Interprofessional field trip illustrates history, health policy in California’s Central Valley

Jann Murray-Garcia
Jann Murray-García led the Interprofessional Road Trip experience through the Central Valley.

Graduate students in medicine and nursing, local community members, and faculty and staff from the UC Davis School of Medicine, the UC Davis Master of Public Health Program and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis took a road trip down Highway 99 to learn about the history and people of California’s Central Valley.

Nearly 50 people boarded a bus, which served as a classroom on wheels, for the overnight tour. Stops in Stockton, Modesto, Merced, Chowchilla, Bakersfield, McFarland and Delano exposed participants to the beauty, histories, strengths, and challenges of this diverse region and its people.

roud trip group
Nearly 50 students, faculty and staff from throughout UC Davis Health participated in the road trip.

Central Valley historian and documentary filmmaker David Hosley shared his extensive knowledge throughout the tour. Organizer Jann Murray-García, an assistant clinical professor at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, organized this interprofessional experience to educate present and future health care providers and their professors about the populations served by UC Davis Health.

The road trip was funded by a $5,000 Diversity and Inclusion Innovation grant from the UC Davis Division of Student Affairs, as well as $2,000 in support from School of Nursing Founding Dean Heather M. Young’s Dignity Health Dean’s Chair for Nursing Leadership funds.