The Scholarly Concentration in Rural and Tribal Medicine provides medical students with focused training and meaningful clinical exposure in underserved rural and tribal communities. The program includes a summer rural rotation, structured learning on rural and tribal health systems, participation in community-based outreach, and completion of a scholarly project. Students gain experience in culturally informed care, adaptability in rural and/or resource- limited settings, and the development of strong communication skills. The concentration also offers opportunities to build long-term professional connections with rural and tribal clinicians and to engage with regional and national rural health initiatives. It is designed to prepare students to contribute meaningfully to rural and tribal healthcare and to strengthen their residency applications.
What will students learn about in this program?
- Healthcare delivery in rural and tribal settings
- Culturally informed, community centered care
- Structural and/or historical factors shaping rural and tribal health disparities
- Challenges faced by patients in rural and/or tribal communities
- Differences in medical practice realities in rural areas and settings with limited specialty access
- Community engagement and collaboration with rural and tribal partner
One distinctive feature of this concentration is the opportunity for students to rotate directly in partnered rural and tribal clinics across Nevada early in their medical education, allowing them to gain immersive exposure to real community-based care and build lasting professional relationships with local clinicians. Students also have opportunities to attend regional or national rural health conferences, and to work on a scholarly project related to rural or tribal health.
For more information, please contact Colin Baldwin, MD: colinbaldwin@med.unr.edu