Collaborations led by UCLA School of Medicine, Charles R. Drew University, and Chabot College will expand physician pathways amid California’s healthcare workforce shortages

SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Medicine Scholars Program (CMSP), a program of the Foundation for California Community Colleges, is expanding its innovative Regional Hubs of Healthcare Opportunity (RHHO) model to the Bay Area and Los Angeles, creating new pathways for students pursuing careers in medicine as California faces growing physician shortages and widening health disparities in underserved communities. 

Established in 2022, CMSP created the Regional Hubs of Healthcare Opportunity model, an intersegmental working relationship that connects California community colleges, four-year universities, medical schools, community health centers, and community-based organizations. As part of this expansion, CMSP is launching three new regional hubs: two in Los Angeles, led by the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU), and one in the Bay Area, led by Chabot College.

Together, these collaborators provide students with academic advising, mentorship, clinical exposure, internships, volunteer opportunities, and other experiences that prepare them for medical school and careers in healthcare. The three additional regional hubs will launch pilot programs in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. 

CMSP’s expansion will bring physician pathway opportunities to hundreds of additional students and help address critical shortages in regions where access to healthcare remains limited.

“This expansion marks an exciting step toward ensuring more students in Los Angeles and the Bay Area can see a clear and supported path to becoming physicians,” said Kaitlin Jackson, director of the California Medicine Scholars Program. “By bringing together community colleges, universities, medical schools, healthcare providers, and community organizations, these new regional hubs will help students build the skills, experience, and relationships they need to succeed. Just as importantly, they will strengthen the physician workforce in communities where culturally responsive care is needed most.” 

Leaders of the three new regional hubs emphasized how the expansion will build on each institution’s strengths and create locally rooted pathways for students to pursue careers in medicine.

“CMSP is California’s statewide community college-to-medical school pathway, and CMSP LA Med brings that model to Los Angeles,” said Jennifer Lucero, MD, MA, Associate Dean at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. “By working with community colleges across the region and investing in students early, the David Geffen School of Medicine is helping build a physician workforce that trains, practices, and remains in the California communities that need it most.”

“CDU was founded sixty years ago because South Los Angeles deserved better access to healthcare and education,” said Keosha Partlow, PhD, MPH, Vice Provost of Student Affairs, CDU and Interim Associate Dean of Student Affairs, CDU College of Medicine. “The CMSP is an example of how we continue to carry that legacy forward through our commitment to ensuring that students who grow up in our communities have a clear, supported, and real pathway to becoming the physicians their communities need most.”

“At Chabot College, we see firsthand the incredible talent and resilience that our underrepresented STEM students bring to campus every day,” said Michelle Reyes, MS, HSI STEM Counselor at Chabot College. “As the first community college to lead a CMSP regional hub, we’re proud to anchor the Bay Area expansion and build partnerships that directly connect community colleges, four-year universities, and medical schools. By combining intentional academic support with clinical exposure and mentorship, we’re committed to clearing the path for scholars to enter medical school and serve our local communities facing physician shortages.”

The LA and Bay Area expansion comes at a critical time for California’s healthcare system. Demand for primary care clinicians is projected to grow significantly in the coming years, while physician shortages continue to affect communities throughout the state. More than two-thirds of California counties experience low physician supply and elevated rates of preventable hospitalizations, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen the healthcare workforce pathway.

CMSP’s approach also addresses longstanding disparities in physician representation. Research shows that patients are more likely to access care, report positive healthcare experiences, and experience improved communication when treated by providers who share similar linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Today, CMSP serves approximately 800 students through four established regional hubs. The three new hubs in LA and the Bay Area build on CMSP’s existing Regional Hubs of Healthcare Opportunity network, which includes CMSP Inland Empire, led by the UC Riverside School of Medicine; CMSP AvenueM, led by the UC Davis School of Medicine; CMSP RegionX, led by the UC San Diego School of Medicine; and CMSP SJV MedBridge, led by the UCSF Fresno Regional Campus. 

With this expansion, CMSP now spans 56 California Community Colleges, 23 four-year universities and medical schools, and 42 community-based health organizations. The program’s long-term vision is to build a statewide physician pathway infrastructure that ensures students from every region of California have access to the support and opportunities needed to pursue careers in medicine.

California Medicine Scholars Program is supported by the California Health Care Foundation, The California Endowment, California Wellness Foundation, Gilead Foundation, Tipping Point Community, and the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI).

To learn more about CMSP and how it aims to address the physician shortage in the state of California, please visit: https://californiamedicinescholarsprogram.org/

The Foundation for California Community Colleges works to benefit students, colleges, and communities by accelerating paths to economic and social mobility, strengthening communities, and reducing barriers to opportunities for all Californians. FoundationCCC is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1998. It serves as the official statewide nonprofit organization supporting the California Community Colleges, the largest system of higher education in the nation. For more information, visit www.foundationccc.org.