NAU College of Medicine to address Arizona’s critical shortage of primary care physicians
NAU Health will create an innovative national model for medical education and double degrees awarded in high-demand healthcare programs.
Northern Arizona University today announced the creation of NAU Health, an innovative initiative aimed at improving health outcomes for all Arizonans, particularly those in rural, Indigenous, and underserved communities.
At the center of this initiative is the creation of a distinctive new College of Medicine that will focus on educating primary healthcare providers who reflect the residents of Arizona and who will remain in the state to serve Arizona’s increasingly diverse population.
NAU’s College of Medicine will be intentionally designed to create accelerated pathways and affordable options for Arizona residents seeking an MD that will enable them to practice in-state while accruing minimal debt. This includes plans for a tuition coverage program similar to the Arizona Teachers’ Academy, where graduates who stay to practice in Arizona after graduation will have educational costs fully covered, as well as a curriculum that foregrounds cultural competency and integrates significant behavioral health perspectives to improve outcomes for patients and their communities.
“I am proud to announce this bold and transformative step, which builds on NAU’s legacy of serving the people and communities of Arizona by creating NAU Health and paving the way for a College of Medicine in northern Arizona,” said NAU President José Luis Cruz Rivera. “With the creation of NAU Health, we also recommit ourselves to elevating our existing, exceptional health education programs with the goal of doubling the number of degrees awarded by NAU in the much-needed fields of nursing, health professions, and behavioral health fields and increasing provider availability in every corner of the state.”
Arizona has a well-documented shortage of healthcare professionals, which is most severe outside of major metropolitan areas and among primary healthcare providers. Driven by the Arizona Board of Regents’ (ABOR) Arizona Healthy Tomorrow initiative, NAU will build on its distinctive expertise in community health and health equity, and more than 50 years of experience with primary health professions programs, to design its College of Medicine to address this need. Instead of focusing on specialties, research and a traditional physician education model, NAU’s College of Medicine will be focused on educating resilient, Arizona-serving primary care practitioners who are committed to serving diverse communities throughout the state.
“It is our goal to make sure Arizona families have access to quality, affordable healthcare,” said ABOR Chair Fred DuVal. “President Cruz Rivera’s vision to increase the health care workforce of our state through NAU Health will have a lasting impact on the health of Arizona citizens.”
To pursue this ambitious work, NAU has created a new branch of its educational enterprise—NAU Health—to be led by Julie Baldwin, PhD, a nationally recognized expert in health equity. Baldwin serves as executive director of the Center for Health Equity Research at NAU, is a Regents’ professor of health sciences, and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. Thanks to a generous multi-year philanthropic gift from the northern Arizona-based NARBHA Institute, she will begin her tenure as the founding NARBHA Institute Vice President for NAU Health on Jan. 1.
NAU Health also will also introduce significant advances to existing programs in nursing, health professions, and behavioral health programs, highlighted by the following enhancements:
- Creating a College of Nursing at NAU—NAU’s School of Nursing will be elevated to a free-standing college in recognition of this critical set of academic programs and the need to enhance visibility and impact at the state and national levels. In addition to continued growth in program offerings throughout the state, the College of Nursing will heighten NAU’s ability to address Arizona’s nursing shortage through strengthened partnerships, improved alumni relations, expanded development opportunities, and more robust recruitment and retention of talented, mission-driven nursing faculty.
- Elevating Health Professions Education in the College of Health and Human Services—NAU will double the number of degrees awarded and students retained to practice in Arizona across the health professions disciplines that include physical and occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, dental hygiene, and more. Emphasis will be placed on creating pathways and partnerships with community colleges to accelerate educational attainment in these fields; the development of a core interprofessional program that supports provider education across disciplines with skills aligned with the College of Medicine, including community practice and health equity; and the creation of residency and credential programs for practicing healthcare providers to advance practice in rural and underserved communities.
“The holistic approach of NAU Health is poised to strengthen health systems and increase workforce capacity, improving access to care for vulnerable patients and populations in Arizona,” Cruz Rivera said. “Consistent with NAU’s guiding vision to drive economic mobility and social impact, the component initiatives of NAU Health will ensure that all Arizonans have an opportunity for a brighter, healthier future throughout the state.”
Support for NAU Health
“Like Project ECHO, Northern Arizona University Health is committed to advancing opportunities and equity for health care professionals. With a deep understanding of the health professions ecosystem and the many challenges that need to be addressed, I’m confident that NAU Health will continue to deliver innovative solutions to this space.”
“As a physician leader and educator in northern Arizona for the past 30 years, I have experienced the continuing challenges of recruiting well-trained and community-focused healthcare professionals to our rural and underserved areas. NAU’s College of Medicine would add a much-needed component to the northern Arizona continuum of health professional education, especially for physicians, and will provide additional educational opportunities to Arizonans and shape the healthcare professional workforce in meaningful ways.”
“I strongly support the proposal for a College of Medicine at NAU. The College of Medicine represents a unique opportunity for NAU and collaborators to build a next generation medical curriculum for future generations of Arizona students. Health equity for Arizonans requires that we equitably engage and educate a health professional workforce that understands and incorporates culture and holistic principles of health and ethics into daily care. NAU is poised to advance a broad agenda in health equity, both in education and in community outcomes, through its commitment to a College of Medicine in northern Arizona.”
“I am pleased to see NAU’s plan to establish health equity and advance the health professional journey in a setting of underserved populations. This will lead to a sustainable ecosystem that can influence innovation, create transformation, and embrace compassion in whole health.”
“The new NAU College of Medicine is an exceptionally exciting and much-needed endeavor. In a nation that is confronting serious health disparities, especially among underserved populations, a community-based approach is key to closing those gaps. Moreover, the College can play an important role in addressing current physician workforce shortages in Arizona and beyond, as well as in enhancing the diversity of that workforce. I look forward to the NAU College of Medicine becoming a reality!”
About NAU
Founded in 1899, Northern Arizona University is a community-engaged, high-research university that delivers an exceptional student-centered experience to its nearly 28,000 students in Flagstaff, at 22 statewide campuses, and online. Building on a long history of distinctive excellence, NAU aims to be the nation’s preeminent engine of opportunity, vehicle of economic mobility, and driver of social impact by delivering equitable postsecondary value in Arizona and beyond. NAU is committed to meeting talent with access, opportunity, and excellence through its impactful academic programs and enriching experiences, paving the way to a better future for the diverse students it serves and the communities they represent.