About LSP

Training the next generation of rural physicians

SIU School of Medicine launched the Lincoln Scholars Program in the summer of 2020, a new Doctor of Medicine track to amplify its mission to improve regional health in downstate Illinois. It is specifically designed to train the next generation of generalist, rural physicians.

Currently, our medical students attend one year in Carbondale, and the rest of the curriculum takes place in Springfield. This program is based entirely in Carbondale, with clinical placements in neighboring rural communities.

Clinical experiences begin in the first weeks of the program. The students work with an interdisciplinary team of medical professionals that includes a rural physician throughout their entire training. This allows for a unique longitudinal experience that is rare in medicine today.

The LSP’s collaborative approach to medical education is also novel. A class of eight Lincoln Scholars spend their first year learning and training alongside physician assistant students in Carbondale’s new SIU Medicine building.

Research has demonstrated a link between physicians’ connection to rural areas and their subsequent practice of rural medicine. For that reason, LSP students will be strategically chosen both for their academic potential and for their experience in, and dedication to, rural Illinois.

This connectedness is central to the mission of the Lincoln Scholars Program. Dr. James Daniels designed it to benefit both patients and our physicians-in-training.

“Students will start to form, not only close bonds between themselves and their patients, but also with the communities where they work. This, in many people’s view, is the most rewarding part of practicing medicine.”

LS Program Director Dr. Jennifer Rose says, “We’re allowing them to learn the challenges that are unique to rural medicine, to watch someone role-model handling and overcoming those challenges, and to feel comfortable and inspired to stay in those communities that they’re already drawn to.”

The Lincoln Scholars Program sponsors retreats focusing on self-care, group dynamics and community involvement to equip students with the skills they need to become good members and leaders in rural communities. The LSP leadership team is also exploring future partnerships with students and programs across the SIU System, including social work, psychology, pharmacy and law.