University of Colorado Program

Program Identity & Fit

The University of Colorado Internal Medicine Residency is a large, university-based academic program built on a distinctive 4+4 block schedule and a matrix of five training tracks (Categorical, Hospitalist, Primary Care, PSTP, Preliminary) crossed with five second-year career pathways (Global Health, Health Equity/Policy, Medical Education, Medical Leadership, Research & Investigation), reflecting deep investment in individualized career trajectories. Clinical training spans three distinct sites - the quaternary University of Colorado Hospital, the top-10 safety-net Denver Health, and the Rocky Mountain Regional VA - giving residents exposure to markedly different patient populations and systems, and roughly 75% of Categorical graduates pursue subspecialty fellowship. Research is deeply embedded through protected longitudinal scholarship time, required scholarly projects, a dedicated Physician-Scientist Training Program with linked fellowship admission, an NIH-funded StARR R38 award, and a department ranked #14 nationally in NIH funding. The program's structure (dedicated Hospitalist track as the nation's first of its kind, a historic Primary Care track based at Denver Health since 1977, POCUS and procedural curricula) signals that it values residents with a defined career direction who will use the tracks/pathways matrix to build toward fellowship, hospital medicine leadership, primary care for underserved populations, or physician-scientist careers.