NAU Health will create an innovative national model for medical education and double degrees awarded in high-demand healthcare programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Northern Arizona University today announced the creation of NAU Health<\/a>, an innovative initiative aimed at improving health outcomes for all Arizonans, particularly those in rural, Indigenous, and underserved communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the center of this initiative is the creation of a distinctive new College of Medicine that will focus on educating primary healthcare providers who reflect the residents of Arizona and who will remain in the state to serve Arizona\u2019s increasingly diverse population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NAU\u2019s College of Medicine will be intentionally designed to create accelerated pathways and affordable options for Arizona residents seeking an MD that will enable them to practice in-state while accruing minimal debt. This includes plans for a tuition coverage program similar to the Arizona Teachers\u2019 Academy<\/a>, where graduates who stay to practice in Arizona after graduation will have educational costs fully covered, as well as a curriculum that foregrounds cultural competency and integrates significant behavioral health perspectives to improve outcomes for patients and their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am proud to announce this bold and transformative step, which builds on NAU\u2019s legacy of serving the people and communities of Arizona by creating NAU Health and paving the way for a College of Medicine in northern Arizona,\u201d said NAU President Jos\u00e9 Luis Cruz Rivera. \u201cWith the creation of NAU Health, we also recommit ourselves to elevating our existing, exceptional health education programs with the goal of doubling the number of degrees awarded by NAU in the much-needed fields of nursing, health professions, and behavioral health fields and increasing provider availability in every corner of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Arizona has a well-documented shortage of healthcare professionals, which is most severe outside of major metropolitan areas and among primary healthcare providers. Driven by the Arizona Board of Regents\u2019 (ABOR) Arizona Healthy Tomorrow<\/a> initiative, NAU will build on its distinctive expertise in community health and health equity, and more than 50 years of experience with primary health professions programs, to design its College of Medicine to address this need. Instead of focusing on specialties, research and a traditional physician education model, NAU\u2019s College of Medicine will be focused on educating resilient, Arizona-serving primary care practitioners who are committed to serving diverse communities throughout the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is our goal to make sure Arizona families have access to quality, affordable healthcare,\u201d said ABOR Chair Fred DuVal. \u201cPresident Cruz Rivera\u2019s vision to increase the health care workforce of our state through NAU Health will have a lasting impact on the health of Arizona citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n