The Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US) was created to serve the needs of both medical students wanting to work with predominantly minority and uninsured populations and of the people living in urban areas with limited access to quality healthcare services.

Evidence-based Education

Research has demonstrated that students who enter medical school with a desire to care for underserved populations are more likely than other students to ultimately practice in underserved communities and care for minority and uninsured patients.

Studies also reveal that many residency graduates believe that they lack competence in caring for patients who are chronically ill, elderly, addicted, mentally ill, victims of violence, and from minority or disadvantaged backgrounds.

Physicians with more training in these areas, however, are more willing to work with these populations.

The program's Mission & Goals are to provide the training and support that will enable more medical graduates to follow through on their initial motivation for entering medical school: serving the urban underserved.

The program's History is one that is tied to a statewide movement to improve health care in urban underserved communities.