The Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation has awarded transformative grants to the University of Arizona Health Sciences and Banner Health to expand primary care graduate medical education, or GME, across Arizona. Together, the two initiatives will create nearly 200 new residency positions and build a sustainable framework for training physicians in rural, tribal and underserved communities.

Arizona currently meets only 35.4% of its primary care physician needs, requiring 493 full-time equivalent physicians to eliminate 212 shortage areas across all 15 counties. By 2030, Arizona will need nearly 2,000 additional primary care physicians to meet growing health care demands.

University of Arizona Health Sciences initiative

Through the Halle Foundation's support, the University of Arizona Health Sciences will launch a variety of collaborative initiatives with the aim of increasing the number of primary care GME positions across the state. This will:

• Add 50 new primary care residency positions in high-need communities across the state.
• Support accelerated three-year medical school-to-residency tracks, linking U of A College of Medicine graduates to Arizona primary care GME programs statewide. With mentorship, scholarships and community engagement emphasizing recruitment from rural, tribal and border communities, this is a proven strategy for physician retention.
• Establish a new consortium sponsoring institution to provide accreditation support and technical assistance to better support the unique needs of Arizona communities​ including rural, tribal and community health partners.
• Create a collaborative learning community through enhancement of existing relationships with Arizona's rural and urban underserved partners: including Federally Qualified Health Centers, tribal health partners and critical access hospitals.

"This investment will catalyze the formation of a sustainable, statewide infrastructure for graduate medical education, while meeting the immediate needs of Arizona's communities," said University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella. "The U of A and Banner's collaboration for new residency opportunities in rural and underserved areas ensures future physicians will be trained where they are needed most and will remain to serve those communities."

Banner Health initiative

A complementary Halle Foundation investment through the Banner Health Foundation will: 

• Expand Banner/University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix GME programs, adding 144 new primary care residency slots in family and internal medicine over the next three years at Banner Desert Internal and Family Medicine (Mesa, Arizona), Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center Internal Medicine (Sun City, Arizona), and Payson Family Medicine (Payson, Arizona).
• Support innovative urban and rural rotations and technology-enabled learning, including ultrasound and simulation for primary care residents from across the state.
• Provide stipends to support faculty physician educators and residents who commit to practicing outpatient primary care in Arizona after training.
• Support data analysis of Arizona's primary care workforce and the impact of the novel retention strategies being used to encourage physicians to remain in Arizona after training.

"At Banner Health, we know that access to primary care is the foundation of a healthy community," said Dr. Benjamin Schwartz, president of academic delivery at Banner Health. "Thanks to the Halle Foundation's support, we will expand our residency programs and create new opportunities for physicians to train and practice in Arizona. Together with the University of Arizona, we are building a statewide network of training that connects urban and rural sites, ensuring patients in every community have access to high-quality care."

"The data is compelling – residents who spend 50% of their training in rural sites are five times more likely to practice in these areas," said Dr. Daniel Derksen, U of A Health Sciences associate vice president for rural health workforce development initiatives. "The Halle Foundation's investment in this academic-rural community partnership is an innovative approach to solving Arizona's intractable rural physician shortages."

Shared impact

Together, these initiatives represent a nearly 200-slot statewide expansion of primary care residency positions, supported by a systems-level approach that integrates Halle Foundation philanthropy with state and federal resources. By coordinating efforts, the University of Arizona and Banner Health will ensure that Arizona not only expands its physician workforce but also sustains it well into the future.

"The Halle Foundation is honored to support this important work at the University of Arizona and Banner Health," said Tom Egan, executive director of the The Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation. "Our mission is to foster healthier, more inspired communities, and there is no greater need than ensuring families in every corner of Arizona can see a doctor when they need one. By strengthening the pipeline of primary care physicians, this initiative will have a transformative and lasting impact, particularly for rural, tribal and underserved communities."

Founded in 2002, the Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation is a statewide leader in philanthropy, supporting organizations in health, education and human services to address Arizona's most pressing challenges.

"We are so grateful to be entrusted with these resources from the Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation to advance this vitally important work," said Andy Petersen, president and CEO for the Banner Health Foundation. "Philanthropic support from partners like the Halle Foundation allows Banner to accelerate the pace at which we can implement strategic initiatives like the expansion of graduate medical education to train more primary care physicians. People from all walks of life across our state will benefit from the strong foundation of primary care and family medicine created through these residency slots, profoundly enhancing access to care for years to come."

"I'm grateful to the Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation for their long-time support of the U of A," said John-Paul Roczniak, president and CEO of the University of Arizona Foundation. "Now, with this latest philanthropic investment, I believe Banner Health and U of A Health Sciences are well-positioned to make a lasting impact on graduate medical education in Arizona."

The gift also contributes to the university's $3 billion fundraising campaign, which supports student success, faculty research and initiatives across campus, and to the Banner Health Foundation's $250 million fundraising campaign to advance world-class care for all across the enterprise.