Anthem gives UNLV medical school $2 million to train rheumatologists as Nevada faces a specialist shortage

What happened

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Nevada has given $2 million to UNLV to help train more rheumatologists, the Las Vegas Sun reported. University officials announced the gift Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, at a check presentation at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine.

The money creates the Anthem Fellowship Endowment, which the Sun described as a permanent funding source for specialty physician training at the medical school. Anthem has worked with the school for about two years to set it up, according to Joy Thomas, president and CEO of government business at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Nevada.

How the fellowship will work

One trainee every two years

The endowment will pay for two years of training for one trainee, who will work under experienced rheumatologists at the medical school. A new trainee will be chosen every two years. Officials said they hope the program will encourage more physicians to stay in Nevada.

What rheumatologists do

Rheumatologists diagnose and treat autoimmune and inflammatory conditions that affect bones, muscles, joints and internal organs, including rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Thomas said timely specialty care can help patients manage symptoms, prevent complications and keep their quality of life. She said symptoms can be serious enough to keep people from working, going to school or handling daily tasks.

Why it matters for Southern Nevada patients

A projected workforce gap

Nevada is projected to have only about 44% of the rheumatology workforce it needs to meet demand by 2037, the third-lowest share in the nation, according to a study in Arthritis Care & Research cited by the Sun. UNLV Health, the university's network of community clinics, handles about 250,000 patient visits a year across Southern Nevada and employs roughly 150 physicians.

UNLV Health CEO Joann Strobbe told the Sun, "It’s not enough." She said appointments with the network's rheumatologists can be booked six to eight weeks out, which makes timely care hard for patients.

Long waits, firsthand

Thomas, whose daughter sees a rheumatologist, said she is "familiar with how hard it is to get appointments in that specialty." Paul Joncich, a medical school spokesperson, said he waited months for his daughter to see one and attributed that to the shortage in Southern Nevada.

Keeping doctors in Nevada

UNLV President Chris Heavey said the region is "constantly playing catch-up to the needs of a fast-growing, thriving Southern Nevada community." He said medical school graduates often leave when they cannot find residency positions locally, and that gifts like this one can help keep that talent.

An Association of American Medical Colleges analysis covering 2014 through 2023 found roughly 60% of physicians practiced in the state where they did their residency, the Sun reported. But from 2021 through 2025, 42% of residency placements for Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine graduates were in Nevada, according to a report from Brookings Mountain West and the Lincy Institute.

Interim Dean Alison Netski said the school aims to build a pipeline that helps Nevada high school students enter medical school and finish their training in the state, but a shortage of residency positions makes that harder. "I wish I could say money is not always the biggest barrier, but sometimes it’s a huge barrier," she said. Thomas said Anthem wants the trained physicians to serve its Medicaid members and the wider community. For more local stories, see our community coverage.

What to watch next

• Selection of trainees for the Anthem Fellowship Endowment, with a new trainee chosen every two years.
• Whether the fellowship helps keep more physicians in Nevada, which UNLV officials said they hope it will.
• Progress toward the projected 2037 rheumatology workforce gap, with Nevada expected to have about 44% of the specialists it needs.