Med student revisits the bare cupboards of her past

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Med student revisits the bare cupboards of her past

Sharlay Butler draws on lessons from her impoverished youth

All her life, Sharlay Butler has taken lessons from her mom about persistence in the face of harsh adversity. Butler is the oldest child of three raised by a single mother; the family lived a nomadic existence in poverty, sustained by government rations and food banks.

Now a medical student at UW, she has made hunger and attention to nutrition part of her focus. Last year she participated in a Robert Wood Johnson program of medical and dental education.