Proposal for the creation of the United States Public Health Medical College

There is an impending physician shortage in the U.S. and internationally that cannot be met by increasing medical school size alone. More U.S. medical schools will need to be opened in the next five years. Medical student debt is at an all-time high, and minority recruitment remains disproportionately low. An opportunity exists to create medical schools that have as a central paradigm of public health education and social responsibility. These schools can address pressing needs such as health disparities, disaster preparedness, and the shortage, maldistribution, and lack of diversity in the physician workforce.

We propose the establishment of a new concept of medical education, the U.S Public Health Medical College (USPHMC). The USPHMC will consist of 10 campuses in the United States and its territories, each providing medical education to 150 students per year. In exchange for four years of free medical education, the students will be obligated to practice in underserved areas for after graduation. Students will also receive training integrating public health and medicine, including policy options and specifics on combating the unequal distribution of resources across racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and educational lines. USPHMC will aim to create new cadre of physicians trained in public health preparedness, who will be commissioned into the United States Public Health Service for the duration of their service and as lifelong reservists for public health catastrophes. This presentation will describe the potential operations and the converging factors for the creation of a new model of public health medical education.