Educational programs across the state are working to recruit and support students interested in primary care and rural medicine.

• Blaze to MD Primary Care Pathway sets aside five seats specifically for students interested in primary care, plus, provided they meet program requirements, these aspiring physicians will receive direct admission to the UAB Heersink School of Medicine.
• The Rural Medicine Program at Auburn University and the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Huntsville campus 
• The Rural Medical Scholars Program at the University of Alabama 

The Department of Family and Community Medicine’s Comprehensive Urban Underserved and Rural Experience program, or CU²RE, works to increase the number and quality of medical students who match into primary care. CU²RE is funded by a four-year HRSA grant, and expanded to all of UAB’s medical campuses in 2021. Learn more here.

As associate dean for primary care and rural health, Asif partners with programs around Alabama to grow academic and health care programs, particularly with residencies in rural areas. These partners include:

UAB's regional campuses: Rural residency and educational training programs with unique identities within the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. Find out more about residencies in Tuscaloosa and Huntsville.

Cahaba-UAB Family Medicine Residency: A 12-12-12 program offering urban underserved and rural tracks. The program aims to develop physicians who care for rural underserved, urban underserved and other vulnerable populations, while also developing future leaders and scholars in family and community medicine.

UAB Selma Family Medicine Residency Program which has been training compassionate family physicians in Central Alabama for more than four decades and is one of the few truly rural family medicine residency programs in the country.

Christ Health Center: A faith-based clinic that also co-leads a family medicine residency program with Ascension St. Vincent’s.

UAB offers several competitive primary care fellowships for all interests, including OBGYN, emergency medicine, sports medicine, global health, and more. Find out more about each fellowship by clicking the links below:

• Sports and Exercise Medicine
• Addiction Medicine
• Sleep Medicine
• Geriatrics
• Adolescent Medicine
• Obstetrics and Women's Health
• Obesity Medicine
• Emergency Medicine
• Global Health
• Hospital and Palliative Care

Our department and various partners work hard to provide comprehensive continuing education and leadership training to our faculty members and other stakeholders, from professional development fellowships to Grand Rounds. Offerings include:

• Faculty Development Fellowship
• Leadership Development Program 
• Leadership Resources

The department partners with the Alabama Area Health Education Centers (AHEC), a program to improve and expand the health care workforce in rural and underserved communities. Becky Reamey, Ph.D, serves as the director of the Alabama Statewide AHEC Network. 

Live HealthSmart Alabama is a comprehensive plan to work with businesses, schools, faith-based organizations, and non-profits in order to make changes to policies, systems, and the built environment impacting the health of Alabamians. Dr. Asif is on the Live HealthSmart leadership team, and department members volunteer during community Mobile Market days. Learn more about Live HealthSmart’s important mission here.

The Department of Family and Community Medicine has piloted a partnership with the YMCA of Greater Birmingham to offer discounted membership and support to patients who need to pursue a more active lifestyle to address health conditions and concerns.

The Alabama Practice-Based Research Network is a collaborative research network, housed in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, dedicated to bridging the gap between practice-based research and larger institutions. Our PBRN works with dozens of practitioners and statewide organizations, like Coach Safely and the UAB Depression and Suicide Center, to connect practical solutions with primary care clinics through research.