Timeline of First Medical Education Cohort at UC Merced
Current Status of the Medical Education Program
To meet the healthcare needs of the patient population of the San Joaquin Valley, it is UC Merced’s long-term goal to develop an independent medical school. However, launching a medical school requires substantial time, financial support, faculty development, and a strong foundation of clinical partnerships for student rotations. Starting off as a branch campus of UCSF School of Medicine allows UC Merced to immediately start training the future physicians that the San Joaquin Valley needs. In the meantime, as branch campus of UCSF SOM, UC Merced will gain expertise in medical education, begin hiring expert medical education faculty, build clinical partnerships, and start laying the foundation to someday increase class size and become an independent medical school.
The Future of Medical Education at UC Merced
We are thrilled to be launching the SJV PRIME+ BS to MD pathway! Once the program gets underway, we will have approximately 12-15 new students per year. The inaugural class of SJVPP students will enter medical school at UC Merced in 2027. They will be supported by medical education faculty and mentors, access to medical library services, and a new medical education building. Our first class of SJV doctors will graduate in 2031! We aspire that the SJVPP will truly help establish UC Merced as an outstanding institution for pre-health careers. As a pipeline program, we hope that SJVPP will help attract diverse students from all areas of the SJV, provide mentors and role models, and inspire their interest in health care.
