Health Scholars Program

The Health Scholars Program is creating the next generation of healthcare leaders by training undergraduate students, medical students, and family medicine residents in meaningful clinical experiences and community service.

Under its role as Orange County’s Area Health Education Center, the Coalition took on the Health Scholars Program in 2015 as a part of its Workforce Development offerings. The HSP supports the strengthening of educational and social foundations for underrepresented and disadvantaged students pursuing careers in health care.As the healthcare landscape continues to shift, the HSP is motivated by the Coalition’s core beliefs: that healthcare is a human right, that it should be affordable and accessible, and that it should be reliable and sustainable.

Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC)

The Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC) is a five-year MD/Master’s program that is committed to training physicians to meet the needs of under-resourced Latino communities.

Established by the UC Irvine School of Medicine in 2004, PRIME-LC offers an enhanced medical school curriculum that includes coursework emphasizing leadership, advocacy and service. The program includes coursework from the School of Social Sciences and the School of Medicine, experiential learning opportunities throughout California, an international clinical rotation, as well as completion of a master’s degree.  

Each year, PRIME-LC admits about 12 Spanish-speaking students who go on to practice in a wide array of medical specialties.

UCI Postbaccalaureate Program

The UC Irvine School of Medicine Postbaccalaureate Program is designed to assist disadvantaged applicants in gaining acceptance to medical school, with the ultimate goal of increasing the number of physicians in underserved areas.

The program, which has been in existence for over 30 years, has a record of placing more than 88 percent of all participants in a U.S. medical school.

Students in the program are provided with a supportive environment aimed at:

• Strengthening learning skills

• Demonstrating proficiency in the sciences

• Preparing for the MCAT exam

• Becoming a competitive applicant who successfully gains admission to medical school

Latino Health Access

Latino Health Access partners with communities to bring health, equity and sustainable change through education, services, consciousness-raising and civic participation.

Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living

The Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living (MHSCHL) is a collaborative endeavor, bringing like-minded organizations and non profits under one roof. The MHSCHL allows providers to take an integrated, holistic approach to community services addressing everything from health care to legal services, to mental health and spiritual support. The center is positioned to become a national model of integration, cooperation and effective community service.

The MHSCHL houses an impressive number of organizations that provide comprehensive services, including: Hoag's Mental Health Center, Hoag's Pastoral Care program, SOS Children and Family Health Center and Costa Mesa Family Resource Center. To facilitate collaboration and build capacity in our community partner agencies, the MHSCHL provides non-profit partners with physical space and resources to operate out of. Located across from Hoag Hospital Newport Beach, a hoteling model is used so that partner agencies can rotate in and out of the center.

Madison Park Neighborhood Association

Madison Park is located in southeast Santa Ana. Home to roughly 8,000 people, Madison Park Neighborhood Association serves a large number of residents in Santa Ana. It's a beautiful neighborhood with diverse architecture, beautiful bike path, tree lined streets, and quaint Madison Park. We are generously funded by the California Endowment, allowing us to provide services to our neighborhood that strive to promote education, health, fitness, and community.

UCI Department of Family Medicine

The Department of Family Medicine is the academic home to nearly 30 faculty members who have a passion for patient care and medical education.  Our mission is the same one that guides UC Irvine School of Medicine:  Discover. Teach. Heal. We are committed to the delivery of exemplary clinical care, advancing research and training future healthcare professionals.

Faculty members teach medical students at five sites: in Santa Ana and Anaheim (both Federally Qualified Health Centers), the Gottschalk Plaza in Irvine, on the UC Irvine campus and at the SeniorHealth Center in Orange at the UC Irvine Medical Center.

Our vision is to be among the top ten departments in the country focusing on the delivery of healthcare to underserved populations. We have a residency program that is housed at the UC Irvine Family Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Santa Ana. We have a diverse faculty, many of whom are bilingual and bicultural.

UCI Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program 

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) sponsors the UCI Undergraduate Research Symposium, an annual event held in May that allows hundreds of undergraduates the opportunity to present the results of their research or creative activities in a professional setting.