- One of the nation’s oldest and largest family medicine residencies with a total of 48 positions (16-16-16).
- Opportunities for residents to directly care for patients and develop procedural skills.
- 100% passage rate on board exams.
- A program structure that emphasizes individualized instruction.
- A large, highly skilled and dedicated faculty in the core disciplines, with assistance from local physicians.
- 583-bed DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa (the referral hospital for West Alabama), located across the street from the residency, minimizing resident travel.
- A state-of-the-art Family Medicine Center across the street from the hospital, certified as a Level 3 Patient-Centered Medical Home, as well as community clinics in nearby Northport and Demopolis, Alabama.
- Proven track record of quality graduates who have entered urban, rural and academic settings.
- 1 in 7 family physicians practicing in Alabama are graduates of the program.
- More than 50 residency graduates are members of the DCH Regional Medical Center physician staff.
- Program located on the main campus of The University of Alabama home of the Crimson Tide football team.
Our History
The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program traces its roots to the founding in 1972 of the UA College of Community Health Sciences. Established in response to a growing need for physicians—particularly in rural and underserved communities—the College was created with a mission of improving health through the education of future family medicine physicians, direct patient care and service. Under the leadership of founding Dean Dr. William R. Willard, a nationally recognized leader in community-based medical education and a pioneer of the family medicine specialty, the foundation was laid for what is today one of the nation’s longest-running family medicine residency programs.
The Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency welcomed its first resident in 1974, marking the beginning of more than five decades of excellence in graduate medical education. The program continued to grow alongside the College, benefiting from innovative clinical training opportunities, strong community partnerships and a commitment to preparing physicians to meet the evolving health care needs of patients and communities.
A series of milestones helped shape the program’s legacy. The opening of the College’s first outpatient clinic in 1975 established a home for clinical education and community care, while the recruitment of Dr. William deShazo as residency director in 1976 brought visionary leadership that expanded training opportunities and strengthened the program’s reputation. Throughout its history, the residency has remained closely connected to UA, the communities it serves and DCH Regional Medical Center.
The Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency continues to build on the vision established more than 50 years ago—preparing family physicians who are dedicated to comprehensive care, lifelong learning and service to their communities. While health care and medical education have evolved, the program’s commitment to training exceptional family physicians remains unchanged.
| Year | Historical Achievement |
|---|---|
| 1972 | The College of Community Health Sciences is founded at The University of Alabama in response to the country’s acute need for more physicians, particularly in small towns and rural communities. Dr. William R. Willard, a nationally recognized leader in community and family practice and credited with developing the specialty of family medicine, is hired as dean. |
| 1974 | The College launches the Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency and recruits its first resident. |
| 1975 | The College’s first outpatient clinic, a 30,000-square-foot, multi-specialty community practice, opens, forming the base of the College’s clinical teaching program. The opening of the Family Practice Center is attended by Lady Bird Johnson, wife of former President Lyndon B. Johnson. |
| 1976 | The first class of the University of Alabama School of Medicine students who completed their clinical education at the College (third and fourth years) graduate. |
| 1976 | Dr. William deShazo is recruited as the first long-term residency director. deShazo, head team physician for UA’s football team and personal physician to head football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, introduces a sports medicine rotation into the residency curriculum. |
| 1982 | College expands Family Practice Center and renames it Capstone Medical Center, adding more than 7,000 square feet of clinical space with new exam rooms, ob/gyn suite, minor surgery and procedures, and new waiting rooms. |
| 1993 | Number of patients at Capstone Medical Center grows to 13,800 and they make 70,000 office visits per year. |
| 1996 | College grows to 35 full-time faculty, 46 part-time faculty and 95 staff members, including the nursing staff at Capstone Medical Center. |
| 2001 | College creates the Institute for Rural Health Research to research health concerns of Alabama’s rural citizens. |
| 2002 | Introduction of electronic medical record at Capstone Medical Center. |
| 2004 | A new building housing the College, its residency and outpatient clinic opens. The outpatient clinic is renamed University Medical Center and soon is the largest, multi-specialty community clinic in West Alabama. |
| 2012 | The Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency is granted nine additional slots and becomes one of the largest family medicine residencies in the United States with a total of 48 slots (16-16-16). |
| 2015 | College opens a family medicine and obstetrics practice in Northport, Alabama. |
| 2017 | College opens a family medicine and prenatal care practice in Demopolis, Alabama. College grows to 379 employees, including 64 faculty, and its clinical enterprise records more than 145,000 patient visits. University Medical Center Family Medicine and Pediatric clinics certified as Patient-Centered Medical Home. |
| 2020 | The residency is renamed The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program. |
| 2025 | More than 600 physicians have graduated from The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program since its founding. |
Our Impact and Legacy
- 50+ years of training family physicians
- 605 graduates since 1974 (537 currently practicing)
- 1 in 8 Alabama family physicians trained at the Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency
- Alumni practicing in more than 30 states and Canada
- 47.1% practice in Alabama
- 20.7% practice in rural Alabama
- Alumni serve as faculty, program directors and health care leaders