70 Likemost of theworld’s rural populations, the Galilee’s sizeable minority communities are more likely to suffer from major illnesses than residents of the country’s urban center. They also, when compared to their urban counterparts, have significantly worse patient outcomes. Yet while a critical component of closing the health-equity gap lies in more access to primary care, it is precisely primary-care physicians the North lacks the most. What’s worse, this shortage reflects a dual challenge: persuading exceptional doctors tomake their homes upNorth, and persuading them to choose primary-care medicine at all. Recognizing that today’s medical culture pushes students toward specialization—and generally devalues an interest in advancing community health—the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine has devised a comprehensive program aimed at addressing both problems simultaneously. ROMGalil, an initiative of the faculty’s Office of the Dean that began last year, offers a small cohort of students in each class who are committed to the field of primary-care medicine and to practicing in the North for at least four years after the completionof their degree a full scholarship for tuitionand living expenses, as well as tailored courses, individual mentoring, and added exposure to the region. For instance, participating students take special courses on the social determinants of health in underserved populations, with the goal of seeing patients in the context of their community. In addition, they take courses in POCUS (Point of Care Ultrasound), medical care in the field, and doctor-patient communication. They also complete pre-clinical coursework in the humanities as well as the sciences; clinical work at both faculty-related hospitals and health clinics; and an immersive, community-focused clerkship for the continuum of family care. Finally, the initiative—currently supportedby generous partners in Israel and the United States—will take a proactive approach to integrating graduates into the region successfully: Whether a job for a spouse or help with a child’s special needs, the initiative’s community-based partners will work to help topnotch medical students become satisfied Northern residents. In turn, they will increase the chances of these doctors staying, and filling a vital healthcare need. The initiative’s first cohort of eight participants was selected from among the faculty’s first year-students, and screened by a committee that included faculty members, a psychologist, a community representative, and a family practitioner. They include six students who grew up in the North, including one from its Druze community, and a student from a remote kibbutz in the Negev, who expressed his deep awareness of the role of a family doctor in improving not just patient health, but the well-being of an entire community. By offering motivated young physicians a wide scope of practice and continuity of care with their patients, ROM Galil also promises them access to more professional rewards and joys—and the opportunity to be part of an ambitious, forwardthinking revitalization of a region. As all eight participants look forward to another outstanding year—this one marked by entry into clinical rotations—there is little doubt the new exposures and challenges will bemet with remarkable success. All in the Family ROM Galil Family Physician Program ROM Galil participant Yoav Ohrenstein and his family at their home in Gilon, a small community settlement near Carmiel.
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