Foundation, Alpert Medical School, Lifespan launch new initiative

In an effort to help increase the number of primary care physicians in the state, The Rhode Island Foundation recently announced a new initiative in partnership with the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Lifespan. Building on one of the Foundation’s strategic initiatives to improve access to affordable, high-quality primary health care for Rhode Islanders, the Foundation recently awarded an $87,631 grant for a new program to promote primary care career choices by medical students. Specifically, the new program aims to encourage primary care physicians to serve as preceptors for third and fourth year medical students by providing support through a stipend to the physicians.

“We are working with community partners to reduce the number of Rhode Islanders without a primary care ‘medical home’. This new partnership between Brown and Lifespan approaches a critical issue with an innovative yet practical solution. More medical students need to be inspired to pursue primary care as their specialty. If we can connect them with primary care physicians in some of the most exciting practices in our state, that will be part of the answer,” said Owen Heleen, vice president for grant programs at The Rhode Island Foundation.

"This grant is important because it’s allowing us to support primary care education and let doctors do the mentoring job they want to do. The economics of the medical system are barriers to primary care doctors being able to act as models for this generation of students in primary care. This grant allows us to help lower those barriers,” said Edward Wing, M.D., dean of the division of biology and medicine at Brown University.

“We are at a point in time in the health care delivery system where we will need more primary care physicians and it’s critical that we help promote a curriculum that encourages medical students to learn more about primary care,” said Kathleen Hittner, M.D., Lifespan senior vice president of community health and perioperative services. “At Lifespan, we are thrilled to work with the medical school and primary care physicians throughout the state as we implement this generous grant from The Rhode Island Foundation.”

Physicians interested in applying for the program should email Phil Gruppuso, associate dean for medical education at the Alpert Medical School.

Promoting primary career choices among medical students in Rhode Island builds upon the Foundation’s loan forgiveness program for new primary care physicians and other professionals. Launched in 2009, the $1.1 million loan forgiveness pool aims to address the state’s shortage of primary healthcare professionals. An advisory committee reviews applications and determines loan forgiveness awards up to $20,000 annually for up to four years for physicians. To date, eight physicians have taken advantage of the program. The loan forgiveness program recently opened up to physician assistants and nurse practitioners as well.

The Foundation is committed to developing a robust primary healthcare system on behalf of all Rhode Islanders. In addition to the loan forgiveness program and millions of dollars in grants over the past several years, the Foundation has been a leader along with its community partners in advocating for a coordinated, statewide effort to implement healthcare reform in Rhode Island. The Foundation’s “Fund for a Healthy Rhode Island” and the new “RIGHA Foundation Fund” at the Foundation have made significant investments across the state to collaborative efforts focused on improving the health and wellness of Rhode Islanders through access to high-quality healthcare, education, wellness resources, medical home initiatives, and electronic medical records.