Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Expanding GME and Building a Sustainable Physician Workforce at Sutter Health with Leon Clark
Feb 26, 2026
Leon Clark, Chief Academic Affairs Officer at Sutter Health, leads graduate medical education and workforce strategy. He discusses scaling GME through phased growth. He highlights academic partnerships to diversify pipelines. He describes training toward a 2030 goal of 1,000 residents and embedding team-based, technology-enabled care.
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GME Expansion As Long Term Workforce Strategy
- GME growth is central to Sutter Health's strategy for building a sustainable physician workforce.
- Leon Clark explains expansion focuses on training and retaining physicians because doctors are likelier to practice where they train, not just hiring to fill vacancies.
Scale GME With Phases And Shared Services
- Scale GME deliberately using phased expansion and system-level shared services.
- Clark advises balancing strategic priorities and operational readiness with shared accreditation, faculty development and local ownership for day-to-day operations.
Partnerships Multiply Training Capacity
- Academic partnerships act as force multipliers to expand and diversify training capacity.
- Clark highlights partners like Charles R. Drew University bring complementary expertise and access to a diverse California talent pipeline.