The Comprehensive Urban Underserved and Rural Experience (CU2RE) program is opening a new component to its mission—the CU2RE Primary Care Pipeline Program.
The pipeline program is designed to help undergraduate students from Alabama and neighboring states with pre-medical education and service-learning opportunities to encourage their interest in primary care and future practice in underserved urban and rural areas.
The program admitted its first cohort early this month, welcoming 12 undergraduate students who are interested in careers in medicine. Eight students currently attend UAB and will join students from Oakwood University and Alabama A&M University in Huntsville; Huntingdon College in Montgomery; and Samford University in Birmingham.
Sameera Davuluri, M.D., assistant professor, medical director of Hoover Family Medicine Clinic, will lead the program as its new director.
"I look forward to an enthusiastic and energetic group of students who are eager to dive in and engage in all the activities,” said Davuluri. “The program has summer and longitudinal activities, which are being uniquely designed and/or facilitated to the undergraduate students. We are committed to deliver the best experience to students and anticipate students will enjoy being a part of the program.”
Davuluri said that she believed primary care providers are the backbone of health care and that programs like the CU2RE Pipeline Program will make it easier to funnel more candidates into medical school from rural or urban underserved backgrounds who may not have the resources needed to get into a four-year medical program.
“Getting into medical school is not a straightforward process, especially if you have limited resources-- which could be socioeconomic factors, distance, lack of guidance and role models,” she said. “I have a great opportunity in my role to help create an impact highlighting the importance of primary care physicians and to guide future generations to pursue their dreams of going to medical school.”
The program is open to sophomores and juniors who are enrolled in four-year degree program and interested in applying to medical school. The program works best for those who plan to take a gap year in between undergraduate graduation and medical school. Students must also be from a medically underserved community or rural area.
After being accepted into the program, students will be given the tools needed for a successful medical school application, opportunities to tour medical facilities and shadow primary care providers, educational experiences and guided discussions, mentorship from current medical students and more.
"Our pipeline program will ensure that even more students interested in medical careers will have access to mentorship and resources,” said Adrienne Fowler Payne, program director for CU2RE. “Each of our programs creates more opportunities to address the primary care practitioner shortage in our state, and we look forward to working with our new group of pipeline students beginning this summer.”
For many students coming from underserved backgrounds, the challenges and rigor of a medical education can be hard to navigate without support. The pipeline program will provide that support, in the form of mentorship from current medical students and faculty members, along with resources and training that can help students prepare for their next steps in education.
Applications are currently closed but the program will begin accepting applicants for its next cohort in early 2023. Visit the program’s webpage to learn more.