Five years ago, the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) and Renown Health took a significant step toward reshaping healthcare in Northern Nevada through a historic 50-year affiliation agreement. Together, they established Nevada's first and only integrated academic health system, advancing medical education, patient care, research and service to the community while creating stronger pathways for training the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Academic health systems are considered the gold standard in medical education and clinical research. By integrating education, research and patient care, these systems strengthen communities by training future healthcare providers, advancing evidence-based treatment, and expanding access to high-quality care through a skilled local workforce.
Today, that vision is becoming a reality across Northern Nevada. In Renown's academic clinical learning environment, students in UNR Med's Doctor of Medicine program, Physician Assistant Studies program and Speech Pathology and Audiology programs gain hands-on clinical experience across a wide range of specialties and care settings. Working directly with patients and learning from experienced clinicians, they develop the skills, confidence and professional connections needed to succeed in healthcare careers.
These experiences not only enrich their education but also deepen their ties to the region, supporting the growth of Nevada's future healthcare workforce. By training locally, many students build lasting connections to the communities they serve and choose to remain in Nevada after graduation.
Preparing the next generation of providers
For fourth-year medical student Maddi Nilson, one of the most meaningful aspects of her clinical training was the culture of teaching, collaboration and teamwork she experienced firsthand.
"One of the things I'll remember most from my time at Renown isn't a specific diagnosis or procedure," Nilson said. "It's how often people paused to teach me or hear me out. I never felt like 'just the medical student.'"
She remembers being encouraged to ask questions, contribute ideas and participate as a valued member of the care team.
"I learned that the best teams make space for everyone's perspective," she said. "That's something I hope to carry with me throughout residency and beyond."
Experiences like that not only prepare future healthcare professionals for practice but also reinforce the team-based approach that is essential to delivering high-quality care.
Building the entire care team
While medical education remains a cornerstone of the affiliation, addressing Nevada's healthcare workforce needs requires a broad range of providers. Modern care depends on collaboration that includes physician assistants, speech-language pathologists, audiologists and other health professionals working together to deliver coordinated care.
Through clinical rotations and hands-on learning experiences at Renown, students train alongside practicing clinicians in hospitals, clinics and specialty care settings.
For both medical and PA students at UNR Med, these experiences are particularly valuable, providing opportunities to build clinical skills, explore specialties and learn the realities of team-based patient care.
Demand for PAs has grown significantly as health systems seek ways to expand access to care and meet workforce shortages. In Nevada, population growth, shifting demographics, rising rates of chronic disease and ongoing physician shortages have increased the need for PAs across primary care, emergency medicine, hospital medicine, surgery, behavioral health, orthopedics, women's health and other specialties.
"Our mission is to educate highly skilled, adaptable PAs who are prepared to serve where they are needed most," said Brian Lauf, DMSc, PA-C, founding chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies at UNR Med.
That mission is already making an impact. Ranked No. 21 in the country by U.S. News & World Report in 2025, UNR Med’s Physician Assistant Studies program has become a key contributor to Nevada's healthcare workforce.
Today, 84% of UNR Med PA graduates remain in Nevada, and, as of 2025, one in five PAs employed at Renown graduated from the program.
Lauf said the program's success is measured not only by the number of graduates it produces, but by its ability to improve access to care and strengthen communities across the state.
Because PAs are educated as medical generalists, they can practice, under physician supervision, in nearly every specialty and adapt as healthcare needs evolve. That flexibility is especially valuable in Nevada, where PAs help expand access to care, reduce wait times and strengthen collaborative care teams in communities across the state.
Lauren Marcus, PA-C, is one example of that impact in action. A class of 2025 graduate of the program who now practices at Renown, Marcus said her clinical rotations helped shape both her skills and her commitment to serving Northern Nevada.
“My rotations at Renown gave me invaluable hands-on training, introduced me to incredible mentors and ultimately confirmed that I wanted to pursue a career in women’s health,” Marcus said. “Staying in Northern Nevada allows me to care for the people who helped make my journey possible. Now, having the opportunity to work with PA students on rotation is a full-circle experience that reminds me how important it is to train healthcare professionals locally and invest in the future of our community.”
Similarly, speech pathology and audiology students gain valuable clinical experience evaluating and treating patients with communication, swallowing, hearing and balance disorders, helping improve quality of life for individuals across the lifespan.
This fall, UNR Med is partnering with Renown to expand clinical rotation opportunities for graduate students in speech-language pathology. The new placements will provide students with earlier exposure to complex medical environments, allowing them to begin developing the specialized skills needed to care for patients in acute and rehabilitative settings.
The expansion comes at a critical time for Nevada's workforce. The state ranks last in the nation per capita for speech-language pathologists, while demand for these professionals is projected to grow by 15% between 2024 and 2034.
Through partnerships like this affiliation, UNR Med's nationally recognized Master of Speech-Language Pathology program is helping address this need by preparing more Nevada-trained clinicians for careers in medical settings. The program has a strong track record of retaining talent in the state, with 63% of graduates from the class of 2026 accepting positions in Nevada after graduation.
"This affiliation reflects what is possible when academic and healthcare partners work together toward a shared goal," said Mark Guiberson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, chair of the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology. "By expanding access to high-quality clinical training experiences, we are strengthening the pipeline of speech-language pathologists and helping ensure Nevada communities have greater access to the specialized care they need."
Learning through collaboration
At its core, the UNR Med and Renown affiliation is built on meaningful relationships between learners, educators and practicing clinicians. Those connections create opportunities for mentorship, professional growth and discovery on both sides of the teaching relationship. The result is an environment in which everyone is learning, teaching and advancing healthcare together.
"Students are finding role models to help them through the most intense learning in their lives," said Timothy Grunert, '19 M.D., '23R, MPH, assistant professor of family medicine. "Clinicians have been unearthing interests in research or community health they didn't even know they had. All the while, these pairings are advancing UNR Med, advancing Renown and advancing healthcare in general."
That collaborative environment has helped shape learners like Doug Collins, a fourth-year medical student who has experienced the breadth of opportunities available through the partnership.
"From being able to work with so many amazing providers in almost every specialty, I feel more than equipped to provide top-notch care," he said.
For Collins, the experience provided more than clinical training. It also offered a glimpse into the role academic health systems play in strengthening communities and developing future healthcare professionals.
"Training at Renown showed me what it means to be both a community and academically affiliated program," Collins said. "It makes me want to help train the next generation and continue helping the community develop excellent providers."
That sense of purpose resonates with fellow fourth-year medical student Katrina Kozak, whose experience at Renown reinforced the importance of expanding access to care across Nevada.
"As someone who grew up in Nevada, it has been especially meaningful to train alongside physicians who are deeply invested in improving care for our state's communities," Kozak said. "The partnership between Renown Health and UNR Med has demonstrated how an integrated academic health system can expand specialty services, increase research opportunities, and develop and retain physicians who understand the unique health challenges facing Nevadans."
Investing in Nevada's future
The momentum behind the affiliation continues to build. With increased investment in graduate medical education and expanded opportunities for learners, the UNR Med and Renown are helping strengthen Nevada's healthcare workforce for generations to come.
Students learn here. Residents and fellows train here. Future physician assistants, speech-language pathologists and audiologists gain clinical experience here.
More importantly, many choose to build their careers here, helping expand access to care and meet the evolving health needs of communities across the state. That investment in people may ultimately be one of the affiliation's most lasting contributions to the future of healthcare and, by extension, quality of life in Nevada.
