Stories in Action
Our Commitment to Serving Under-resourced Communities
At UC Davis Health and School of Medicine, we provide some of the nation’s leading and most expert health care with the goal of improving our community’s health. Here are some of the many ways we are living our missions and serving as a cornerstone of our region’s health care safety net:
May 2026
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May 04, 2026Two decades of health equity: How the Center for Reducing Health Disparities became a national model
The UC Davis Center for Reducing Health Disparities marks 20 years of advancing health equity nationwide
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April 2026
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April 15, 2026How the School of Medicine built a primary care pipeline to address physician shortages
UC Davis graduates a higher share of primary care physicians than most medical schools, which expands access and addresses shortages in underserved California communities.
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November 2025
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November 03, 2025UC Davis School of Medicine expands program to train rural doctors into Northern California
UC Davis launches Rural ACE-PCP to train medical students in Shasta, Nevada, and Humboldt counties and expand the rural primary care and psychiatry workforce
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October 2025
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October 17, 2025Two decades of dedication: UC Davis Health and Sacramento County transform access to care
A unique pathway in the UC Davis Health internal medicine residency program is transforming the health of medically underserved patients and reshaping the primary care workforce.
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September 2025
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September 09, 2025Improving health outcomes by connecting with patients on a cultural level
The 2025 Dr. Ifeanyi Onyeji Resident/Fellow Inclusive Excellence and Equity Award was presented to Debby Lee, a trainee in internal medicine.
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August 2025
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August 01, 2025Lessons in medical education: Preparing better doctors for a changing world
Mark Servis reflects on 36 years at UC Davis School of Medicine and envisions how new technological innovations could shape the future of medical education.
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July 2025
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July 22, 2025Pediatrics professor who encourages students to have ‘passion for their mission’ receives teaching honor
Professor of Clinical Pediatrics Erik Orlando Fernandez y Garcia has received the UC Davis School of Medicine’s 2025 C. John Tupper Prize for Excellence in Teaching
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July 18, 2025UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz create new medical school pathway for Central Coast region
UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz have created PRIME Central Coast — a medical school pathway to increase the number of physicians in medically underserved region
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March 2025
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March 20, 2025Free cancer screenings in April for Head & Neck Cancer Awareness Month
Two free Sacramento cancer screening days will be held in April to mark Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Month.
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February 2025
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February 27, 2025Medical student creates app to empower women and save lives
When second-year medical student Ijeoma Uche isn’t studying or researching, she’s plugging away at an app she co-created that’s gaining attention for reducing health disparities
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February 12, 2025Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola appointed to state committee to advance health equity
California Gov. Gavin Newsom appoints Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola to a state committee that seeks to improve health care access for underserved residents
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December 2024
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December 18, 2024Student-run Clínica Tepati celebrates 50th anniversary
Clínica Tepati, the UC Davis student-run free clinic in Midtown Sacramento, celebrates 50 years of caring for underserved patients.
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November 2024
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November 07, 2024Willow Clinic student volunteers host health and resources fair Saturday in Sacramento
Physical exams, flu vaccines and housing resources are among the services students will provide Saturday at the annual Veteran’s Day Health Fair.
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October 2024
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October 31, 2024Medical school awarded grant to share best practices on socially accountable admissions reform
UC Davis School of Medicine and UMass Chan Medical School have partnered to create a toolkit on socially conscious admissions to change the landscape of medicine.
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October 24, 2024UC Davis medical residency programs expand to Central Valley
UC Davis resident physicians training in OB-GYN and cardiothoracic surgery are caring for patients in Modesto under a new partnership with Doctors Medical Center.
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July 2024
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July 30, 2024San Joaquin County teens learn from UC Davis medical students
The UC Davis School of Medicine hosted 24 high school students from San Joaquin County who aspire to become doctors in Central Valley communities.
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June 2024
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June 27, 2024‘Ending Unequal Treatment’: National report finds little progress in health equity over two decades
The U.S. has made little progress in advancing health equity over the past two decades according to a new report. But report co-author, psychiatrist Ruth Shim, finds room for hope.
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June 12, 2024Ultrasounds and EKGs: High schoolers get hands-on learning about STEM careers
A partnership between the UC Davis Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and Project Lead the Way gives local high school students hands-on experience in anesthesiology and medical sciences.
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May 2024
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May 24, 2024New family medicine residency training site cares for underserved patients in West Sacramento
The UC Davis family medicine residency program collaborates with CommuniCare+OLE to start a new training site to care for underserved patients in West Sacramento.
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April 2024
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April 25, 2024
School of Medicine hosts Merced County teenagers and encourages them to become physicians
Nearly 20 high school students from Merced County visited the UC Davis School of Medicine to learn what it takes to become a doctor.
