The Â鶹´«Ã½AV School of Medicine (UNR Med) has been awarded more than $3.7 million in federal grants to expand medical training focused on rural health, tribal health, and care for Reno’s homeless population.
The funding supports three programs:
- Rural Residency Program Development (RRPD) grant — $750,000 over three years to establish a family medicine residency track at Banner Churchill Community Hospital in Fallon.
- Medical Student Education Program (MSEP) grant — $2.6 million over two years to expand rural and tribal training opportunities for medical students.
- Street Medicine Residency Curriculum (SMRC) grant — $430,000 to create a street medicine curriculum for family medicine residents.
Rural
While only about 6.2% of Nevadans live in rural areas, these communities face some of the state’s greatest health care shortages. The Rural Residency Program Development (RRPD) grant will establish a family medicine residency program in Fallon, Nevada, giving UNR Med students the opportunity to train and ultimately provide care in rural communities.
The program has received astounding support from the community. “Banner Churchill Community Hospital has been very supportive of this idea from the beginning,” says Amy McGaha, M.D., chair/chief of family and community medicine at UNR Med and Renown Health. “I am very excited by the response of the community. We have support from Mayor Tedford, Churchill County Commissioners, Central Nevada Health District and a number of key shareholders.”
“The more we can keep students linked to their rural roots, the more chance we have for them to return to a rural community,” said Gerald Ackerman M.S., assistant dean of rural programs.
The strong local support shows how deeply invested the community is in improving rural health care. “The more we can keep students linked to their rural roots, the more chance we have for them to return to a rural community,” said Gerald Ackerman M.S., assistant dean of rural programs. “This program will provide a workforce trained in rural medicine, provide training opportunities for our rural medical students and, most importantly, provide care to residents living in the Fallon area.”
Ackerman hopes the program will lead to lasting change in health care access for the community. “As we graduate medical residents in the next four to five years, both Fallon and surrounding areas will feel the impact of increased providers and health care access,” he said.
Tribal
The $2.6 million Medical Student Education Program grant will expand rural and tribal learning opportunities for undergraduate medical students. The purpose of the Medical Student Education Program (MSEP) is to provide support to public medical schools with a primary care provider shortage and to expand education for medical students. Through the new program, pre-medical students will be introduced to rural and tribal primary care as part of their post-baccalaureate training.
“When I discuss with rural physicians their decision to serve in rural communities, it generally comes down to experiences in that area of medicine,” said Timothy Grunert, M.D., assistant professor of family medicine. “If we expand rural activities for students, they have more opportunities to witness both the need and the appeal of practicing in rural areas.”
The initiative will also support partnerships with tribal health clinics and the Â鶹´«Ã½AV School of Public Health, providing M.D./MPH students with a new pathway and furthering their understanding of how tribal communities differ from urban communities.
“Our goal is to increase the number of physicians who choose to practice in rural and tribal communities,” Dr. Grunert said. “Even before they graduate, the students bring new energy and evolving medical knowledge to rural clinics, which benefits both patients and providers.”
Street Medicine
The $430,000 street medicine grant will expand resident training to better serve people experiencing homelessness in Reno. Building on UNR Med’s Student Outreach Clinic and its partnership with the Eddy House, the new curriculum will include encampment visits, shelter-based care and electives in street medicine.
“The goal is to prepare family medicine residents to deliver high-quality, person-centered care to individuals experiencing homelessness — both in traditional settings and in non-traditional environments like encampments and shelters,” said Kelsey West, M.D., associate professor of family and community medicine.
Students and residents will gain experience in trauma-informed care, interdisciplinary teamwork and advocacy. The curriculum will also integrate with psychiatry, social work and community medicine to create a multidisciplinary approach.
“Street medicine places learners in real-world, high-impact environments where they are challenged to think differently about health care delivery,” said Daniel Spogen, M.D., professor of family and community medicine and medical director of the Student Outreach Clinic (SOC). “They learn to provide care that is flexible, empathetic and deeply rooted in trust-building — skills that can be underemphasized in traditional clinical settings.”
Impact
Together, these grants build on UNR Med’s mission to prepare physicians who serve all of Nevada’s communities, including those from rural and tribal towns to the homeless population.
“These initiatives create a pipeline from medical school to residency and beyond,” Ackerman said. “By investing in training opportunities across Nevada, we are building a workforce that is prepared to meet that state’s most pressing health care needs.”
These grants help future physicians pave the way for the future of medicine in underserved communities, increasing access to health care for all Nevadans.
