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1/27/2026
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Legislative commission recommends creation of medical school at URI
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 STATE HOUSE – A legislative commission that has been studying the issue for over a year today recommended the establishment of an MD-granting medical school at the University of Rhode Island to create a permanent pipeline of doctors as one of several steps that should be taken to address an ever-growing shortage of primary care physicians.
Having a local, public medical school – alongside in-state residencies, loan forgiveness and scholarship programs for graduates who commit to providing primary care in Rhode Island, and continually raising the state’s low primary care reimbursement rates – would enable more young doctors to enter primary care and to practice in our state once they graduate, the commission found.
“Rhode Island is deep in a primary care crisis, and one that is projected to get even worse in the next several years. We need to take decisive action to bring primary care providers here and make them want to stay. After looking at the issue, it’s clear that enabling Rhode Island students to more affordably enter the primary care field, and supporting them once they make that choice, is both feasible and necessary,” said Sen. Pamela J. Lauria, co-chairwoman of the commission that studied education and retention of primary care physicians and the possibility of a URI medical school. “Rhode Island is one of the last states without a public medical school option. This impedes Rhode Island students’ access to medical school, and ultimately it is detrimental to Rhode Islanders’ access to care, particularly primary care. As one of the leading public universities in New England, URI is well-positioned to take this on, and establishing a medical school there will provide transformative benefits to primary care, health care as a whole, and our state’s economy. A medical school at URI is an extremely worthy investment that will benefit all Rhode Islanders.”
The commission issued its final report and recommendations today following a study that began in August 2024. The work included a feasibility study performed by an independent consulting firm, Tripp Umbach, that concluded that a URI medical school is both realistic and a good investment that would help address the PCP shortage and boost the state’s economy. The consultant proposed a modest initial investment of $20 million from the state, with about $150 million to be raised through private donors, with the first class enrolling in 2029.
The consultant projected that such a school would be financially stable by its third year of operation and would have powerful ripple effects on the state’s economy, generating $196 million annually in economic activity, supporting about 1,334 jobs and contributing $4.5 million in state and local tax revenue each year once fully operational. It would also boost URI’s stature as a research powerhouse, increasing its competitiveness for federal and private grants and making it a “key partner for addressing pressing public health challenges,” according to the commission’s report.
“As the state’s flagship public research university, the University of Rhode Island is deeply committed to addressing the most pressing challenges facing our state. Through the expertise of our faculty, our academic programs, research, and partnerships, URI is advancing the physical and mental health of individuals and communities in Rhode Island and around the world,” said URI President Marc Parlange, co-chairman of the commission. “Establishing a medical school at URI is a natural and strategic extension of this work—one that is both realistic and a sound investment. It would help address Rhode Island’s primary care shortage while strengthening our state’s economy. I am grateful to the Senate special commission for its thoughtful work, and to the many Rhode Islanders who shared their perspectives over the past year. Their engagement has helped shape the commission’s recommendations. I look forward to working closely with our elected leaders as URI continues to serve as a key partner in addressing our state’s most pressing public health challenges.”
The commission’s report states a state medical school would “strengthen the pipeline of primary care physicians at a time when the state faces a growing shortage and an aging workforce. Studies consistently show that physicians are more likely to practice in the state where they are educated and complete residency…by offering a more affordable education option, a state medical school would also reduce the heavy debt burden that often drives graduates toward higher-paying specialties rather then primary care, helping to align the workforce supply with the state’s most urgent needs. Beyond addressing shortages, a state medical school could actively promote diversity in the physician workforce by recruiting students from within our local communities, particularly those underrepresented in medicine, ensuring a future healthcare workforce that better reflets the racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of the population.”
But a new public medical school alone will not address the primary care crisis, the report states. The state must also institute a concrete plan to greatly expand the availability of residency slots in the state and must pair these educational investments with broader health care reforms, including reimbursement structure improvement, administrative simplification and expanded interprofessional training opportunities, to retain PCPs.
The commission recommends the establishment of a Primary Care Commission to focus on these tasks. It also calls for the development of a scholarship program linked to a minimum five-year obligation to local primary care practice, consideration of other incentives, and the expansion of several existing programs for residencies and student loan repayment, some of which have been developed or strengthened in recent years by legislation passed by the General Assembly, to retain primary care physicians.
For more information, contact:
Greg Pare, Director of Communications for the Senate
State House Room 112
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 276-5558
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