California is projected to face a shortage of 10,500 primary care physicians by 2030. Already, nearly 15 million Californians live in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas, according to Let’s Get Healthy California.

Meeting this challenge requires California to build pathways into medicine earlier, and community colleges are essential to that work.

The California Medicine Scholars Program (CMSP) is a regional, intersegmental pathway program designed to strengthen California’s physician workforce by creating clear, supported pathways from community college to medical school and, ultimately, into communities across the state. CMSP is rooted in the belief that California’s community colleges are one of the state’s greatest untapped assets for addressing the physician shortage. With campuses embedded in diverse communities throughout California, the community college system provides an existing statewide infrastructure capable of reaching students who are often deeply connected to the places they call home and who have firsthand experience with the health inequities affecting their families and their neighbors.

Where the Pathway to Medicine Begins

I’ve worked with pre-med students for more than 10 years, and their passion and commitment are unlike anything I’ve seen. Through that experience, one truth has become clear: where physicians come from matters. Recently, a California Medicine Scholar captured why:

“What neighborhood you live in, your wealth, what access you have to a grocery store in your neighborhood, and then if you can even afford medical insurance. So, I think that’s a big motivator. If there’s a chance that I can be one of the doctors that actually make somebody feel heard, valued, and cared about, I think I would be really happy.”

Their words have stayed with me, underscoring where the pathway to medicine begins and which students have the opportunity to pursue it. 

These students play an important role in building a physician workforce that understands the unique needs of their communities and is prepared to serve them. CMSP invests in these students early in their educational journey, creating continuity across traditionally disconnected stages of the pathway to medicine from community college through four-year and medical school and, ultimately, into the healthcare workforce.

CMSP reflects a growing recognition that addressing California’s physician shortage requires more than expanding medical school enrollment. It requires building stronger and more accessible workforce pathways earlier in the educational journey and ensuring that students from communities across California have the opportunity, resources, and support to pursue medicine. Though CMSP students benefit from academic preparation, mentorship, clinical experiences, advising, and exposure to the medical profession, regional partners align their efforts around a shared goal: developing physicians who are connected to and prepared to serve their communities.

A Regional Model with Statewide Reach

Today, CMSP spans four established regions: Inland Empire, Central Valley, Greater Northern California, and San Diego and Imperial counties, and includes three new regional hubs serving Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

Each regional hub is intentionally shaped by the needs, assets, and healthcare workforce priorities of its residents, with a focus on low-income and rural areas experiencing physician shortages. CMSP now reaches 56 California Community Colleges, 23 four-year universities and medical schools, and 42 community-based health organizations. 

CMSP demonstrates what is possible when education, healthcare, government, philanthropy, and community partners work toward a shared goal. But transforming California’s physician workforce will require continued investment, strong regional partnerships, and a long-term commitment to students from communities with the greatest healthcare workforce needs. Together, we can build a physician workforce that reflects California and is deeply connected to the communities it serves.

CMSP 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.

In the video below, California Medicine Scholars, program leaders, and elected officials share the program’s impact and its role in shaping the future of California’s physician workforce.