UC Davis School of Medicine

Transforming lives by improving health through the combined power of education, research, clinical care, and community. Here our some ways we put our mission into ACTION: Admissions Practices/Priorities-The Office of Admissions conducts holistic training for all individuals involved in admissions, emphasizing their responsibilities, need for confidentiality and other topics including implicit association (bias) and other key factors influencing admissions decisions. All participants take a university provided training related to diversity and inclusion, implicit bias, and anti-racism. UC Davis utilizes a socio- economic disadvantaged score, based on AMCAS information, to attach a numeric value to each applicant’s perseverance, grit, and distance traveled, which becomes part of the holistic admission evaluation. Beginning in 2009, UC Davis has implemented several successful strategies to support enrollment of students from traditionally underrepresented in medicine groups and those who plan to work in medically underserved areas. Students can apply to enroll in: Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care (ACE- PC), a three-year M.D. program designed with Kaiser Permanente to bolster the primary care workforce in California; TEACH-MS, Transforming Education and Community Health for Medical Students, geared for students who want to work in urban underserved areas; REACH, or Reimagining Education to Advance central California Health, for students aspiring to work in the Central Valley; the Rural Program in Medical Education focusing on closing workforce shortages in rural areas of northern California; and Tribal Health PRIME, designed to provide students with the appropriate knowledge and skills to practice medicine in California’s urban and rural tribal communities. COMPADRE or California Oregon Medical Partnership to Address Disparities in Rural Education is a bold partnership to address workforce shortages in Oregon and Northern California by connecting students from underserved tribal, rural and urban communities to rewarding medical school and residency experiences throughout the region. Mission-focused Graduates-Over the past 10 years, over 75% of CHS graduates have matched into primary care residencies. In 2024, US News and World Report ranked UC Davis #4 in the U.S. for Diversity and Tier 1 for Primary Care. Student Life/Support Services-The Office of Student and Resident Diversity supports all students with a focus on groups historically underrepresented in medicine, working to cultivate a safe learning environment in which diversity can be nurtured in an inclusive, accepting and productive manner. This unit is lead by our newly appointed Associate Dean for Diverse and Inclusive Education and Associate Dean for Diverse and Inclusive Learning Communities. The Office of Student Learning and Educational Resources is a comprehensive academic support unit providing assistance to students in developing learning strategies that support their academic success and promote life-long learning. The Office of Student Wellness develops and implements medical student wellness initiatives, fostering collaborations that will lead to a culture of excellence and well-being. The Academic Coaching Program utilizes clinical faculty to anchor and guide students throughout their medical school journey. Coaches help students understand the culture of medicine, their contribution to it, and how to identify and achieve their goals.