Recent editorials and letters in the regional media have called on the UC Davis School of Medicine to commit to primary care training of future physicians. As the nation defines exciting new models of health-care delivery and as more people enter the system through health-care reform, academic health centers must lead the charge.

But UC Davis Health System, which includes our medical and nursing schools, as well as programs in health informatics, public health sciences and family nurse practitioner/physician assistant training, is already leading the way.

The UC Davis School of Medicine was founded in 1965 for just this purpose — to train primary care providers for California. We have nurtured this heritage throughout our history, including over the past decade under the leadership and vision of our departing Dean and Vice Chancellor, Claire Pomeroy.

Our current strategic plan focuses on key elements of this challenge: 1) Building robust primary care; 2) Designing new models of health care; 3) Developing innovative interprofessional models of health-care education; and 4) Applying information technology in health-care delivery.

Our institution is, in fact, a model for the rest of the nation.

UC Davis is a national leader in the percentage of medical school graduates who elect residency training in primary care. Several programs contribute to these results, including one that prepares students to work in small rural communities to reduce geographic disparities; another that, in partnership with UC Merced and UCSF-Fresno, trains physicians for the underserved Central Valley; and most recently, one that trains students to practice in urban underserved settings.

This focus on primary care is also evident in our holistic admissions process that assesses interpersonal skills, cultural competency, and empathy needed by primary care physicians. The dean’s scholarship fund and a tripling of the number of endowed student scholarships have helped decrease debt burden, allowing students to follow their hearts to primary care.

The media correctly state that UC Davis Health System must build upon Pomeroy’s legacy and continue its historical commitment and current leadership in primary care and meeting the health-care needs of all, including underserved communities. However, the scope and profundity of that legacy was missing. Our commitment to this goal has never been stronger.

Mark Servis, M.D.
Senior associate dean for medical education
UC Davis School of Medicine

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