• One of Five Programs Statewide
• Voter Funded
• Targeting Underserved Populations
• PRIME-US 2007 Launch
• Additional Funding

One of Five Programs Statewide

PRIME-US is one of five Programs in Medical Education (PRIME) that will eventually be established at each of the Schools of Medicine in the University of California system. These innovative programs will train physicians to work with diverse, underserved populations and reduce health care disparities.

Voter Funded

In November of 2006, California voters approved Prop. 1D: The Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2006. The medical-education portion of the funding was intended to expand the University's medical schools in meaningful ways and enhance its telemedicine programs throughout the state.

Targeting Underserved Populations

The UC PRIME initiative seeks to address the needs of many of California's most disadvantaged groups and communities. Each program is structured as five-year MD with Master's programs that will prepare students as clinicians, leaders and advocates for their communities. While PRIME-US focuses on the urban underserved, other campuses train physicians for working with other underserved communities, including rural populations and Latino communities.

PRIME-US 2007 Launch

The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and the Joint Medical Program (JMP) at the University of California Berkeley officially launched the Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US) in 2007 after a successful pilot program in 2006.

In 2007, PRIME-US expanded the class size of the UCSF School of Medicine for the first time in decades, welcoming twelve new students to the program (in addition to the ten pilot students). Eight of the new students will be based at the UCSF School of Medicine in San Francisco and four will be in the Joint Medical Program (JMP) administered by UC Berkeley (UCB) and UCSF.

The pilot year of PRIME-US was funded by The California Endowment. This year, PRIME-US is also funded by The California Wellness Foundation. In addition to state PRIME funding, PRIME-US is funded by the California Endowment, the California Wellness Foundation, the San Francisco Foundation, the WellPoint Foundation, the UCSF School of Medicine class of 1982 and individual donors.