Local doctor named Regional lead of new medical program at U of L

Dec 3, 2024 | 10:26 AM

A Lethbridge doctor has been named as the Regional Lead for the Southern Alberta Medical Program (SAMP), the new undergraduate medical training program at the University of Lethbridge.

Dr. Richard M. Buck has been appointed to the role as it prepares for its first cohort of undergraduate medical students to arrive.

Buck practices in Lethbridge within the Emergency Department of Chinook Regional Hospital, and is also an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Calgary and University of Alberta.

In his new role, Buck will be responsible for providing leadership to develop SAMP, which will support medical education in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Indigenous and rural communities throughout southern Alberta.

Buck says, “It’s exciting and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s also a little bit intimidating because this is such a big project and it’s going to be challenging, but the chance to grow our own talent here is massive. I worked an ER shift recently and to see so many people who have difficulty getting access to a family doctor — it’ll be wonderful to be part of this project.”

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SAMP aims to increase the training of rural physicians immediately with undergraduate medical students beginning at the University of Lethbridge in 18 months. The goal of the program is to improve the availability of physicians in rural areas.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now.

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by Christian Oldale