The Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation supports expansion of primary care residencies in Arizona

3/3/2025

The Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation recently made a vital investment in Banner Health’s Graduate Medical Education program operated in partnership with the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. This funding will increase the number of primary care residency positions available throughout Arizona, particularly in rural settings where the current and projected need for more primary care physicians is significant.

This funding will enhance Banner Health’s planned primary care expansion which will add 144 new residency slots in family and internal medicine over the next three years Banner Desert Internal and Family Medicine (Mesa, AZ), Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center Internal Medicine (Sun City, AZ) and Payson Family Medicine (Payson, AZ). Additionally, funding will support urban and rural rotations for residents in diverse locations and novel retention concepts with personnel infrastructure, technology and community connections.

The largest in Arizona, Banner’s Graduate Medical Education program has a proven track record of producing highly skilled and compassionate health care providers who are dedicated to serving their communities. More than 50% of our graduates remain in Arizona to practice medicine.

“Guided by our deep commitment to giving back and improving the well-being of lives across Arizona, The Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation is proud to support Banner Health in its vital work to expand access to quality care. By strengthening the pipeline of primary care practitioners, this investment helps ensure that more Arizonans—now and in the future—have the healthcare resources they need to thrive,” says Tom Egan, Executive Director of The Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation.

“We are grateful to The Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation for recognizing the value of primary care physicians in Arizona,” says Cheryl W. O’Malley, MD, MACP, FHM, Associate Dean of Graduate Medical Education for the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. “This investment will allow Banner Health to innovate new methods for both optimal learning and residency retention, which will ultimately strengthen health care systems across Arizona and support the ability of primary care providers to deliver high-quality, compassionate care.”

Projections show that by 2030, Arizona will need more than 3,600 physicians to adequately meet the health care needs of communities across the state. To address this need, Banner and the UA College of Medicine – Phoenix announced in 2024 a planned expansion of the Graduate Medical Education program through 2030.

“As an academic medical center, Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix is delighted to expand our Graduate Medical Education programs, including primary care,” explains Dan Post, Chief Executive Officer for Banner – University Medicine Division Phoenix. “We are training the future generation of primary care physicians and are grateful to the Halle Foundation for their support of this expansion. The investments in these training programs will provide decades of benefit to our community.”

Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix, formerly Banner Good Samaritan, has supported the advanced training of physicians through residency and fellowship programs for more than 60 years. The UA College of Medicine – Phoenix serves as the academic sponsor of Banner’s Phoenix-based Graduate Medical Education program, which provides clinical training and resources for more than 340 residents and fellows across 29 accredited specialty programs.