Editor’s Note: Welcome to the first installment of “A Summer of Learning” at Sutter Health. This series will examine how Sutter, through its academic partnerships, is working to expand access to healthcare by building a stronger, more robust pathway of community-rooted and community-focused physicians and allied health professionals.
From San Jose to Salinas to Sacramento, future doctors are getting their start in medicine through opportunities provided by Sutter’s academic partnerships with universities like Charles R. Drew University. This year, an expanded Sutter–CDU program is training medical students to heal, lead, champion healthcare for all, and make lasting impacts in the communities we all serve.
This summer, ten future doctors will kick off their medical education journeys at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU) in Los Angeles – fully supported by the Sutter Health Scholars Program’s full-ride scholarships. Handpicked for their academic potential and deep commitment to serving their own communities after graduation, these students embody excellence and unstoppable purpose.
Take Amber Reyes, one of the scholarship recipients. From her work as a patient advocate at San Jose Behavioral Health to physician shadowing to mentoring peers at UCLA, she’s long been dedicated to healthcare. Growing up with financial hardships and balancing part-time work, Reyes knows the power of perseverance. “The scholarship has changed my life,” she said. Reyes, who’s from San Jose, Calif., is focused on making sure no one seeking healthcare is overlooked. “I want to make sure everyone in my community can get the care they need and deserve.”
This commitment to improving health outcomes for all is something all ten scholars share. Many of the recipients come from communities where healthcare is scarce and physician shortages are all too common. Some are bilingual, and most will be the first in their families to attend college. Together, they represent a powerful, collective drive to advance high-quality care and make it accessible.
“These students are the future of healthcare, and we’re proud to support them,” said Leon Clark, vice president and chief academic affairs officer at Sutter Health. “They bring passion, purpose and a genuine connection to the communities they aim to serve. They’re also poised to help California meet the demand for more physicians who can deliver compassionate, personalized care.”
Hear from scholarship recipients Paola Hernandez and Harneel Gill:
Program Growth Paves Way for a Bright Future
The Sutter Health Scholars Program, in partnership with CDU, launched last year with a $7.5 million investment. This year, Sutter increased the number of full scholarships from 25 to 50 over five years. This makes the Sutter Scholars Program one of the largest scholarship efforts in CDU’s history and a first-of-its-kind initiative for Sutter.
Students part of the scholars program will get more than just financial help and a debt-free education. They will be matched with mentors at the top of their medical and research specialties, placed in unique clinical settings and given access to the tools needed to succeed in medical school and thereafter.
Hands-On Learning Opportunities
In addition to the Scholars Program, Sutter and CDU introduced clinical rotations and research electives last year to give more students hands-on learning in high-need areas. These opportunities allow CDU students to build practical medical skills within the Sutter system. This summer, students will begin clinical rotations and research electives in:
- Pediatrics, neurology and surgical clinical rotations. Eleven third-year CDU medical students will train at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, and Sutter Roseville Medical Center, gaining valuable experience alongside leading physicians in these high-demand specialties.
- Research electives through Sutter’s Alliance for Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation. Seven first-year medical students will explore topics like chronic disease prevention and AI for early cancer detection. They will present their findings at the Sutter Research Symposium in Sacramento this August.
“These programs are building the next generation of doctors skilled to deliver highly specialized care and adapt alongside the rapid changes in medicine,” said Dr. Lindsay Mazotti, chief medical officer of medical education and science at Sutter Health. “We’re helping them grow into professionals who can deploy technology and innovation while staying connected to the communities they’ll serve.”
Mazotti said the CDU partnership is part of a larger strategy at Sutter to expand medical education and help address healthcare access challenges for patients. Sutter is also working with its academic partners including UCSF, Stanford University, UC Davis, Dartmouth College, Western University, California Northstate University, Touro University California, California Health Sciences University and San Francisco State University to grow its academic programs.
Supporting a Medical Workforce to Close Care Gaps
CDU is one of just four Historically Black Institutions in the U.S. with a medical school, and the only one west of Texas. The school has a long track record of training doctors who return to serve in places with limited access to care. The Sutter-CDU partnership is helping strengthen that mission.
With 30 residency and fellowship programs comprising family medicine and many specialties, and many more Graduate Medical Education, or GME, programs planned, Sutter is on pace to become Northern California’s largest community-based healthcare training system. It plans to train nearly 1,000 residents and fellow physicians by 2030.
Some of Sutter’s largest GME programs include internal medicine, surgery and family medicine as well as rural residency tracts in family medicine. Recently announced GME programs include a gastroenterology fellowship program and residencies in neurology, hematology-oncology, pulmonary-critical care medicine and obstetrics-gynecology.
Meet the 2025 Sutter Health Scholars who will graduate in the Classes of 2027 and 2029:
- Amber Reyes, (2029)
- Amina Latif, (2027)
- Arcelia Gonzalez, (2029)
- Brooke Crisp, (2029)
- Chris Argueta, (2027)
- Ferdinand Anokwuru, (2027)
- Harneel Gill, (2027)
- Paola Hernandez, (2027)
- Rivesto Lopez, (2029)
- Sumana Krishnakumar, (2029)
Meet the Inaugural Sutter Health Scholars (Graduating Class of 2028):
