training Doctors Differently: The Alice Walton Way | With Sharmila Makhija

What does it take to build a medical school that puts humanity back at the center of care? We sit down with Dr. Sharmila Makhija, founding dean and CEO of the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, to explore how a bold vision in Bentonville is reshaping medical education and strengthening healthcare across Arkansas and the Heartland. Dr. Makhija shares how her Southern roots and family of educators shaped a mission rooted in service, connection, and respect. She walks us through the school’s whole health approach, teaching students to see patients fully and work seamlessly with nurses, therapists, medical assistants, and behavioral health professionals. From day one, students join house-based service teams, partner with local organizations, and learn in a building designed for wellbeing, complete with natural light, public art, and community spaces that invite dialogue.We dig into what it means to found an institution from scratch: recruiting a mission-first team, weathering unexpected setbacks, and aligning across an ecosystem that includes the Whole Health Institute, Crystal Bridges, and a growing STEM pipeline. With surging applications and a small inaugural class, the school is scaling carefully to maintain quality while building residency opportunities so graduates can stay and serve. Dr. Makhija also paints a practical path for rural impact, virtual support networks, hub-and-spoke collaboration, and an interprofessional workforce equipped to meet real needs in behavioral health, respiratory therapy, and more.If you care about healthcare access, medical education, and the future of rural medicine, you’ll find hope and hard-won insights here. Listen, subscribe, and leave a review to help more people discover conversations that move Arkansas forward.