Guizhou in Southwest China is known for its beautiful karst formation settled by 17 minority ethnic communities who have experienced slow economic and social development.  Rural health services in the province lags far behind the national average in health indicators, access and utilization of services, and the number and credentials of rural health workers. This two-year project by Guiyang Medical College (GMC) will demonstrate a model of training of Guiyang's rural health workforce. Six months of full-time classroom training followed by 12 months of practicum in clinical and preventative medicine will be provided to 250 rural doctors from five underdeveloped prefectures: Bijie, Qiannan, Qianxinan, Qiandongnan, and Liupanshui. In addition to training, Guiyang has agreed to host the next meeting of the network which, following the Ningxia workshop in October 2008, will bring CMB-supported universities to share findings.