Nov. 5, 2019 — SPRINGFIELD, IL - The Association of American Medical Colleges expects a potential shortage of 40,000–100,000 physicians by the year 2030. A proactive preparatory program in Springfield aims to combat that trend by boosting interest in medicine for high school students. Fourteen ninth-graders have been selected for the program, designed to encourage local high school students interested in becoming physicians. The Physician Pipeline Preparatory Program, or P 4 , is a partnership among Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield Public Schools (SPS) and the