Value-based medical student education training program - applicant organization: division of rural and community programs, james h. Quillen college of medicine, east tennessee state university…

East Tennessee State University's James H. Quillen College of Medicine received a $2.6 million Project Grant award from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Health Professionals under the Medical Student Education (MSE) Program (CFDA 93.680) on August 1, 2025, to expand medical education and increase the primary care physician workforce serving rural and underserved communities in South Central Appalachia. The award, obligated through June 30, 2027, supports the Division of Rural and Community Programs' efforts to increase medical student class size by 25 percent by 2026 and enhance existing educational pathways, including a dedicated four-year rural primary care track and three-year track into primary care residencies. Quillen will utilize funding to expand current programs, establish new relationships with rural healthcare practices, hire and develop additional faculty and staff, and potentially create a regional campus in a rural community to address Tennessee's projected 38 percent primary care physician shortage by 2035.

Under this grant, Rural Medical Services, Inc., a subrecipient entity, oversees administrative and teaching aspects of clinical rotations and provides mentor support to medical students beginning March 23, 2026. The program prioritizes recruitment of applicants from rural backgrounds through guaranteed college pathway acceptances and implements a comprehensive curriculum requiring all students to engage in dedicated patient care in rural and underserved communities, building on Quillen's nationally recognized track record of producing primary care physicians for health professional shortage areas.

Value-based medical student education training program - applicant organization: division of rural and community programs, james h. Quillen college of medicine, east tennessee state university (etsu) address: PO box 70412, johnson city, TN 37614-1709 project director: thomas g. Kincer II, MD contact phone numbers: 423-439-6758 (voice); 423-439-7720 (FAX) e-mail address