Our entire state faces a critical need for more providers in primary care, nursing, health professions and behavioral health fields. 
NAU Health, a forward-thinking initiative aimed at improving health outcomes for all Arizonans, particularly those in rural, Indigenous and underserved communities, will create a national model for medical education and double degrees awarded in high-demand healthcare programs.
Our entire state faces a critical need for more providers in primary care, nursing, health professions and behavioral health fields. NAU Health is uniquely positioned to address this need, especially in rural, Indigenous and underserved communities, through a holistic and innovative approach to healthcare education across the disciplines.
At the center of this initiative is the creation of a distinctive NAU College of Medicine, based in Flagstaff, that will focus on educating primary healthcare providers who reflect the residents of Arizona and who will be inclined to remain in the state to serve Arizona’s increasingly diverse population.
NAU’s College of Medicine will be intentionally designed and include the following features:
- Accelerated pathways to becoming a physician, with an emphasis in primary care.
- Affordable options for Arizona residents seeking to graduate and practice in-state with minimal debt. This includes plans for a tuition coverage program like the Arizona Teachers Academy, where graduates who stay to practice in Arizona after graduation will have their educational costs fully covered.
- Integrative curriculum that foregrounds cultural competency and infuses behavioral health perspectives to improve outcomes for patients and their communities.
NAU Health will be led by Julie Baldwin, Ph.D., a nationally recognized expert in health equity, who serves as executive director of the Center for Health Equity Research and is a Regents’ professor of health sciences at NAU, in addition to being a member of the National Academy of Medicine. Thanks to a generous multi-year philanthropic gift from the Northern Arizona-based NARBHA Institute, she will begin her tenure as the founding NARBHA Institute Vice President for NAU Health in January.
In addition to the College of Medicine, we will also introduce significant advances to existing programs in nursing and the health professions, including the following:
Creating a College of Nursing – NAU’s School of Nursing will be elevated to a college to enhance visibility and impact at the state and national levels. In addition to continued growth in program offerings throughout the state, the College of Nursing will heighten NAU’s ability to address Arizona’s nursing shortage through strengthened partnerships, improved alumni relations, expanded development opportunities, and more robust recruitment and retention of talented, mission-driven nursing faculty.
Elevating Health Professions Education in the College of Health and Human Services – NAU will double the number of degrees awarded and students retained to practice in Arizona across the health professions disciplines, which include physical and occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, dental hygiene and more. Emphasis will be placed on creating pathways and partnerships with community colleges to accelerate educational attainment in these fields; teaching skills aligned with the College of Medicine, including community practice and health equity; and creating residency and credential programs for practicing healthcare providers to advance practice in rural and underserved communities.
As we launch NAU Health, we proceed with support from the Arizona Board of Regents through the Arizona Healthy Tomorrow initiative, generous philanthropic gifts, robust and growing networks of partners, and other sources of financial and in-kind support that recognize NAU’s value proposition.
The holistic approach of NAU Health is poised to strengthen health systems and increase workforce capacity, improve access to care for vulnerable patients and populations in Arizona, elevate our existing excellence, and add to our university’s positive impact for our home community. I look forward to all that NAU will do to help build a healthier tomorrow for all Arizonans. FBN
José Luis Cruz Rivera is the president of Northern Arizona University.
