Outcomes of training pediatricians to serve the underserved: social pediatrics

The Residency Training Program in Social Pediatrics (RPSP) was established in 1970 as part of the Residency Training Program in Social Medicine administered by Montefiore Medical Center in the South Bronx of New York City in response to local need for physicians to practice in underserved populations in the inner-city setting. We report on an analysis of the first 25 years of the RPSP, based on periodic surveys of all program graduates and demographic data. We conclude that our Social Pediatrics training program has been clearly successful in meeting its stated goal of producing physicians who will make a lifetime commitment to the practice of medicine in underserved communities.