Ranked as the third most diverse medical school in the country, UC Davis School of Medicine continues to be in the spotlight as medical schools nationwide look to us as a model for training diverse physicians and scientists who are uniquely prepared and committed to meeting the needs of all our communities.
Following the June 29, 2023, Supreme Court ruling banning affirmative action in college admissions, our medical school received significant coverage in the New York Times, CNN, JAMA and many other outlets about how we tripled our enrollment of students who are historically underrepresented in medicine over the last 15 years with a race-neutral, holistic admissions model.
Central to our success in meeting California’s physician workforce needs was our creation and expansion of pathway programs and partnerships focusing on training physicians to serve underresourced rural, urban and Native American and Alaska Native communities.
We are leading the way in meeting our state’s urgent need for primary care physicians, with 58% of our 2023 graduates matching into primary care programs and 82% staying in California. Our students also matched into numerous other specialties at some of the finest programs in the country, with nearly a quarter staying at UC Davis.
Our leadership as a research powerhouse also continued to grow. For the second consecutive year, UC Davis garnered more than $1 billion in external research funding. Our medical school’s groundbreaking faculty scientists and research teams generated 40% of that total, achieving a new record-high $401 million in external research funding in fiscal year 2022-23. The school’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding also reached a new high; most recently we were ranked 32nd in the nation on this important metric.
This summer we also welcomed 137 students in our Class of 2027. These talented first-year students were selected from more than 8,000 applicants and were distinguished in their diverse life experiences and academic excellence. Nearly 40% of these students were the first in their families to graduate from college and more than 70% are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
We are delighted that the Class of 2027 has joined our distinctive UC Davis School of Medicine community in their exciting journey to become physician leaders.
Thank you for your support as we trailblaze new therapies and technologies, educate a future-ready workforce, and drive excellence in all we do.