Research Spotlight

Primary care in the U.S. is in decline. While primary care is the foundation of an effective health care system, there is a shortage of primary care (PC) physicians. 

UC Davis Health is committed to addressing the shortage of primary care physicians by educating a larger and more diverse primary care workforce, and by working with Federally Qualified Health Centers in the region to provide primary care and behavioral health services to low-income residents.

As the region’s only academic health center, a core mission of UC Davis is to meet the Primary Care workforce needs of California’s urban and rural counties. UC Davis is among the top schools for Primary Care specialization. In 2025, 63% of UC Davis graduates matched into Primary Care—leading all UC medical schools by greater than 20%—and 81% of graduates matched for residency in California.

UC Davis offers five Primary Care pathways that train students in Primary Care in medically underserved and rural settings:

• ACE-PC (Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care) provides a 3-year MD degree for Primary Care-bound students. The majority of graduates practice in Federally Qualified Health Centers, which are primary care clinics that receive federal funds to provide healthcare services to underserved communities.
• Rural-PRIME (PRograms In Medical Education) recruits and trains students for rural practice. 65% of graduates have entered Primary Care; 40% in rural settings, and 56% in medically underserved communities.
• REACH (Reimagining Education to Advance central California Health) recruits and trains students for rural practice in the Central Valley. 60% of graduates are in Primary Care residency.
• TEACH-MS (Transforming Education and Community Health for Medical Students) recruits and trains students for urban underserved PC. 79% of graduates have entered PC residency, and 53% practice in underserved settings.
• Tribal Health PRIME (PRograms In Medical Education) recruits students committed to serving American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities and has tripled the number of AI/AN students (from 3 to 16). UC Davis’s new Huwighurruk Tribal Health Post Baccalaureate Program (in Humboldt County) provides conditional acceptance into Tribal Health PRIME.

UC Davis conducts numerous recruitment activities for over 1000 students per year. One-third of current students participated in at least one of these recruitment efforts:

• AvenueM: A community college to medical school pathway program for disadvantaged students from Northern California.
• Medical School Preparatory Enhancement Program (MSPEP): 6-month program to help students apply to medical school, including paid MCAT testing.
• Post-baccalaureate Program: 1-year academic preparation and advising with explicit workforce diversity mission.
• Huwighurruk Tribal Health postbaccalaureate: Tuition-free yearlong at Cal Poly Humboldt with guaranteed admissions to UC Davis SOM Tribal and Indian Health Centers.
• HEALTH Equity Academy: 6-session health leadership program that provides exposure to various healthcare careers through hands-on, skill building team activities. The program is hosted three times each year - Fall, Spring and Summer, in-person at the UC Davis School of Medicine Sacramento campus. Participants will gain exposure to different careers in the healthcare field, build their networks as they engage with healthcare professionals and healthcare students, and meet with college advisors who will share valuable information about college-readiness, including requirements and other important advice. There is no cost to participate in this program.
• K-12 Outreach: in-school presentations on health careers by staff and medical students.