A UCLA dermatologist called for urgent reforms to the Los Angeles health care system at a presentation April 23.

Dr. Reza Babapour, a dermatologist and clinical faculty member at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, spoke at the event, which was co-hosted by pre-health student organizations, including Community Medicine in LA, Iranian Medical Society, LA Health Volunteers and Bruins Public Health.

His presentation discussed existing health disparities in LA and called for the creation of a new independent medical school at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

Babapour began the event by highlighting the physician shortages across various medical specialties in LA County, including primary care, psychiatry and gynecology.

As a physician who has both practiced in Beverly Hills and volunteered in South LA, Babapour said he has provided care to two populations with contrasting economic circumstances.

“I take care of some of the elite and powerful, rich people,” Babapour said. “At the same time, I see some of the vulnerable, powerless individuals who happen to be representing underdeveloped, underserved, underprivileged and economically disadvantaged communities whose lives tragically is cut short. … That’s where I decided to do something about that – to bridge the gap and to bring the issue of health inequity in the front page.”

Babapour said he created an initiative called Reform LA Health to bring attention to these public health issues and propose solutions.

“The basis of health equity is lack of doctors,” Babapour said. “These communities have been left behind for many decades, and the reason for that, they never produced enough doctors as the population was growing.”

Audrey Wong, a third-year psychobiology student, said she first learned about Reform LA Health when Babapour reached out to CMLA – a UCLA student organization that volunteers with underserved communities to combat health inequities. Wong added that she saw the event as a good opportunity to introduce club members to Babapour’s campaign and build support for his cause.

Babapour also presented a timeline of the establishments of medical schools in LA County. While the University of Southern California and UCLA established their medical schools in 1885 and 1951, respectively – when the county’s population was still approximately under five million – it took nearly seven more decades for two additional medical schools to be founded, despite the population having doubled, he said.

Although Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, another LA County institution, established a new medical school in fall 2023, its incoming class size was 60 students, which is fewer than the 66 spots USC removed, Babapour said.

Wong, a pre-medical student, said she was interested in the statistics that Babapour presented highlighting how few physicians are trained annually in LA County compared to other regions – an imbalance she felt underscored the growing competitiveness of entering the medical field.

Lauren Dardashti, a third-year human biology and society student, said as a future applicant, she found it alarming that Keck School of Medicine of USC reduced its class size by over 60 people for the 2024-2025 academic year.

LA County, with four medical schools and a population of nearly 10 million people, produces 408 new doctors annually – equating to 4.08 doctors per 100,000 residents, Babapour said.

He added that one possible solution would be for Los Angeles to create an independent medical school that would encourage graduates to serve in areas within LA County with physician shortages. Babapour said he has created a petition with Reform LA Health to create this medical school, which has gathered over 1,600 signatures.

He added that he hopes to continue forming a coalition of students to support the demand for health care reforms in LA County.

Dardashti, who is also the communications coordinator for the Iranian Medical Society, said her club hopes to collaborate with other student organizations, such as those at USC and schools in the LA area, to put on similar events.

“These are all future doctors,” Babapour said. “It makes me so happy to see young physicians to come and have shown such enthusiasm to do this.”