Banner Health and the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix are expanding the Graduate Medical Education programs with 229 additional residency and fellowship programs, according to a June 22 release.
The initiative, academically sponsored by the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, aims to combat the state's projected physician shortage. Three programs will be expanded in 2024 and 16 new programs built by 2027, growing the number of specialty-trained physicians throughout the partnership by more than 60 percent, according to the report.
The expansion includes an increase in primary care training positions, addressing Arizona's low ranking in primary care physicians per capita. It also introduces new programs in anesthesiology, dermatology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, and otolaryngology, as well as increasing neurology and surgery residency positions.