UA News

Medical student mentoring program is helping to increase the number of physicians practicing in rural Arizona.

Every summer for the past 13 years, a select group of physicians in rural communities throughout the state has volunteered to mentor medical students from The University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson to help increase the number of physicians practicing in rural Arizona.

For four to six weeks in June and July, the physicians volunteer as preceptors – or mentors – to UA medical students between their first and second years of medical school. The students work at the physicians' practice sites and reside in their communities.

The physicians are rural faculty members in the UA College of Medicine's Rural Health Professions Program, known as RHPP, established in 1997 by the Arizona Legislature to encourage medical school graduates to practice medicine in rural communities.

The students are matched with rural physician-preceptors based on medical specialty interest and community preference. Physician specialties include family practice, pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology and surgery.

Forty-four rural communities are participating in RHPP, and additional sites will be selected throughout the state.

Communities hosting students this summer include:

Cibecue/Whiteriver:

• Dr. Steven Savoia, medicine, mentoring Ian Crain, of Phoenix, June 15-26 and July 13-31.

Flagstaff:

• Dr. Cynthia Martin, medicine and pediatrics, mentoring Elizabeth Lee, of Tucson, June 8-July 17.

• Dr. Andrew Saal, family medicine; mentoring Stevy Merrill, of Scottsdale, June 29-July 31.

• Dr. Jerry Mohr, general surgery; mentoring Alan Schumacher, of Three Points, June 15-July 10.

Grand Canyon:

• Dr. Michelle Doroz, family medicine, mentoring Sara Bush, of Prescott, June 8-July 3.

Green Valley/Continental:

• Dr. Donald Smith, family medicine, mentoring Charity Reynolds, of Three Points, June 8-July 3.

Kingman:

• Dr. Ismail Bokhari, medicine, mentoring Sarah Dehaybi, of Kingman, July 6-31.

Nogales:

• Dr. Eladio Pereira, medicine, mentoring Cambel Berk, of Patagonia, June 29-July 31.

Payson:

• Dr. Amalia Pineres, family medicine, mentoring Nandini Ganesh, of Scottsdale, June 8-July 3.

Polacca:

• Dr. Jon Stucki, family medicine, mentoring Danielle Draper, of Tempe, June 8-July 3.

Prescott Valley:

• Dr. Jennifer Slocum Waara, family medicine, mentoring Alicia Cowdrey, of Scottsdale, June 8-July 3.

Queen Creek:

• Dr. Robert Truesdale, family medicine, mentoring Laura Marrs, of Scottsdale, June 1-July 10.

Safford:

• Dr. Gail Guerrero-Tucker, family medicine, mentoring Allison Lowe, of Glendale, June 8-July 3.

Sells:

• Dr. Susan Hausser, family medicine, mentoring Stephen Kaplan, of Pinetop, June 15-July 24.

Show Low:

• Dr. Leon Driss, medicine, mentoring Kara Block, of Cottonwood, July 6-31.

• Dr. Daniel Greco, general surgery, mentoring Daniel Churgin, of Tempe, June 8-July 17.

Sierra Vista:

• Dr. Jody Jenkins, general surgery, mentoring James Fox, of Flagstaff, July 6-31.

Snowflake:

• Dr. Dallas Peterson, family medicine, and Dr. Alan DeWitt, family medicine, both mentoring Kari Evans, of Phoenix, June 8-July 17.

Springerville:

• Dr. Cathy Taylor, medicine and pediatrics, mentoring Chinenye Anako, of Litchfield Park (originally from Nigeria), June 8-July 10.

Tuba City:

• Dr. Diana Hu, pediatrics, mentoring Melissa Panagos, of Cottonwood, June 8-July 10.

Yuma:

• Dr. Ricky Ochoa, family medicine, mentoring Charlene Clements, of San Manuel, June 8-July 3.

The students will continue to work side-by-side with their preceptors over the course of their three remaining years of medical training, returning to the rural communities in their third and fourth years.

"This program helps nurture students' interest in a rural practice," said Carol Galper, assistant dean for medical student education, UA College of Medicine. "Many of the students grew up in rural towns in Arizona and have a desire to practice in small communities, perhaps even returning to their hometowns. Their RHPP experiences help them understand the unique health care needs of rural populations as well as strategies to address these needs, and help them decide about where they want to practice in the future."

RHPP students develop long-term relationships with their rural physician-preceptors, who act as medical and career counselors, helping the students make informed choices when they decide where they will practice medicine.

Upon graduation, RHPP students are more likely to select primary care specialties than their classmates: 88 percent versus 51 percent of UA College of Medicine graduates.

"We now have other graduates throughout the state, in places like San Luis, Yuma, Pinetop, Fort Mohave, Camp Verde, Flagstaff, Safford and Prescott, with more graduates returning each year," said Galper. "It is exciting to see these physicians return to Arizona and to have them teach our RHPP students. RHPP has come full circle."