COMET Co-Design Phase (2026)

After listening to stakeholders for the past 3 months, COMET is undertaking a phase focused on collective learning, shared leadership, and intentional growth.

From February–July 2026, the COMET Collaborative will engage in a 6-month co-design process to explore what COMET could become and whether there is sufficient shared commitment to move into a longer-term implementation phase. This work builds on the foundation of COMPADRE and reflects feedback from partners who expressed a desire to collaborate more deeply, include learners as co-designers, and align efforts across institutions.

Additionally, we warmly welcome new partners and new voices, including institutions and organizations that have not previously been involved in COMPADRE or COMET, but who are committed to physician workforce development in underserved communities in California and Oregon. 

We are especially eager to welcome new partners and new voices, to partner more broadly with like-minded people and expand our collective impact. If you are a GME program, community health center, or other organization invested in addressing physician workforce shortages in rural and underserved communities, we welcome you to join our collaborative. 

Our Approach: The Mothership + Pods Model

This phase uses a collaborative structure designed to support participation without overburdening partners:

• The Mothership: A small coordinating group that supports alignment, communication, and shared decision-making across the collaborative.

• Pods (Working Groups): Four topic-focused working groups that meet monthly and do the core co-design work.

2026 Pods

Each pod includes faculty, learners, and partners from across institutions and will discuss:

• Community & Connection – annual conferences, communities of practice, and relationship-building within the coalition 

• Education & Training Opportunities – rural and underserved rotations, specialty exposure, and learner support

• Mentorship & Pathways – student-to-resident-to-faculty mentorship and pathway development

• Scholarship & Visibility – collaborative projects, dissemination, and national presence

Pods are co-led by faculty and learners, modeling shared leadership and mentorship.

Goals of This Phase

By July 2026, each pod will:

• Identify priorities for the next 6, 12, and 24 months

• Assess feasibility and resource needs

• Propose concrete, actionable next steps

• Clarify what centralized support a collaborative structure could provide

At the conclusion of this phase, COMET partners will collectively decide whether there is enough momentum, capacity, and shared vision to move forward into implementation—or whether to pause and reassess.

This phase is intentionally exploratory and low-stakes, designed to ensure that any future growth is thoughtful, inclusive, and sustainable.