Founders of the UCLA International Medical Graduate Program along with participants. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

The International Medical Graduate Program at UCLA is an unusual initiative designed to allow immigrant physicians from Latin American countries to retrain in the US. Once their training is complete, the physicians serve in regions of California with high populations of underserved patients. NPR ran a story on the program and spoke with Jose Gonzales, a participant, along with Dr. Patrick Dowling, one of the founders of the program. Offering a stipend and classes, along with mentoring and references to assist participants in finding residency positions in primary care, the IMG program aims to fill a severe need for physicians in underserved areas of California. In exchange for the stipend and training, participants agree to serve in a high-need area for three years.

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consulting