Scholarships help put doctors where Arizona needs them

In an ideal world, each of us would work where our professional aspirations connect with the wants and needs of others. When I was beginning my career in medicine, I was able to pursue education and research opportunities that eventually allowed me to help people suffering from debilitating cardiovascular conditions.

For too many who hope to have futures in medicine, however, the prospect of overwhelming student debt has become an outsized factor in whether they will be able to put their passion for healing into practice. This is especially true for those who may be the first in their communities to become a doctor, and who would bring unique perspectives to providing culturally sensitive care to Arizona’s diverse populations.

One of the most damaging effects of significant medical-student debt is a severe physician shortage in Arizona, particularly in the rural and urban underserved communities. That critical shortfall was the impetus behind the groundbreaking program that the University of Arizona Health Sciences created this year with the state of Arizona.

In 2020, thanks to funding approved by the state Legislature and Gov. Doug Ducey, the University of Arizona Primary Care Physician Scholarship Program began covering all tuition costs at our Colleges of Medicine in Tucson and Phoenix for awarded medical students who commit to practicing a primary care specialty in one of the state’s underserved areas. Annual in-state tuition for UArizona medical students is approximately $32,000.

In January, 29 students in our Colleges of Medicine in Tucson and Phoenix were awarded one of the scholarships, laying the foundation for what will ultimately be 10% of our medical student population participating in and benefiting from this innovative program. One of these promising, next-generation primary care physicians is Cazandra Zaragoza, a fourth-year student at the College of Medicine–Tucson whose clinical rotations have focused on serving the Tohono O’odham and Navajo tribal communities.

Zaragoza says her journey to becoming a doctor began when she was put up for adoption as a baby by her biological mother, a single woman about to die from a treatable illness in rural Mexico. Lacking the financial means to access health care, her mother was forced to relinquish Cazandra and her two siblings before she died three months later.

Cazandra Zaragoza says that from an early age, the impact of learning about her origins inspired her to work in medically underserved areas, fueling her desire to provide excellent health care to those who are most vulnerable. Most Arizonans would agree, the more we can do to assist future doctors like Zaragoza and others awarded these scholarships, the better we’ll be at providing quality care for all populations.

The primary care physician shortage in Arizona extends to all 15 counties. Nearly 600 more primary care physicians are needed in Arizona today, and more than 1,900 will be needed by 2030.

The impact of this shortage goes well beyond the numbers. It’s felt every time someone in need of medical care has to wait weeks or even months for an appointment, or when the overall health of a community declines because of a lack of access to care.

With this new primary care physician scholarship program, we will be able to remove significant financial and geographical barriers to medical education and health-care access. Just as importantly, we will be creating opportunities for a new generation of physicians to put their passion into practice for the benefit of those among us who need it the most.