In celebration of its 175th anniversary, the University of Utah is embarking on a statewide tour aimed at enhancing healthcare accessibility across Utah, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
During this tour, university leaders are actively discussing the expansion of graduate medical education, hoping to partner with Intermountain Health and Utah Tech University to launch a Southern Utah Regional Medical Campus.
University President Taylor Randall emphasized the importance of collaboration in addressing the healthcare needs of Utah residents.
“We’re in a unique moment. We’ve got to really start thinking about collaboration,” Randall stated during a meeting with leaders at Utah Tech University.
He acknowledged the challenges ahead and stressed the need to combine strengths to better serve the citizens of the state.
Utah currently ranks last in the nation for its number of primary care physicians, with only 60.2 per 100,000 population.
This issue is particularly dire in rural areas, where just 11% of physicians practice.
To combat this shortage, Utah legislators have allocated $5.5 million in annual ongoing funding starting in 2025, aimed at expanding the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine’s enrollment.
The initial plan includes enrolling a cohort of 10 medical students from rural backgrounds, with prospects for an additional 10 medical residents over time.
Bob Carter, senior vice president for health sciences, expressed enthusiasm regarding the new medical campus in Southern Utah, emphasizing the potential for local students to embark on medical careers in their communities.
“This will open new pathways for students from this region to be inspired to build a long-term medical career in this part of the state and directly serve the healthcare needs of their community,” Carter remarked.
The university envisions utilizing an innovative three-year curriculum model coupled with an 11-month longitudinal residency program.
This approach aims to encourage students interested in primary care while countering existing medical school structures that often steer graduates toward specialization.
Statistics show that while only 40% of medical students remain in the communities where they study, that figure rises to 70% for those who complete both their medical training and residency in the same area.
Michelle Hofmann, interim dean of the Southern Utah Regional Medical Campus, underscored the importance of primary care in maintaining community health and reducing hospital visits.
“We really need to broaden access in our state, so folks get the care that they need,” Hofmann asserted, reaffirming the commitment to tackling healthcare disparities.
The inaugural class at the Southern Utah Regional Medical Campus is poised to begin its three-year medical school curriculum in Salt Lake City in the fall of 2026.
Students will spend their first year studying at the University of Utah, while the following years will focus on training and residency in Southern Utah, anticipated to start in 2029.
However, before this initiative can come to fruition, the university must establish collaborations with Utah Tech for educational facilities and healthcare systems to facilitate clinical training.
With the recent establishment of a new medical school at Brigham Young University, which is set to graduate up to 250 additional students annually, Utah has the potential to train over 700 medical students each year.
Nevertheless, the state currently only offers 239 residency positions per year, highlighting the urgent need for the development of Graduate Medical Education and preceptors—practicing physicians who mentor medical students during their residency.
During the tour, university leaders held discussions with executives from Intermountain Health St. George Regional Hospital and Utah Tech, exploring collaborative strategies for expanding healthcare education and residency programs in Southern Utah.
Anticipating rapid population growth, St. George’s population is expected to double to 400,000 by 2050, underscoring the need for enhanced healthcare services in the region.
As the University of Utah continues its mission to serve the healthcare needs of all Utahns, the establishment of a Southern Utah Regional Medical Campus represents a vital step forward in addressing the critical shortages in primary care.
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