Successful graduates of the CU2RE program will develop as leaders and agents of change, with emphases on self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and management of inherent assumptions and biases.

Successful graduates of the CU²RE program will appreciate the holistic context of patients’ lives, including the experiential, societal, and psychosocial factors that affect their health and treatment. As a result, graduates will provide treatment within relationships that are based on understanding each patient’s unique set of circumstances related to their health.

Successful graduates of the CU²RE program will recognize the importance of other health professionals for meeting the needs of each patient, while being able to serve and lead within the context of a multidisciplinary treatment team.

Successful graduates of the CU²RE program will understand the measures and outcomes that can be used to improve population health, particularly for the communities that they serve.

Successful graduates of the CU²RE program will lead in the transformation of healthcare through the implementation of value-based care, innovative models of healthcare delivery, and the engagement of patients in healthy lifestyle behaviors.

Students will have access to online modules that are the core medical education elements for the program. Key aspects of each module will be discussed during monthly class discussion and reflection assignments. These modules and class discussions will be completed primarily in the MS1 and MS2 years.

Students will be assigned to an attending physician preceptor, primary care clinic, and surrounding community that they will follow throughout their 4 years of medical school education. Work with the preceptor/clinic will follow this approximate schedule:

• Half day (approximately four hours) per month (8-10 times per year) in the MS1 and MS2 years
• Four-week Summer Urban Underserved Pathways Experience between MS1 and MS2 years
• Four-week Family Medicine Clerkship in MS3 year
• Four-week Ambulatory Acting Internship in Family Medicine in MS4 year

Over the course of the first year, students will develop a 10-patient panel that they will follow for the course of their medical school training. This will be one of the most meaningful experiences during the course of your medical training.

The goal of the 10-patient panel is to develop personal relationships with a set of patients who represent varied points across the lifespan, understand common medical conditions that might occur throughout a patient’s life, and appreciate the concepts of disease prevention and population health.

Part of the program includes service learning (or learning service) that would likely occur within the community of the student’s continuity clinic.

Students will participate in 1-2 retreats each year that will predominantly focus on personal and professional development (e.g., leadership training, education on implicit bias, advising for medical school and preparation for residency, etc.).

Each student will be paired with at least one primary care advisor who will guide the student through medical school, help prepare them for residency training, and offer assistance during career development as a primary care physician. Formal advising meetings will occur one to two times per year throughout the four years of medical school, but more informal meetings are also encouraged.

Students will conduct a scholarly project under the guidance of research faculty. Projects may cover a range of topics including population health, social determinants of health, the impact of telemedicine on primary care, and more.

This project will count toward your UABSOM scholarly activity requirement.

In addition to periodic retreats, students will have access online modules and printed materials pertaining to leadership development.  Students will also have the opportunity to work with a dedicated individual from the Office of Leadership and Professional Development within the department to establish an individually tailored development plan and/or receive leadership development coaching.