Thirteen Texas medical schools are among a select group eligible for a new federal grant to address primary care shortages and support primary care careers in rural medicine.
The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grants are eligible to 23 schools across six states. Eight grants are expected to be awarded, ranging from $1 million to $1.625 million each, for a total pool of $13 million for 2027.
The application deadline is Sept. 1 with awards projected to be announced by Nov. 2.
The Texas Medical Association has long supported initiatives that bolster the rural workforce.
Currently, 2.9 million Texans live in rural-designated counties. Of those, 55 do not have a hospital, and 32 have no primary care physician. Almost 120 Texas counties are federally designated as medically underserved, according to data collected by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Permian Basin.
Simply exposing medical students to the joys, challenges, and unique nature of rural Texas medicine is a critical step to retaining them there, state medical school officials told Texas Medicine Today. Most Texas medical schools either have or are developing programs that place students in weeks-long rotations in federally qualified health centers or local clinics in rural areas.
Although located in Houston, the University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine aims to support the rural workforce pipeline and produce more primary care physicians. For instance, Winston Liaw, MD, chair of the school’s Health Systems and Population Health Sciences department, says the admission process gauges applicants’ interest in rural health.
“If we’re going to support rural communities, we have to do something different, and that often means investing resources and changing incentives,” Dr. Liaw said. “That’s one of the reasons why this HRSA opportunity is very appealing because it does just that. It invests resources in the models and the places that need more support.”
One of those places, per the Texas Department of State Health Services, is the Rio Grande Valley, which the agency projects to be short 1,271 primary care physicians by 2030.
In just 10 years, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine has produced 340 physician graduates, many from South Texas, says Chelsea Chang, MD, chair of the school’s Department of Primary and Community Care. More than 60% of the incoming class is from the Rio Grande Valley area.
Students also benefit from the school’s Area Health Education Center, which gives them hands-on experience in underserved communities across Hidalgo, Cameron, and Starr counties. More than 230 students have completed the program since the medical school opened in 2016.
While the numbers appear hopeful, Dr. Chang believes there must be a real discussion of the systemic factors that influence a young physician’s career choice.
“Medical students see the realities of practice,” Dr. Chang said. “Primary care often comes with lower reimbursement compared to other specialties, growing administrative burdens, and less time for patient care. While service is a powerful motivator, strengthening the primary care workforce also requires practice environments where physicians can thrive.”
One HRSA grant can’t fix everything. But medical schools agree it reflects a growing focus on improving the rural workforce in Texas.
“The most sustainable solution to rural workforce shortages is to grow the workforce from within,” Dr. Chang said.
Eligibility is limited to public medical schools in 12 U.S. states, including Texas, identified by HRSA as being in the top quartile of projected primary care physician shortages.
The 13 Texas medical schools deemed eligible for the funding opportunity are:
- Texas A&M University Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine (Bryan)
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine (El Paso)
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine (Lubbock)
- University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine (Houston)
- UTMB John Sealy School of Medicine (Galveston)
- McGovern Medical School at UTHealth (Houston)
- UT Health San Antonio Long School of Medicine (San Antonio)
- The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine (Edinburg)
- UT Southwestern Medical School (Dallas)
- The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School (Austin)
- Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (Conroe)
- Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (Fort Worth)
- The University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine (Tyler)
For more information about rural health topics and TMA’s legislative wins, see TMA’s Rural Health page online.