After 13 years and three degrees at the University of Washington, Puyallup native Ryan Carlson is closing out his time as a student and stepping into his next chapter as a physician-scientist. He pursued one of the most demanding and rare paths in medicine — the combined M.D.–Ph.D. — a track taken by fewer than 3% of medical students nationwide. Ryan plans to continue work he began at the UW, researching the genetic causes of hearing disorders and how those discoveries can lead to better treatments. Along the way, he met his now-fiancée, Nicole, during undergrad. They both became doctors — and even worked side by side in the operating room during his ophthalmology rotation in med school. Ryan proposed just a few weeks ago and she said yes! #universityofwashington #UWGrad25 #medicalschool #gohuskies