@article{10.22454/FamMed.2025.305728,
author = {Shimkin, Genya and Kardonsky, Kimberly and Cassell, Alisse and Mohamed, Ayan and Shah, Mansi and Kost, Amanda and Oliver, Lynn and Dobie, Sharon and Farah, Samira},
title = {Using Propensity-Score Matched Cohorts to Evaluate Career Outcomes for Medical Students Completing the Underserved Pathway},
journal = {Family Medicine},
volume = {57},
number = {9},
year = {2025},
month = {9},
pages = {627-633},
doi = {10.22454/FamMed.2025.305728},
abstract = {Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study is to compare the career outcomes of medical students who completed the Underserved Pathway (UP) at the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) to a matched cohort of their peers who did not complete the UP. Were participants more likely to practice in rural communities and/or primary care specialties than their peers who did not complete the UP?
Methods: Starting with a list of 243 UP students enrolled between 2004 and 2012, we used propensity-score matching to build a matched cohort of non-UP graduates and then used multiple regression to compare the groups, with a focus on career outcomes.
Results: A total of 384 UWSOM graduates were included in the analysis: 191 UP graduates and 193 non-UP graduates. Overall, UP graduates had three times the odds of practicing family medicine in a rural community than their non-UP peers and three and a half times the odds of practicing rural primary care.
Conclusions: Longitudinal cocurricular programs that encourage students to explore and gain experience in underserved communities may help address physician workforce shortages in rural areas.},
URL = {https://journals.stfm.org//familymedicine/2025/october/farah-0075/},
eprint = {https://journals.stfm.org//media/hnilhxy0/farah20250075docx-2025-09-29-16-06.pdf},
}