A UCLA Health dermatologist and student organizers urged the Westwood community to advocate for the creation of a new medical school in Los Angeles County on Nov. 10.

UCLA’s chapter of Reform LA Health, started by Dr. Reza Babapour, a UCLA dermatologist, held its first public health forum of the school year at the UCLA Career Center in Strathmore Building and invited lawmakers, pre-medical clubs and community members to engage in dialogue about protecting pre-med students’ abilities to become doctors.

Reform LA Health’s UCLA chapter is primarily composed of pre-medical students who joined because of concerns about medical school becoming increasingly unattainable and expensive.

Babapour and students said some of the LA-based medical industry’s most pressing issues include health care disparities and a growing physician shortage.

Francesca Tabancay, a second-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student, said during the event that volunteering in her community exposed her to the gaps in health care that older adults face. Many older patients depend entirely on MediCal to receive the care they need but also face long waits and transportation difficulties that discourage them from seeking health care in the first place, she added.

“The few programs that offered comfort and consistency are disappearing, leaving so many people, especially our seniors, without a place to turn to,” Tabancay said during the event. “These cuts don’t just take away funding. They take away dignity. They send a message that some lives matter less and some matter more, and that’s not who we are or who we should be.”

Brianca Higuera, a second-year neuroscience student, said during the event that physician demographics in LA fail to reflect the communities they serve, noting that while roughly half of LA County is Latino, only 6% of its practicing physicians are. A similar disparity is present where Black people make up 9% of the county but account for only 3% for its physicians, Higuera added.

[Related: Latinos in Surgery offers representation, mentorship to address discrepancy]

Higuera said that she worries that recent federal actions – including the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action and President Donald Trump’s attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives – would shrink the already low proportion of Latino and Black physicians in LA.

“In the land of opportunity, the opportunity for people of color to study medicine is unfortunately slipping away,” Higuera said during the event. “I ask everyone to please pay closer attention to our speaker today and consider Reform LA Health’s solution. I ask you this not just as a member of the Latin American community, but as someone who has fallen in love with the city we call home and hopes to make a difference.”

Shushanik Shakhbandaryan, a fourth-year psychobiology student, said during the event that the reconciliation bill passed in July – also known as the Big Beautiful Bill – caps the total amount students can borrow in federal loans. This makes it considerably harder for pre-medical students to finance their careers, Shakhbandaryan added.

“Many of us are being forced to go out of state, where the cost of attending a private medical school can reach nearly $400,000,” Shakhbandaryan said during the event. “With new federal loan caps limiting the total borrowing to $257,000, the dream is slipping out of reach, especially for students from low-income families.”

Babapour followed the student speakers with a presentation outlining statistics that displayed the health inequities affecting LA County, noting that 20% of LA physicians are above the age of 65, and the region does not produce enough new doctors, especially as many older physicians cut back on hours or retire.

He also cited research estimating that preventable hospitalizations for conditions such as diabetes, asthma and hypertension cost California more than $3.5 billion a year – roughly $900 million of which comes from LA County alone.

Babapour added during the event that these shortages disproportionately affect low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, where patients already experience longer wait times, reduced access to specialists and worsening health outcomes.

“These disparities are a strong example of the health care system failing to properly serve people who are the most medically and socially vulnerable,” Babapour said. “People shouldn’t become desensitized to these inequities. Instead, we should ring alarms that we need to fix our system.”

Babapour said during the event that he was disappointed by the lack of turnout from lawmakers.

Over email, Babapour added that he invited several LA County supervisors and state assemblypeople, most of whom did not respond to the invitation. He said Assemblymembers Tina McKinnor and Sade Elhawary sent interns who left shortly after the event began.

Reform LA Health student organizers said they plan to continue pushing for visibility and support across the county. Following the forum, student organizers distributed a Change.org petition that they said attendees could sign to show support for their movement.

Serena Sahota, a recent psychobiology alumnus, said while the presence of lawmakers would have helped the campaign gain momentum, they will continue to fight for visibility.

Annabelle Deng, the president of UCLA’s chapter of Reform LA Health, said the organization currently has around 350 of the 1,000 necessary signatures it needs to send the form to lawmakers. Deng, a second-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student, added that the organization is also recruiting new members.

“Everyone’s voice makes a big difference,” Deng said. “If they can check out our campaign and learn what it’s about, it’ll just take five minutes.”