Southern Alberta Medical Program celebrates its first cohort of future physicians

AUTHOR: Kristen Fong, Cumming School of Medicine

The start of a new school year brings in new energy as students fill campus halls. But there’s a cohort of 20 new students who already hit the books, launching their medical journey at the University of Lethbridge campus over the summer. 

The Southern Alberta Medical Program (SAMP) was formally recognized on Sept. 14, welcoming the future Class of 2029 with community members, government officials and institutional leaders celebrating the collaboration between the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) and ULethbridge. 

“It’s a big honour,” says SAMP student Andrea Monsalve. “It’s a big thing for us to be the leaders in the first class. This is my dream program for medicine and for it to take place where I’m going to school at the University of Lethbridge is a really big deal for me. I’m somebody that wants to study in southern Alberta and stay in Alberta.”

Justin Wright, Alberta’s Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services, says: “This new program is an important step in building Alberta’s physician workforce, expanding access to care and ensuring more Albertans can receive care closer to home.” 

The undergraduate medical program was created to enhance rural and regional medicine in Alberta, including access to medical care in underserved communities. Funded by the Government of Alberta, SAMP allows students to earn a UCalgary medical degree while attending classes at ULethbridge, gaining hands-on clinical experience and training with local physicians.

“We are expanding opportunities for students to pursue medical education closer to home while gaining valuable experience in rural and regional communities across southern Alberta,” says Dr. Sandra Davidson, PhD, provost and vice-president (academic) at UCalgary. “This program is an important milestone for both institutions and for the communities we serve, and we are grateful to the Government of Alberta for its investment in a program that will create new pathways for students, support the development of the health-care workforce and improve access to care across the region.”

Adds Dr. Michelle Helstein, PhD, provost and vice-president (academic) at ULethbridge: “SAMP is an excellent example of how collaboration can create meaningful impact for students and communities, alike. By combining the strengths of our two institutions, alongside crucial provincial funding, we're helping to expand access to medical education while foregrounding rural and regional practice to support a stronger and more sustainable health-care system in Alberta.”

Students accepted into the program expressed an interest in practising rural medicine after graduation. There were nearly 300 applications for the first cohort of SAMP students, highlighting not only the need, but the interest in advancing medical education in rural and regional Alberta.

“Evidence shows that where you train has a lot of influence on where you ultimately end up practising,” says Dr. Rick Buck, MD, associate dean of SAMP. “So, if we can recruit locally, and train the students locally, then, hopefully, they will stay local and serve the communities of southern Alberta. By training local students in a smaller cohort, these students are getting to know their preceptors and, in turn, we are getting to know them, as well."

UCalgary has been dedicated to advancing rural and regional medical education in Alberta for the past 25 years through the Distributed Learning & Rural Initiatives (DLRI) at the CSM. DLRI has a presence in more than 50 rural and regional communities, and SAMP builds on those efforts.

SAMP will increase the number of students in the next cohort from 20 to up to 30 students in July 2027.