Program Leadership

Program Director

Former Program Directors & Co-Founders 

Patrick Dowling, MD, MPH
Co-Founder 

Dr. Patrick Dowling is Professor Emeritus of Family Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he served as the inaugural permanent Chair of the Department of Family Medicine from 1998 until his retirement in 2021. He co-founded the UCLA IMG program and co-led until his retirement! A graduate of the Medical College of Ohio and the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Dr. Dowling completed his residency training in Family Medicine at Cook County Hospital in Chicago and is board certified in Family Medicine, Preventive Medicine, and Public Health. Before joining UCLA, Dr. Dowling led Family Medicine Residency programs at Cook County Hospital, Brown University, and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Over the course of his distinguished career, he served on the National Advisory Council of the National Health Service Corps, as a Commissioner of Public Health for Los Angeles County, and on the Board of the Drew University of Medicine and Science. Dr. Dowling dedicated his career to linking graduate medical education with underserved communities, striving to improve access to care and reduce health disparities. His commitment to healthcare as a human right was deeply shaped by his work as Medical Director of the United Farm Workers of America Clinics under Cesar Chavez in California’s Coachella and Imperial Valleys during the 1970s.

Michelle Bholat, MD, MPH
Co-Founder 

Dr. Michelle Bholat is a former UCLA Professor (1997-2024) and Vice Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA where she co-led the IMG program before transitioning to UC Riverside. Though no longer with the UCLA Department of Family Medicine, Dr. Bholat’s impact with the IMG program remains.