Arizona Indians into Medicine: Arizona INMED - The Association of American Medical Colleges is anticipating a shortage in the U.S. of up to 122,000 physicians by 2032 (AAMC 2019). Arizona ranks 44th nationally in the number of practicing primary care physicians meeting just 41% of the need, while being the fourth fastest growing state and Phoenix is the fastest growing city increasing demand. The shortage is even more dramatic in rural communities and critical on Tribal lands with 45 primary care health professions shortage areas located in tribal areas and the Navajo Nation alone with a shortage of about 41 Primary Care Physicians. Shortages in other health professions are equally alarming. Pharmacists are lacking in rural counties and reservations, and public health professionals are at half the national average. Despite efforts to increase the diversity of the physician workforce, American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) continue to struggle to be represented across the medical education continuum. The growth in AI/AN student matriculation in medical school between 2007 and 2018 was a mere 0.1%. Less than ½ of one percent of active US physicians identify as AI/AN and even lower percentage of full-time faculty members at MD granting institutions are AI/AN. In contrast, Native physicians are more likely to practice in: (1) family medicine, (2) rural areas, (3) communities of poverty, and (4) primary care health professions shortage areas and medically underserved areas. As the only comprehensive academic health center in the state, the University of Arizona Health Science Center is uniquely positioned to address this workforce crisis among our Tribal and AI/AN urban communities. Our professional health colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Public Health are adjacent to our main campus, allowing the unique opportunity to effectively collaborate daily with critical undergraduate programs including student recruitment, financial aid, mental health services, student success programs like suppl emental Instruction through our Think Tank and Writing Center programs. Over the past five years, the Arizona Indians to Medicine (AzINMED) program has built a robust partnership network highly successful in recruiting a competitive applicant pool to the health professions, increasing the medical school pipeline from 3 AI/AN to 30 within three years. Our effective recruitment strategies include providing: 1) mentoring, 2) education and health research training, 3) co-curricular programs, 4) community health intervention and clinical exposure and high- level, one-on-one support; 5) financial aid and 6) psychological, and emotional support, and an environment that embraces and promotes AI/AN culture. Through our activities, AzINMED addresses the IHS mission to raise the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of AI/AN and to attract and recruit qualified AI/AN into health professions to ensure the availability of health professionals to serve AI/AN populations and remove the multiple barriers to serving Indians. AzINMED meets the Indian Healthcare Improvement Act (IHCIA) requirements by: 1. Providing outreach and recruitment to Indian communities including elementary, secondary and Tribal/community colleges located on Indian reservations; 2. Incorporating a program advisory board comprised of representatives from the tribes and communities which will be served by the program and leadership in AI/AN and medical education other health professions, higher education, STEM fields and alumni; 3. Providing summer preparatory program opportunities for AI/AN students in need of academic enrichment in math and science; 4. Providing individual tutoring, counseling and support to students who are enrolled in a health career program of study at the UA; 5. Employing qualified AI/AN individuals in the AzINMED program to the extent allowable by Arizona employment laws; 6. To educate and train undergraduate, medical and graduate students, in opioid addiction prevention, treatment and recovery.
