• MD Curriculum
• Medical Scientist Training Program/MSTP
• MD-MS Program
• MD-MPH Program
• PRIME-US Program

The MD Curriculum

The MD program consists of two integrated phases. During the first two “pre-clerkship” years, students take an essential core curriculum that consists of eight block courses organized around a range of themes and systems, each about eight weeks long. First-year courses include Prologue; Major Organ Systems; Metabolism and Nutrition; and Brain, Mind, and Behavior. In the second year, students take Infection, Inflammation, and Immunity; Cancer – Bench to Bedside; Life Cycle; and Epilogue.

Lectures, labs, and small group sessions account for about 20 hours a week, and they integrate subjects from the basic, social, and clinical sciences. All courses include supplementary resources on a Web-based system known as iROCKET. These resources encourage students to undertake independent and self-directed learning.

A longitudinal pre-clerkship course, “Foundations of Patient Care” offers students immediate exposure to the clinical setting. This course also allows students to explore issues of professional development, ethics, and doctor-patient interaction.

The third and fourth years offer significant in-patient and ambulatory clinical experiences. Required third-year core clerkships are divided into integrated blocks of eight weeks each: Family and Community Medicine and Surgical Subspecialties, Medicine, Neurology and Psychiatry, Ob/Gyn, Pediatrics, Surgery. Clerkships are available at a variety of different sites and regions in San Francisco and beyond.

In addition to the clerkships, students gain clinical experience through volunteer work at any number of UCSF-affiliated projects. There are four week-long breaks between some of the clerkship blocks. During these “intersessions,” third-year students return to the classroom to engage in discussions of ethics, evidence-based medicine, and health policy. Students also re-visit basic science topics during these periods to refresh their knowledge.

During the fourth year, as students begin to focus on the specialties that most capture their interest, they choose from a variety of electives, which may include research or international work in addition to advanced clinical rotations.

Visit UCSF's Medical School Curriculum site.

Contact:
UCSF School of Medicine
Office of Curricular Affairs, Room S221
San Francisco, CA 94143-0410

The Medical Scientist Training Program

A combined MD/Ph.D. program, the Medical Scientist Training Program prepares a small group of gifted students for careers as physician/scientists. With funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, our trainees receive full tuition support and a stipend while pursuing the superb training opportunities offered by both the School of Medicine and one of our renowned graduate programs. We admit 12 new students each year, drawing from a highly competitive, nationwide pool of applicants. Our students, working with world-class faculty mentors, have been extremely successful in competing for top-ranked residencies, fellowships, and careers in academic medicine and biomedical research.

Visit UCSF’s MSTP Curriculum

The MD/MS Joint Medical Program

The UC Berkeley-UC San Francisco Joint Medical Program (JMP) is a unique five-year medical education program dedicated to training physician-leaders in the human, sociocultural, and bioethical contexts of health and disease. The first three years of study take place on the UC Berkeley campus, a short distance away across the San Francisco Bay, blending an innovative preclinical medical curriculum with rigorous research training. Students may take their graduate work in a wide array of subject areas well represented on the UC Berkeley campus – selecting thesis topics in the historical, social, ethical, epidemiological, or policy aspects of human health and disease. JMP students then transfer to UCSF for their last two years of study in the clinical core, joining the traditional track UCSF medical students. The JMP combines graduate and medical curricula leading to both MD and MS degrees. For detailed information, visit the UCB-UCSF Joint Medical Program site.

Applicants to the UCB-UCSF Joint Medical Program must meet all of the requirements of the UCSF School of Medicine and should apply through the regular admissions process. Applicants who pass a preliminary review will be approved for a secondary application from UCSF that will provide information on application to the Joint Medical Program. Each year 12 highly qualified students are accepted on the basis of motivation, background, and aptitude for an in-depth research experience and suitability for case-based, problem-oriented small group learning. While prior research experience is not mandatory, most applicants have had experience in the development of an independent or creative project. We highly recommend that students have completed an introductory course in statistics.

Contact:
Student Affairs Office
University of California
Health and Medical Sciences
570 University Hall #1190
Berkeley, CA 94720-1190
(510) 642-5671
Email: jmp@berkeley.edu
Web Site: http://jmp.berkeley.edu/

The MD/MPH Program

The joint UCSF/UC Berkeley MD/MPH program allows UCSF medical students to earn a master’s degree in public health (MPH) at UC Berkeley during an additional year between the third and fourth medical school years or after completing the MD degree. There is no admissions process for this program at the time of initial application to medical school. Students who are interested in pursuing an MPH should contact program coordinator Paula Braveman, MD, M.P.H. to receive more information about the program and the application process.

