Description

Carve out the career you imagined when you entered medical school. 

Be an advocate for healthcare in California while treating underserved communities.

Join a movement improving health systems from the inside out. The California HEAL Fellowship offers early-career physicians the opportunity to work and learn alongside community leaders, global health advocates, and academic mentors to improve healthcare quality and access for resource-denied Californians.

As a California Social Medicine Fellow, you’ll be integrated into a local safety net system of a federally qualified health center (FQHC), academic institution, and community-based organization. Serving communities in the Inland Empire, San Diego, or Fresno, while gaining immersive leadership training, one-on-one mentorship, and connections to HEAL’s international work in Malawi, Mexico, and the Navajo Nation.

Program components:

• 1-year program: July 2026 - June 2027
• Social Medicine Work: .7FTE clinical care .3FTE social medicine work to meet the needs of the local community (e.g. addiction care, migrant health, blue zone work, health policy, etc.)
• Mentorship: one-on-one mentorship from UC faculty and local health experts
• Training: Intensive in-person training and quarterly retreats focusing on leadership, advocacy, power & privilege, structural competency, and wellbeing.
• Global Network: Learn alongside fellows from HEAL’s international sites in Malawi, Mexico, and Navajo Nation
• Post-Fellowship Opportunities: Support to stay on in full-time roles with local partners 

Fellowship Locations & Focus Areas

You’ll have the opportunity to apply to one of the following hubs, where you’ll spend the entirety of the 1-year fellowship. 

Fresno

• Communities served: Predominantly migrant and farmworker populations
• Focus areas: addiction care, migrant women’s health, and quality improvement research
• FQHC: United Health Centers

San Diego

• Communities served: Latinx, migrant, asylum-seeking, and unhoused populations
• Focus areas: Free clinic care, teaching, border health
• FQHC: San Yisidro Health 

Inland Empire 

• Communities served: communities impacted by industrial growth and health inequities
• Focus areas: street medicine, health policy, and Blue Zone-aligned public health initiatives
• FQHC in Riverside: Riverside University Health Systems
• FQHC in Loma Linda: Sac Health 

Salary & Benefits: 

• Up to $160,000 annual salary
• Comprehensive UCSF benefits package
  • Health, dental, and vision insurance
  • Malpractice insurance
  • Covered state licensure if needed
  • Retirement savings contributions
  • Paid time off
• All travel and training costs covered 

Ready to Apply?

Start building your foundation for a career grounded in social medicine and collective impact. 

Visit healinitiative.org to learn more and apply.

About the UCSF HEAL Initiative

The HEAL Initiative is a global health organization partnering with health care institutions and local governments in resource-denied areas to connect, train, and mentor local healthcare professionals to strengthen care delivery and lay the foundation for enduring, systemic improvements in healthcare worker resilience and patient outcomes. 

HEAL currently has programs in California, Navajo Nation, Malawi, and Mexico, and is building a global movement of front-line healthcare workers working to improve healthcare access and quality in resource-denied communities.

Requirements

Applicant Requirements: 

• Must complete residency by July 2026 in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Medicine-Pediatrics, or Pediatrics
• Able to participate in:
  • 10-day in-person intensive training (July 2026)
  • Quarterly in-person retreats
  • Monthly learning sessions by hub
• Foreign medical graduates interested in applying via Conrad 30, please reach out to us

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Bilingual or multilingual (especially Spanish)
• Prior connection to the California community you wish to serve