Seeking to provide access to high-quality medical education, Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) and the California State University (CSU) are creating a pipeline for qualified CSU graduates to enter the KGI Pathway Program at the School of Community Medicine that leads to a medical degree.
“This is an exciting new partnership that will both provide CSU’s brilliant and diverse students additional avenues to pursue careers in medicine as well as help to alleviate one of the nation’s biggest challenges,” said Fred E. Wood, CSU’s interim executive vice chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs.
This pipeline will address the healthcare crisis and shortages in physicians and other healthcare workers in California and the United States.
CSU is the largest and most diverse university in the nation, with a high portion of the student body who are first-generation college students from underserved or underrepresented communities.
“KGI and the CSU recognize the importance of diversity in the medical professions,” said Dr. David Lawrence, dean of the KGI School of Community Medicine.
“It is critical that we provide access to top-notch medical education, regardless of income and connections.”
The KGI School of Community Medicine will tailor its admissions process to recruit local students who come from the communities with the greatest needs.
Lawrence said: “Who we recruit, where we recruit them from, and how and where we train them is critical in encouraging doctors to practice in the communities that need them the most.”
KGI, a leader in biotechnology and healthcare education, is launching a Master of Science in Community Medicine (MSCM) program in fall 2021. The first cohort will receive full tuition waivers.
The two-year online MSCM program will prepare students as skilled community medicine practitioners to work in the safety net community clinics, federally qualified health centers, public health departments, native American healthcare systems, private healthcare systems, non-governmental organizations, and industries that serve those communities.
When the KGI School of Community Medicine opens, there will be significant opportunities for its graduates to positively impact the Los Angeles County safety net—those practices and clinics that offer care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.
According to a UC San Francisco study in 2017, California is projected to face a shortfall of more than 4,100 primary care physicians within the next 10 years.
The first class of medical students to the KGI School of Community Medicine will be admitted once fundraising and accreditation requirements are met.
About the California State University
The California State University is the largest system of four-year higher education in the country, with 23 campuses, 56,000 faculty and staff and 486,000 students. Half of the CSU's students transfer from California community colleges. Created in 1960, the mission of the CSU is to provide high-quality, affordable education to meet the ever-changing needs of California. With its commitment to quality, opportunity, and student success, the CSU is renowned for superb teaching, innovative research, and for producing job-ready graduates. Each year, the CSU awards nearly 129,000 degrees. One in every 20 Americans holding a college degree is a graduate of the CSU and our alumni are 3.9 million strong. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU NewsCenter.
About the Keck Graduate Institute (KGI)
KGI was founded in 1997 as the first higher education institution in the United States dedicated exclusively to education and research related to the applied life sciences. KGI offers innovative postgraduate degrees and certificates that integrate life and health sciences, business, pharmacy, engineering, and genetics, with a focus on industry projects, hands-on industry experiences, and team collaboration.
A member of The Claremont Colleges, KGI employs an entrepreneurial approach and industry connections that provide pathways for students to become leaders within healthcare and the applied life sciences. KGI consists of four schools: Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences, School of Community Medicine, School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and the Minerva Schools at KGI. For more information, follow KGI on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.