SJV PRIME+ Expands Training with Sutter Gould, Modesto Hospital Partnership

UC Merced's San Joaquin Valley PRIME+ (B.S. to M.D.) pathway continues to grow as it teams up with Sutter Gould Medical Foundation and Sutter's Memorial Medical Center in Modesto. The collaboration will give undergraduate students in the pathway the opportunity to complete immersive, eight-week clinical experiences alongside physicians in a range of specialties, bringing them one step closer to their goal of serving communities throughout the Valley.

"This collaboration is a meaningful expansion of our students' exposure to real-world medical settings in the region they are preparing to serve," said Emily Bauer, community engagement coordinator for UC Merced's Department of Medical Education (DOME). "Our team has worked closely with organizations like Sutter to establish these opportunities, and we're proud to see this partnership come to life."

Each participating student will make the hourlong journey from Merced to Modesto each week to shadow clinicians in primary care and other specialties, often returning to campus just in time for afternoon classes - a testament to their dedication to serving Valley communities. Over the course of the semester, students will gain firsthand insight into the realities of patient care and health systems across the Central Valley.

The agreement was championed by UC Merced alumnus Dr. Zi Wang '11, medical director of the stroke program at Sutter's Memorial Medical Center. Dr. Wang, who grew up in the Bay Area and chose UC Merced as part of its early graduating classes, reflected on the personal significance of the moment.

"This program unites the two institutions that shaped me as a physician," Wang said. "UC Merced taught me to be a trailblazer - to build something from the ground up. That pioneering spirit is what brought me back to serve the Central Valley and to help create opportunities for those who will follow."

Dr. Wang told students his first exposure to medicine came as an undergraduate at UC Merced, when he began scribing for physicians at Memorial Medical Center. "That front-row seat to health care in the Valley changed my life," he said. "It showed me both the challenges and the promise of medicine here - and it made me realize that this community deserves better. I wanted to be part of delivering that better care."

He also emphasized the enduring values of the profession. "You will not always have the answers," he said. "But what you can always do - what you must always do - is be present for your patients. As the saying goes, 'Cure sometimes, relieve often, comfort always.' That's the essence of medicine."

The Sutter partnership is one of several clinical collaborations underway as DOME continues to build the SJV PRIME+ pathway. Additional partnerships in development with local, Merced County-based health centers will expand student placements across the region, allowing for experiences ranging from observation-based shadowing to community-based health education.

The first SJV PRIME+ cohort will transition into the program's medical education phase in 2027, completing their first year and a half of medical training at UC Merced before moving to UCSF Fresno for their clinical rotations.

Each of these partnerships represents years of groundwork, and many more such partnerships are needed as UC Merced works toward its own full-fledged medical school.

"We are working toward not just a program or pathway," Bauer said, "but a continuous pipeline of locally trained, community-centered physicians who will ultimately improve health care across the San Joaquin Valley."