Faculty needed for the USA College of Medicine Primary Care Pathway Program

In this pre-pandemic photo, Allen Perkins, M.D., MPH, 

far right, walks with faculty and medical students.

The pandemic has shed more light on the critical need for physicians with public health and leadership skills in Alabama and beyond. With that in mind, faculty instructors and mentors are now being recruited to help students excel in this new reality as part of the recently launched Primary Care Pathway Program at the USA College of Medicine.

Training for interested faculty members will begin in January.

The Primary Care Pathway Program provides medical students specialized training in primary care at community health centers in Alabama. The goal is to increase the number of primary care physicians in underserved areas and provide them with the skills necessary to improve the health of the communities. 

USA Health faculty who participate will receive:

• Twenty-four hours of continuing education credit following completion of the program 
• Faculty development through workshop sessions via Zoom or in person 

Faculty will instruct students on topics such as leadership, population health sciences, social determinants of health and opioid and substance abuse screening, which are topics covered in the CME course. 

“I strongly encourage all faculty interested in the health of the population, not just primary care faculty, to consider joining this program to better serve our medical students who will be providing care in a post-COVID environment,” said Allen Perkins, M.D., MPH, chair of family medicine and principal investigator for the project. “Those who choose to take part will ultimately have a hand in shaping the future of healthcare.”

Those interested should contact Emmaline Barnhill, project manager for the Department of Family Medicine, via email at ebarnhill@health.southalabama.edu. 

Students are chosen for the Primary Care Pathway Program based on an interest in primary care and a willingness to commit to the practice following residency training.