Physician recruitment and retention in an underserved community: the role of a premedical research program

Community-based SSRPs may support the recruitment, retention, and cultivation of local students for medical careers and potentially bolster the physician workforce in underserved regions like Hawai'i. By embedding clinical and research experiences within the community, the program is associated with enhanced medical school admissions and may foster long-term physician retention, including subspecialists, in the local healthcare system. This community-engaged approach contributes to medical education literature and provides a replicable model for other underserved areas to build sustainable healthcare workforces.