Good morning. Thank you for joining us here today to learn more about UC Merced's research and academic programs that are contributing to the long-term health of the San Joaquin Valley and the entire state.
As most everyone knows, California faces both a critical shortage of and an uneven distribution of physicians throughout the state — and the gap continues to widen, especially in the Valley.
At UC Merced, planning to help address that shortage started even before our first undergraduates arrived in 2005 when the UC Merced campus opened.
In keeping with our mission to serve the Valley we knew we had to start planning right away to develop high-quality programs that help improve the quality of life of the region and state.
Now, only six years later, UC Merced faculty and academic administrators are developing strong baccalaureate-level programs in health sciences and research programs in a host of health-related topics — such as water and air quality, infectious diseases and healthcare policies. These programs are already addressing the health needs of our region. Research programs such as these are critical components of all University of California medical schools.
In September of last year, we announced yet another important milestone in UC Merced's brief yet remarkable history. By partnering with the prestigious UC Davis School of Medicine we launched the UC Merced San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education.
Today, I am tremendously pleased to introduce our very first cohort of UC Merced's PRIME program, which will prepare students for medical careers in the largely rural, culturally diverse and historically underserved San Joaquin Valley.
It is important to note the partnership between UC Merced and UC Davis will allow the Valley to educate and bring new physicians to the region much faster as we also work over the coming years to build the academic, research, and funding base needed to launch an independent medical school.
Now, it's my great pleasure to introduce Dr. Don Hilty. At UC Merced, he is co-director of the UC Merced San Joaquin Valley PRIME. At UC Davis, Dr. Hilty is a professor of clinical psychiatry and director of the Rural-PRIME at UC Davis.
Thank you.
