VIDEO: The future of health education in North Dakota

UND President Armacost talks with Dean Marjorie Jenkins about UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences initiatives for 2026 and beyond

UND President Andy Armacost recently sat down with Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, vice president for Health Affairs and dean of the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences, to reflect on her first year at the University of North Dakota and to discuss several major initiatives shaping the future of health education in the state.

Jenkins describes her first year at UND as both energizing and rewarding, emphasizing the warmth and strong sense of community she has experienced across campus and throughout North Dakota. Through extensive travel to rural communities and critical access health centers, she has seen firsthand the pride that alumni, lawmakers and community leaders take in UND’s School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Those conversations, she says, have reinforced the school’s mission to serve the health needs of North Dakotans statewide.

A key focus of the discussion is ND 85, an initiative that emerged from the most recent legislative session. ND 85 aims to increase the percentage of North Dakota students in UND’s medical (MD) and physician assistant (PA) programs to 85 percent. Jenkins explained that while the programs receive many hundreds of applications each year, only a small percentage come from North Dakota residents. ND 85 is designed to change that by creating clearer pathways for students across the state to pursue careers as physicians, physician assistants and in other health professions.

Armacost and Jenkins also discuss the importance of connecting recruitment efforts to long-term workforce needs. Research shows that students from rural areas are more likely to return home to practice, making early outreach essential. Jenkins emphasizes the importance of engaging students not only in high school, but even earlier, to build confidence and awareness of health care career opportunities.

Complementing ND 85 is the Primary Care Accelerated Track (PCAT), a three-year medical school pathway that will launch in 2028. The program will guide students into family medicine and internal medicine residencies in North Dakota, followed by a commitment to serve in health care provider shortage areas across the state.

Jenkins highlights the role of faculty, staff, students and alumni in spreading the word about these initiatives. From statewide outreach efforts to student-led admissions calls, she notes that UND’s people are its greatest strength. As she concludes, meeting the goals of ND 85 will take a collective effort — one she believes the UND community is well prepared to achieve.