Students who pursue both an MD and an MPH are typically interested in caring not only for individual patients but also in making a significant impact on public health. The program is designed for medical students who will go on to a clinical residency and clinical practice. Many graduates will have careers as full-time clinicians, while others will combine clinical work with research or involvement in designing or directing programs or policies at the community, state, national, or international levels. Many medical students pursue an MPH in epidemiology to prepare them for academic careers in which the tools of epidemiology give them a solid basis for conducting research in a range of clinical or public policy areas.

All MD/MPH students take introductory coursework in public health overall, in epidemiology, in health policy and management, and in social and behavioral sciences. MD/MPH students can select one of three concentration areas: (1) epidemiology; (2) health policy and management; or (3) the interdisciplinary program. The interdisciplinary program gives students a solid grounding in epidemiology and biostatistics, while providing flexibility to pursue electives in areas such as international health, maternal and child health, health economics, or health policy and management.

The program requires two semesters at UC Berkeley (equivalent to three quarters at UCSF); students are simultaneously enrolled on both campuses (but only pay registration and education fees to Berkeley). MD/MPH students qualify for financial aid (generally, loans) from UC Berkeley generally at the same levels as received at UCSF. MD/MPH students are strongly encouraged to maintain some ongoing clinical exposure (e.g., their longitudinal clinic, or as volunteers in the homeless clinic) while at Berkeley.

Contact:
Paula Braveman, MD, MPH
Department of Family and Community Medicine, MU-306E
San Francisco, CA 94143-0900
(415) 476-6839

MD with Thesis

Medical students who are interested in pursuing an in-depth research project may elect to write a thesis. Students may conduct thesis research in any of a wide variety of disciplines, including basic sciences, clinical investigation, social sciences, and ethics.

The distinction of MD with Thesis is awarded at graduation to those students who, in addition to fulfilling all of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Medicine, have completed a research project and have written a thesis approved by the governing committee of the MD with Thesis Program.

You do not need to decide whether you wish to pursue a thesis project until you are enrolled at UCSF. To learn more, please visit UCSF's Student Research website.

Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US)

UCSF is proud to announce our new Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US). This program is a special 5 year track for medical students interested in working with urban underserved populations. In 2008, PRIME-US will accept 8 new students from the entering class at UCSF and 4 new students from the entering class at the Joint Medical Program (JMP) at UC Berkeley. The goals of the PRIME-US program are to:

• Attract medical students from diverse backgrounds who have a strong interest in caring for the urban underserved in the United States.
• Provide a medical education experience for these students to equip and support them to become leaders in the care of urban underserved communities.
• Enable these students to serve as a catalyst for others at UCSF and the JMP to appreciate the rewards and challenges of caring for the urban underserved.
• Increase the number of UCSF medical school graduates who choose to pursue careers devoted to improving the health care and health of the urban underserved through leadership roles as community-engaged clinicians, educators, researchers, and social policy advocates.

PRIME-US offers interested medical students the unique opportunity to work directly with urban underserved populations at the individual as well as community level. The PRIME-US curriculum builds on the unique expertise of UCSF, UC Berkeley, and UCSF-Fresno faculty as researchers, educators, and policy leaders in the field of health care for urban underserved populations. Targeted activities include:

• Core Seminar Series - regularly scheduled afternoon seminars that include community-based experiences as well as interactive teaching sessions that explore the health and health care of urban underserved populations. Experts on homelessness, immigrant health, the prison system, health care disparities and more speak and share their work with PRIME-US students.
• Community Engagement Program - formal community oriented curriculum (as part of the core seminar series), longitudinal clinical experiences at community-based clinics, and community-based service learning opportunities and project activities.
• Clinical clerkships in underserved communities including San Francisco General Hospital and the Fresno campus of UCSF.
• A fifth year of study to pursue a master's degree.
• A formal mentorship program and academic guidance provided by dedicated staff, faculty, and community members to ensure personal, professional, and academic success.

Students interested in gaining knowledge and expertise in caring for the urban underserved are encouraged to apply for PRIME-US regardless of their eventual specialty choice. Applicants to PRIME-US program must meet all of the requirements of the UCSF School of Medicine and should apply through the regular UCSF admissions process. Applicants invited to interview at UCSF will be offered an opportunity to apply to PRIME-US. Click here for an application form.

Applications to PRIME-US are due within two weeks of the School of Medicine interview date.

Contact:
Email: PrimeUS@fcm.ucsf.edu
Web Site: http://www.medschool.ucsf.edu/prime/