UCSF welcomed a diverse group of students into the medical education program that focuses on meeting the health care needs of the underserved.
Piloted last year, the Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US) became an official part of the UCSF School of Medicine curriculum this fall. Eight students entered into PRIME-US at UCSF and four entered at the UC Berkeley/UCSF Joint Medical Program, thereby boosting the total class of medical students by 10 to 151 for the first time in decades.
Kevin Grumbach, MD, professor and chair of family and community medicine, led the effort to create PRIME-US, which implements strategies that he identified in his academic research to address primary care physician supply in underserved communities, racial and ethnic diversity in the health professions, and health disparities.
Grumbach, who served on the UCSF Strategic Planning Board, points out that ensuring UCSF attracts the best and most diverse candidates for all educational programs is a key strategy outlined in the UCSF Strategic Plan.
"Excellence means making a difference, particularly where health needs are greatest," Grumbach says. "Our new PRIME program is attracting students to the UCSF School of Medicine who have the life experiences and motivation to make a difference. UCSF is also providing the support and educational resources to assist these students to become leaders in addressing the needs of the medically underserved."
Pictured on a tour of murals in San Francisco's Mission District neighborhood are: (from left, back row) Jason Randolph, Irving Salmeron, Beth Wilson, Rebecca Lindsay, Jamila Harris, Karen Sokal-Gutierrez, David Grunwald, Mikah Owen; (from left, front row) Brian McPhee, Stephanie Garcia, Emilia Wilkins, Tanya Lagrimas, Cami Le.
PRIME-US is one of four such programs in the University of California system, each focusing on a different underserved population. The UC Regents approved the program, which received some state support through the voter-approved Proposition 1D last November.
The goals of the PRIME-US program are to:
- Attract medical students from diverse backgrounds who have a strong interest in caring for the urban underserved in the United States.
- Provide a medical education experience for these students to equip and support them to become leaders in the care of urban underserved communities.
- Enable these students to serve as a catalyst for others at UCSF and the JMP to appreciate the rewards and challenges of caring for the urban underserved.
- Increase the number of UCSF medical school graduates who choose to pursue careers devoted to improving the health care and health of the urban underserved through leadership roles as community-engaged clinicians, educators, researchers, and social policy advocates.
Expansion of the medical school class will help address the critical health care needs of California, UC official say. The UC Health Sciences Committee's report noted a significant and growing need for physicians in the state. Among the committee's conclusions: California is expected to face a shortfall of up to 17,000 physicians by 2015 due to overall population growth, an aging physician work force and the lack of growth in California medical education programs for more than three decades.
The UC President's Advisory Council on Future Growth in the Health Professions recommended last November that UC increase medical student enrollments by 34 percent through the year 2020. Specifically, the council recommended that this growth begin with PRIME on all five UC campuses with medical schools.
Photo by Elisabeth Fall
Related Links:
Creating a More Diverse Campus CommunityUCSF Today, Oct. 19, 2007
UCSF Begins to Implement Campuswide Strategic PlanUCSF Today, Oct. 19, 2007
