University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix-Banner Desert Program

Program Identity & Fit

This is a newly launched (inaugural class) 6/6/6 university-affiliated community program pairing the academic infrastructure of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix with Banner Health's East Valley clinical system, centered on a continuity clinic at Banner Health Center Chandler and inpatient/tertiary training at Banner Desert Medical Center. The program emphasizes full-spectrum, patient-centered medical home training with integrated on-site pharmacy and behavioral health, high-acuity obstetric and women's health exposure through Banner Desert's new labor and delivery tower, and a mission oriented toward community service and addressing unmet health needs in the East Valley. Its stated tenets (clinical practice, medical education, research/scholarship, community service) frame research and scholarly work as part of the mission rather than a dominant identity, consistent with a primary-care-first, community-embedded training model. As a first-year program, it appears to value residents willing to help build a new curriculum and culture rather than step into an established, highly differentiated track.