Providers meeting to have a discussion

The paramount objective of the UCLA International Medical Graduate (IMG) Program is to increase the number of highly-skilled Family Medicine physicians practicing in California’s underserved rural and inner urban communities, with the bicultural and bilingual abilities to meet the needs of the patients they serve.

California already faces a critical shortage of primary care physicians. This shortfall is worse for those with limited English proficiency, who tend to live in rural and inner urban communities where most doctors do not practice.

Today, nearly 7 million Californians, or one out of every six residents, live in areas the federal government classifies as medically-underserved. For the state’s 15 million Hispanics, this ratio rises to one out of every three.

As of 2017, we are proud to have trained and mentored 116 new, fully-bilingual, bicultural physicians who have successfully matched into Family Medicine residency programs, and who continue to serve in medically-underserved communities.

Since our program’s modest beginnings in 2007 with two graduates, we have become one of the leading producers of Family Medicine physicians in California. More important, all of our IMG Program graduates are capable of matching the cultural and linguistic needs of the largely Hispanic patients and communities they serve.

Our innovative program is made possible through the generosity of our sponsors and donors, who share our vision and deep commitment to creating healthier communities with full access to appropriate and effective medical care. To explore ways in which you can help, please contact us or click here to donate now.