UCSF Molecular Medicine Program
Overview
The Molecular Medicine Training Program (MMTP) offers post-residency research training positions for physicians in the fields of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Dermatology, Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, who are committed to a career in basic or translational biomedical research. Our goal is to provide advanced training in the experimental study of the molecular and cellular basis of disease. This is done through individual laboratory research, lectures, seminars and journal clubs. In addition, through an individual advisory/mentoring system, the program provides guidance and advice about the practicalities of pursuing a career at the interface of science and medicine.
The Program
The MMTP offers the following to those admitted to its membership:
1. Guaranteed admission to the UCSF subspecialty fellowship of the applicant’s choice (contingent upon satisfactory completion of the internship). This applies even to those fellows who do not know which field they plan to enter at the commencement of the residency.
2. The ability to short-track into that subspecialty fellowship; and
3. Support for two years of laboratory research as a fellow, secured via preferential access to departmental and divisional training grant funds.
In addition, each fellow is assigned an Advisor whose research interests are matched to those of the fellow. The advisor’s role is to help the fellow select a research mentor, advise about important career decisions (job searches, extramural funding, etc) and offer assistance with navigating the complexities of a career in both science and medicine. The Program also sponsors a weekly conference on disease-related science for members still in clinical residency or fellowship. This series includes research presentations by UCSF physician-scientists in both basic and clinical departments, as well as a journal club highlighting recent published advances in disease-related science.
Coursework
UCSF has two world-class graduate (PhD) programs in the life sciences (the Programs in Biological Sciences (PIBS) and Biomedical Sciences (BMS), each of which offers advanced coursework in basic and applied biology. A full listing of the available courses can be found in their web sites (PIBS can be found at http://www.ucsf.edu/pibs and BMS at http://www.ucsf.edu/bms/). MMTP fellows who wish to do so may audit any of these courses as a way to deepen their exposure to areas in which they may seek to work.
Faculty
The MMTP is overseen by a Council of 12 physician-scientists, chosen for their interest in the study of disease and the training of physician-scientists. The Council members include:
Don Ganem, MD, Howard Hughes MedicalInstitute Investigator, Professor and Vice-Chairman, Microbiology, Director, Molecular Medicine Training Program
Abul Abbas, MD, Professor and Chairman, Pathology
Jody Baron, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Medicine
Shaun Coughlin, MD, PhD Director, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Professor, Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology
Michelle Hermiston, MD, PhD, Assistant Adjunct Professor, Pediatrics
Pui-Yan Kwok, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Dermatology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Investigator
Clifford Lowell, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair, Laboratory Medicine
Robert Nussbaum, MD, Professor, Medicine; Director, Medical Genetics
Neil Shah, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Medicine
Kevin Shannon, MD, Professor and Vice-Chair, Pediatrics; Director, MSTP
Scott Oakes, MD, Assistant Professor, Pathology
Arthur Weiss, MD, PhD, Howard Hughes Medical Investigator, Professor and Chief, Rheumatology
However, MMTP fellows may chose to do their research in any laboratory affiliated with the PIBS or BMS graduate programs—in practice, this represents over 200 active laboratory scientists encompassing the following fields: biochemistry and molecular biology, genetics, cell biology, developmental biology, neuroscience, immunology, microbiology, vascular biology, signal transduction, tissue and organ biology, structural biology and bioinformatics. See the following URLs for individual faculty biographies.
PIBS at http://www.ucsf.edu/
BMS at http://www.ucsf.edu/bms/
Gladstone Institutes at http://www.gladstone.ucsf.edu/gladstone/site/gweb1/
Gallo Clinic and Research Center at http://www.egcrc.org/
Application for Admission
Applicants generally apply to the MMTP during their final year of medical school, in conjunction with their application for residency training in either Medicine, Pediatrics or Pathology (no additiional application form is necessary for Molecular Medicine). Applications of those who indicate an interest in MMTP will be considered in parallel by two separate panels – the conventional (departmental) Internship Selection Committee, and the (inter-departmental) Molecular Medicine Admissions Committee. The latter is composed solely of physician –scientists and will focus primarily on the applicant’s research training and goals. Each committee will arrange interviews to be held in concert on selected dates. At the end of the process, the committees convene together to make their final selection. No candidate can be admitted to Molecular Medicine without also securing admission to the appropriate residency program; however, acceptance by a UCSF internship program does not guarantee acceptance by the Molecular Medicine Training Program. Fourteen slots are currently available for Molecular Medicine internship/fellowships. There is not a separate matching program for Molecular Medicine.
