One of the goals of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson is to introduce highly qualified, underrepresented students to the pursuit of medical education.
Established in 2014, the yearlong Pre-Medical Admissions Pathway (P-MAP) program assists a select cohort of gifted and talented students who represent Arizona’s culturally and economically diverse population. Upon successful completion of the program, students earn a master’s degree in cellular and molecular medicine from the UA and automatically are accepted into the College of Medicine – Tucson.
This May, a new cohort of UA students will begin a revised and relaunched P-MAP curriculum. The updates will help graduating students be better prepared for medical school.
“I am excited about the P-MAP relaunch. We have a great leadership team and an excellent group of students,” says Irving Kron, MD, interim dean of the College of Medicine – Tucson and professor of surgery. “Our aim is to develop excellent and caring physicians. I am certain that will occur with our new curriculum.”
With its relaunch, P-MAP has been redesigned with more intended curricular outcomes, including an increased exposure to medical school academic content, guided research and socialization into the profession of medicine. The updates uniquely position the cohort of students for success in medical school and beyond.
Participants also will engage in holistic experiences, such as professionalism and ethics seminars, the opportunity to round with physicians of different specialties and mentorship from physicians and clinical scientists. More importantly, the students will connect with current UA medical students and faculty members through robust learning opportunities.
P-MAP was developed collaboratively by diversity and inclusion leadership at the College of Medicine – Tucson. The rigorous master’s degree program emphasizes academic support, clinical experiences and professional development. Over the year, students work with a dedicated learning specialist and obtain one-on-one clinical experiences in various health-care settings.
The incoming 2020 class represents the sixth cohort of students beginning their medical school journey through P-MAP. Following are some of the incoming students who make up the newest class:
- Monique Crawford, RN, MSN, earned a master’s degree in nursing from the UA College of Nursing. For the last eight years, she has worked as a registered nurse, including on the UA Sarver Heart Center cardiac staff, managing the Structural Heart Disease Program. Working alongside physicians in this job inspired Monique to dive deeper into medicine and pursue a medical degree.
- Originally from Phoenix, David Ghobrial holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Grand Canyon University. For the last five years, David has participated in homeless food drives. He also has shadowed and been mentored by an emergency medicine physician, from whom he learned that a physician’s most important responsibility is to the patient seated directly in front of him.
- Peter Somoza has amassed countless hours of community service, assisting as both a soup kitchen volunteer and a youth leadership mentor in Phoenix. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the UA and aspires to one day be a culturally competent, Spanish-speaking physician.
About the UA College of Medicine – Tucson
The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson is shaping the future of medicine through state-of-the-art medical education programs, groundbreaking research and advancements in patient care in Arizona and beyond. Founded in 1967, the college boasts more than 50 years of innovation, ranking among the top medical schools in the nation for research and primary care. Through the university's partnership with Banner Health, one of the largest nonprofit health-care systems in the country, the college is leading the way in academic medicine. For more information, please visit medicine.arizona.edu.