Kate Kelley wanted a career in health care, but had never planned on becoming a doctor.

While earning her master’s degree in public health at George Washington University, Kelley worked as a research associate at the Institute of Medicine in Washington, D.C. Her role—which included grant writing and conducting long-term studies—kept her mostly in the office and didn’t allow much interaction in her neighborhood. Her passion for service-based public health led her to consider medical school.

That’s when Kelley discovered the NEOMED-CSU Partnership for Urban Health in her hometown.

“I wasn’t a person who was traditionally interested in science or excelled in science,” said Kelley. “But I wanted to work with people. I wanted to find a way to help the community.”

Northeast Ohio Medical University and Cleveland State University created the Partnership in 2012 to address the shortage of primary care physicians in many of Cleveland’s metropolitan neighborhoods. The program offers two distinct pathways to medical school that provide a reserved seat in NEOMED’s College of Medicine and a diverse curriculum that connects students to the medically underserved communities where they will one day work as physicians.

Read more on CSU’s ENGAGED blog.