By Grace Jacobson / Public Affairs Programming Producer

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — “The time is absolutely right for us,” Christopher Fallert, MD, says about the University of Minnesota Medical School’s CentraCare – St. Cloud campus, the first expansion of the U’s medical school in more than 50 years.

Dr. Fallert serves as the Regional Campus Dean for the school, which opened its doors in 2025 with the mission to train physicians who will live and practice in rural areas.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, there are three doctors for every 1,000 patients in rural areas. In the most rural of communities, Dr. Fallert says the average age of a physician is 60 with many who are likely to retire in the next five years or so.

By that five-year mark, the St. Cloud campus will have graduated its first class of medical students, most with rural backgrounds themselves.

“They understand what rural life is like and we know that makes for a natural fit,” says Dr. Fallert, adding that a rural background is the strongest predictor of physicians serving rural areas.

Sierra Bermudez is one of the 24 students part of the medical school’s inaugural class. Originally from Becker, Minn., she graduated from St. Cloud State University with a bachelor’s in Biomedical Sciences and a Spanish minor. For her, becoming a physician wasn’t always in her plans.

“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” Bermudez admits. “The initial introduction to the medical field is probably 11th grade when I had my first child.”

Bermudez says it was her care team and hours spent at the clinic during her pregnancy that inspired her to take more biology classes at the end of high school, and it wasn’t until her second year of college at SCSU that she decided she wanted to mix her love and interest of science with her desire to work with people.

“I wanted to provide [to people] that kind of supportive care that my care team gave me when I was in need of it,” she says when deciding to become a physician.

Bermudez was one of 2,000 applicants at St. Cloud’s medical school, and it was the only medical school she applied to.

“It costs hundreds of dollars per school [application] and that is money that I did not have,” Bermudez laughs.

After the year-long application process, Bermudez received a call from Jill Amsberry, DO, the Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

She’d been accepted.

“When I heard her voice, I broke down,” Bermudez explains about receiving that acceptance call. “I don’t even think she got to tell me that I was accepted; I was crying. All my kids were in the house with me, and I’m pretty sure I scared them.”

As a student at St. Cloud’s medical school, Bermudez, along with her classmates, have a unique learning experience through the campus’ partnership with CentraCare, the region’s largest healthcare provider.

According to Dr. Fallert, that partnership allows students to get hands-on experience in rural settings, so by the time they graduate, they’re used to providing the type of care necessary to reach those communities.

For Bermudez, the type of care she plans to provide is pediatric, but she says that could still change within the next few years. One thing she’s confident won’t change, though, is her desire to serve the rural community.

The above quotes have been edited and condensed for clarity and readability. To hear the full conversation, listen below.

Untold Stories of Central Minnesota is made possible through support from the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

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