Two physicians walk down a hospital hallway
Banner Health and the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix are expanding their Graduate Medical Education programs with 229 additional residency and fellowship positions. Image courtesy of Banner Health.

Banner Health and U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix Partner to Increase Residency and Fellowship Positions

Thomas Kelly
Thomas Kelly
Two physicians walk down a hospital hallway
Banner Health and the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix are expanding their Graduate Medical Education programs with 229 additional residency and fellowship positions. Image courtesy of Banner Health.
The new openings will help alleviate the severe physician shortage facing Arizona

By 2030, it is projected that Arizona will require more than 3,600 physicians to adequately meet the health care needs of communities across the state. To help combat this burgeoning issue, Banner Health and the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix are pleased to announce the expansion of their Graduate Medical Education programs with 229 additional residency and fellowship positions. 

The initiative will expand three programs in 2024 and build 16 new programs by 2027, growing the number of specialty-trained physicians through the partnership by more than 60 percent.

“This is the culmination of a vision developed in concert with our partners at Banner Health aimed at shrinking our state’s health care workforce shortage,” said Dean Guy Reed, MD, MS, said about the agreement, which was recently approved by the Academic Management Council.

Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix, formerly Banner Good Samaritan, has supported the advanced training of physicians through residency and fellowship programs for more than 60 years. Through this partnership, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix serves as the academic sponsor of Banner’s Phoenix-based graduate medical education program, which provides clinical training and resources for more than 340 residents and fellows across 29 accredited specialty programs

“These new positions are critically needed to address the national and regional physician shortages,” said Michael Kupferman, MD, senior vice president of physician enterprise and president of the Banner – University Medicine Division. “Recognizing that most doctors choose to practice medicine where they were trained, we are excited to advance this opportunity to bring new physicians to Arizona who will hopefully remain in the region to care for our population. Retaining our exceptionally trained residents and fellows within the Banner Health system will further support our mission of providing outstanding medical care across the state.”

“Combining the clinical expertise of the Banner Health physicians with the extensive knowledge related to accreditation and faculty development from the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, we are well positioned to provide high-quality graduate medical education programs,” said Cheryl O’Malley, MD, associate dean of Graduate Medical Education.

With more than 140 new family medicine and internal medicine resident positions coming to Banner Payson Medical Center, Banner Desert Medical Center and Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center, Banner Health will increase access to primary care training within the state. Currently, Arizona ranks 44th among the 50 states in primary care physicians per capita.

In addition, new programs in anesthesiology, dermatology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology and otolaryngology will be introduced. The expansion plan also includes increasing the number of neurology and surgery residency positions. Collectively, these specialties will welcome 64 residents.

The new fellowship offerings will allow 21 fellows to train across seven new programs. In a later phase, further residency programs may be developed.

As an extension of the Arizona Board of Regents’ (ABOR) AZ Healthy Tomorrow initiative, which Fred DuVal, chair-elect of the ABOR described as “the most aggressive and comprehensive health care plan in Arizona’s history,” the agreement will ensure that physicians who wish to practice where they were trained is greatly expanded.

This unprecedented growth in the future of the health care workforce would not be possible without a shared commitment to serve the residents of Arizona.

Media Contacts

Thomas Kelly
Associate Director, Public Affairs
U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix
602-827-2607
@email

Jen Fenter
Director, Public Relations
Banner Health
602-839-6324 – Office
602-747-3080 – Night and weekend PR on-call
@email

About the College

Founded in 2007, the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix inspires and trains exemplary physicians, scientists and leaders to advance its core missions in education, research, clinical care and service to communities across Arizona. The college’s strength lies in our collaborations and partnerships with clinical affiliates, community organizations and industry sponsors. With our primary affiliate, Banner Health, we are recognized as the premier academic medical center in Phoenix. As an anchor institution of the Phoenix Bioscience Core, the college is home to signature research programs in neurosciences, cardiopulmonary diseases, immunology, informatics and metabolism. These focus areas uniquely position us to drive biomedical research and bolster economic development in the region.

As an urban institution with strong roots in rural and tribal health, the college has graduated more than 1,000 physicians and matriculates 130 students each year. Greater than 60% of matriculating students are from Arizona and many continue training at our GME sponsored residency programs, ultimately pursuing local academic and community-based opportunities. While our traditional four-year program continues to thrive, we will launch our recently approved accelerated three-year medical student curriculum with exclusive focus on primary care. This program is designed to further enhance workforce retention needs across Arizona.

The college has embarked on our strategic plan for 2025 to 2030. Learn more.