Phoenix Family Medicine Rural Track Program

Complete Your Residency in Rural Arizona

Explore the unique needs of rural and underserved communities through Creighton’s Family Medicine Rural Track Program in Arizona. Residents train in community-based settings across the state while building meaningful relationships with patients, faculty and clinical partners committed to rural healthcare.

Residency Overview

This track is part of the Family Medicine Residency, with an emphasis on rural and underserved healthcare. The Rural Track Program prepares compassionate, skilled family physicians to lead and serve in rural and underserved communities.

Residents receive full-spectrum family medicine training while developing community connections and gaining experience in rural clinics, hospitals and community settings. 

  • Full-spectrum family medicine experience with inpatient, outpatient, obstetrics, pediatrics and emergency care 
  • Rural longitudinal clinical experience across all three years of training
  • Broad procedural training and hands-on learning
  • Small program environment with mentorship and close faculty support
  • Tracks and electives tailored to resident interests
  • Training in rural clinics, hospitals and community settings with dedicated faculty and support
  • Leadership development focused on rural health and health equality
  • Stipends and travel support for rural rotations and conferences
  • Preparation for rural practice, including job search guidance and loan repayment resources 

Why the Rural Training Track?

Rural and underserved communities continue to face significant healthcare access challenges across Arizona and the Southwest. Creighton’s Rural Track Program prepares physicians to meet those needs through immersive clinical experiences, community partnerships and hands-on training in rural healthcare settings.

Through meaningful experiences in rural clinics, hospitals and community organizations, residents gain the skills, confidence and perspective needed to care for diverse patient populations while making a lasting impact in the communities they serve. 

An Innovative Curriculum

Residents in the Rural Track Program experience a longitudinal approach to training that reinforces learning through continuous exposure to rural and community-based care settings.

Rather than limiting experiences to isolated rotations, residents build long-term relationships with patients, faculty and communities while developing confidence across the full scope of family medicine practice. 

  • Strengthens continuity of care experiences and long-term patient relationships
  • Integrates inpatient, outpatient, obstetrics, pediatrics and emergency care training
  • Enhances hands-on procedural learning and clinical decision-making
  • Provides individualized electives and learning opportunities tailored to resident interests
  • Encourages leadership development and community engagement in rural healthcare
  • Supports the transition into rural practice through mentorship and career preparation

Health Centers

Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center – Globe, Arizona

Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center serves the Copper Corridor and southern Gila County in eastern Arizona. Residents gain experience in a community-centered healthcare environment that provides a broad spectrum of services, including emergency care, outpatient surgery, cardiology, oncology and orthopedics. Training in Globe offers exposure to the unique challenges and rewards of rural medicine while caring for patients across a wide range of clinical needs.

Mariposa Community Health Center – Nogales, Arizona

Mariposa Community Health Center is one of the largest and most comprehensive healthcare providers in southeastern Arizona, serving communities throughout Santa Cruz County. Residents work within an integrated care model that includes adult medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, behavioral health, dentistry, and community outreach programs. The experience provides valuable insight into culturally responsive, community-focused healthcare in an underserved border region.

Meet the Program Director

The Family Medicine Residency Program is led by Marie Oberst. Dr. Oberst has been practicing Family Medicine for over 10 years, with a special interest in hospital medicine. Dr. Oberst attended Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine and graduated in 2014. She did her residency with our very own program at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. She is passionate about advocating for our underserved patient populations.

Marie E. Oberst, DO
Dr. Rogelio Samorano

Mariposa Community Health Center Associate Program Director

Dr. Rogelio Samorano is a Family Medicine and Psychiatry physician with 17 years of experience caring for patients. Dr. Samorano earned his medical degree from Stanford University and completed a dual Family Medicine and Psychiatry residency at UC San Diego, where he served as Chief Resident. His dual specialty training allows him to provide comprehensive primary care while also addressing mental health needs. In early 2026, Dr. Samorano joined Mariposa Community Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center in the border town of Nogales, AZ, as Associate Program Director for the Family Medicine Rural Track Program, excited to teach the next generation of family physicians to serve the medically underserved rural community of Santa Cruz County.

Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center Associate Program Director

Dr. Mark Hughes is joining Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center as the Associate Program Director of the rural track Family Medicine Residency Program in association with Creighton University School of Medicine.  He is a board-certified family physician with over 20 years of practice experience, including 15 years of private practice in rural Central Oregon.  Dr. Hughes attended medical school at A.T. Still University in Kirksville, Missouri, before completing his family medicine residency at Sun Coast Hospital in Largo, Florida, an affiliate of Nova Southeastern University.  After residency, he served as the Associate Program Director at Sun Coast Hospital before relocating to Oregon.   

Dr. Hughes has a passion for education, not just by teaching the next generation of healthcare professionals but also equipping patients with the tools to understand and manage their own health and wellness.

Dr. Hughes and his wife, Thuy, have spent their time outside of work bird watching, working out at the local Globe Gym, and taking their two mini-dachshunds for walks.  On occasion, Dr. Hughes also enjoys caddying for their son, Lucas, an amateur golfer.

Dr. Mark Hughes

Contact Us

Jessica Mannix, MBA | HCM

Rural Track Program Manager 

Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance
3100 N. Central Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85012

Close Sidebar