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Pathway Partners: UCSF School of Medicine and UCSF Fresno

The SJV PRIME+ program represents a collaboration of UCSF School of Medicine, UC Merced, and UCSF Fresno. All three campuses work together to design and deliver a comprehensive medical education experience, with a focus on preparing diverse students from the San Joaquin Valley to become outstanding physicians who are dedicated to remaining in the Valley to care for patients and meet the needs of their communities.

Campus Roles

UCSF School of Medicine has expertise in advancing human health through a fourfold mission of education, research, patient care and public service. UCSF is accredited by the Licensing Committee on Medical Education (LCME) as the degree-granting institution, so students who graduate from SJV PRIME+ will follow the UCSF curriculum and receive their degree from UCSF. UCSF will collaborate with UC Merced and UCSF Fresno to develop all aspects of the BS/MD program.

UC Merced excels at providing robust, supportive undergraduate education toward the Bachelor of Science (BS) degree. As undergraduates, SJV PRIME+ students will pursue their BS degree at UC Merced and will participate in health-related experiences. Once students matriculate to medical school, UC Merced will deliver the first 1.5 years of the UCSF medical school curriculum, Foundations 1 in Merced.

UCSF Fresno has decades of experience in providing outstanding, engaging clinical experiences in the Central Valley. SJV PRIME+ students will rotate at UCSF Fresno for 2.5 years for in-depth patient care experiences in Foundations 2 (clinical clerkships) and Career Launch (acting internships, electives, and Deep Explore). Many of the patient care, teaching, and research activities of the UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program have orientation toward rural health problems and health service needs.