Underserved Pathway

The Underserved Pathway is a curricular and experiential program that aims to address physician shortages in underserved communities by supporting medical students who are interested in caring for underserved populations. The Pathway engages students in three educational avenues: longitudinal mentoring, a foundation of knowledge, and a variety of real-world experiences.

Who are the underserved?  By underserved, we mean people who have difficulty accessing quality health care for a variety of reasons. They are often also vulnerable: they are at risk for poor health due to difficulty accessing the resources necessary for good health. Learn more in our web module. Please note: anyone can view the content of our modules, but certain links and activities are restricted to enrolled students.

NOTE: We are dedicated to making our program and events  accessible for all Underserved Pathway students. If you are a UP student with approved DRS captioning accommodations, please make sure that you have requested your accommodations for the pathway through the DRS office. If you need access to any of our non-captioned videos, or have any other accessibility-related question or concern please email us at upath@uw.edu. 

Students can customize their pathway to meet their own educational goals and interests – some may focus on a specific population or community while other may explore broader issues surrounding the underserved such as advocacy or policy.

The Underserved Pathway works closely with the other School of Medicine Pathways: the Black Health Justice Pathway, the Global Health Pathway, the Indian Health Pathway, the Latinx Health Pathway, and the LGBTQ Health Pathway. Many students are enrolled in more than one pathway. All courses and experiences from these pathways may be applied toward relevant Underserved Pathway requirements

Underserved Pathway Benefits

•  Guidance and support from an Underserved Pathway mentor.
•  Unique web-based curriculum to build a knowledge base about issues that affect underserved and vulnerable populations — material that isn’t covered in medical school.
• Dedicated Underserved Pathway advisors, including faculty physicians and a program manager.
• Opportunities to collaborate with other students interested in careers working with underserved populations.
• Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of Pathway requirements, given at graduation.
• Acknowledgment in the Hooding Ceremony program.
• Ability to include participation in the Underserved Pathway in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) for residency applications.

Dr. Rahaf Baker, an Underserved Pathway graduate, talks about why she joined the Pathway and how it helped her education and career goals related to caring for the underserved. This video was recorded while Rahaf was in her fourth year at UWSOM.