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April 05, 2024Free cancer screening day to mark Head & Neck Cancer Awareness Month
Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Month is being observed with a free cancer screening day for the public on April 13 at the student-run Shifa Clinic.
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March 2024
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March 14, 2024Medical student uses research to advocate for the unhoused
A UC Davis medical student takes to a national audience of family medicine physicians to advocate for better health care access for people experiencing homelessness.
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February 2024
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February 27, 2024
Street medicine team improves lives of unhoused patients
Twice a week, providers from UC Davis Health board Sacramento County’s mobile health clinic to care for patients in and around homeless encampments.
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November 2023
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November 16, 2023UC Davis medical students reach underserved populations between Sacramento and Portland
A new training program sends UC Davis medical students to Klamath Falls, OR, in an effort to increase the number of doctors in underserved areas.
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November 07, 2023UC Davis surgeon recognized nationally for commitment to diversity in medicine
UC Davis thoracic surgeon Luis Armando Godoy awarded The Association of American Medical Colleges Herbert W. Nickens Faculty Fellowship in recognition of his leadership in fighting inequities in medical practice and education.
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November 02, 2023Medical student receives national award for diversity efforts
Andrés Maldonado is the latest UC Davis medical student to win the prestigious Nickens Scholarship from the Association of American Medical Colleges for his leadership in diversity initiatives.
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October 2023
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October 04, 2023Medical students earn top honors at national conference
A poster by UC Davis medical students highlighting care for immigrants at the Knights Landing student-run clinic won top honors at the national Latino Student Medical Association’s national conference.
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September 2023
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September 15, 2023Prep Médico inspires Latino students to pursue health careers
An innovative pathway program led by the UC Davis School of Medicine and Kaiser Permanente to boost the number of Latino health professionals has helped hundreds of undergraduate students pursue careers in medicine.
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August 2023
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August 16, 2023JAMA article recounts School of Medicine’s holistic admissions practices
Three deans with the UC Davis School of Medicine explain in a JAMA commentary how representation of historically excluded learners tripled in the past 15 years.
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August 08, 2023Urology resident honored for devotion to diversity, equity and inclusion
Urology resident Gabriela Gonzalez has been honored with the 2023 Ifeanyi Onyeji, M.D. UCDH Trainee Award in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
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June 2023
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June 30, 2023High school students enjoy a preview of health careers
Some 60 teenagers from throughout the Greater Sacramento region converged at UC Davis Health over the past week to learn about careers as part of the Health Equity Academy.
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June 23, 2023School of Medicine prepares students to advocate for patients
The School of Medicine has launched a new program to teach health care advocacy and policy to students passionate about being a voice for underserved patients.
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June 01, 2023Trio of medical students create community health conference
Three UC Davis medical students created and hosted a community health conference that drew about 150 fellow students from throughout California.
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November 2022
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November 09, 2022Willow Clinic Veterans Day Health Fair takes place Saturday
The 12th annual Willow Clinic Veterans Health Fair on Saturday will offer medical and psychological screenings, haircuts, a coat giveaway and other services for vulnerable populations including veterans and people experiencing homelessness.
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June 2022
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June 28, 2022UC Davis creates new pathway to medical school that starts in community college
A new initiative involving more than two dozen colleges seeks to boost the number of doctors in rural Northern California. Avenue M will identify talented community college students from rural regions, guide them into four-year universities and eventually steer them toward the UC Davis School of Medicine.
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June 23, 2022Medical students provide care in remote area of Honduras during summer program
After a two-year pause, the UC Davis School of Medicine has resumed its global health clinical rotation elective. Seven students are spending a month in Honduras providing medical care and presenting health topics during community outreach
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June 22, 2022
Medical center kitchen team prepares meals for people experiencing homelessness
Over the past three months, UC Davis Health has prepared and delivered 15,000 meals to a community-based program where people experiencing homelessness recover from illness after being discharged from Sacramento hospitals.
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March 2021
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March 31, 2021UC Davis School of Medicine ranks No. 4 nationally in diversity
The UC Davis School of Medicine is ranked No. 4 in diversity nationwide, thanks to a number of innovative programs over the past decade that draw underrepresented minority groups.
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October 2020
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October 01, 2020UC Davis to offer free COVID-19 testing for Central Valley farmworkers
Four UC Davis research centers will partner with 10 community organizations to offer free COVID-19 testing for Central Valley farmworkers under a new federal grant
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August 2020
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August 28, 2020NIH grant will allow UC Davis Health to train community health workers in COVID-19 contact tracing
New grant allows for improved training of community health workers to engage with underserved populations in research such as testing, case identification and contact tracing for culturally and linguistically diverse groups.
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