American College of Preventive Medicine Calls for Resumption of Funding for Preventive Medicine Residency Programs

The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) encourages funding for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Preventive Medicine Residency (PMR) Program flow to grant awardees as appropriated for Fiscal Year 2025.
 

(WASHINGTON, DC) The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) is raising awareness of a critical shortage of doctors trained in preventive medicine, as federal funding support for the residency training programs is reportedly being paused for the Academic Year 2025. With only 3,000 board-certified Public Health and General Preventive Medicine (PH/GPM) physicians in the United States, any pause in funding threatens the training for the next generation of specialists in preventive medicine, a critical medical field that intersects clinical medicine and public health, which plays a vital role in reducing and preventing chronic and infectious diseases. PH/GPM physicians are not only crucial in preventing disease, but they also serve as a vital part of our national security and public safety infrastructure, frequently focusing on such areas as: military readiness, disaster and pandemic preparedness and responses to terrorism and other mass emergencies.

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Preventive Medicine Residency grant program is vital to the specialty, responsible for training approximately half of the graduating PH/GPM physicians in 2025. Suspending this funding risks not only the future of the preventive medicine workforce, but also the very goals set forth in efforts to improve preventive care and delivery under the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) vision. If the goal is to incentivize wellness and keep people out of the hospital, then U.S. graduate medical education efforts should be similarly focused on preventive medicine.

"ACPM is aligned in working to reduce the epidemic and exorbitant cost of chronic disease, ensuring food and drug safety and increasing efficiency through prevention," said Dr. Mirza Rahman, President of ACPM. "This is money already budgeted by Congress, we must deliver a physician workforce that is resolute in keeping the public healthier, longer."

The financial implications of this funding are minimal compared to the potential impact on public health and the physician workforce. The cost of the HRSA Preventive Medicine Residency Program is $8 million, a small investment that yields significant returns in community health outcomes. Losing this funding jeopardizes the ability of residency programs to onboard already-matched residents, potentially leading to rescinded offers and a return of these physicians to hospital settings, which does not align with the goals of the MAHA agenda.

The American College of Preventive Medicine emphasizes that the pipeline of preventive medicine physicians is crucial to achieving MAHA goals and urges the Administration, Congress and other stakeholders to recognize the importance of the preventive medicine workforce and training programs. ACPM echoes its previous calls to invest in preventive medicine. It is not just a financial decision; it is a commitment to the health and well-being of communities across the nation.

For more information or to speak with an ACPM representative, please contact media@acpm.org
 
About ACPM:
The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) is a professional medical society representing approximately 2,000 physicians, board-certified in Public Health and Preventive Medicine, dedicated to the practice of preventive medicine; improving the health and quality of life of individuals, families, communities and populations through disease prevention and health promotion. For more information about ACPM, visit www.acpm.org.