Mentorship and Advising

Building Your Mentorship Matrix for Residency and Beyond

At UCSF, mentorship is a cornerstone of how we support residents as they grow into the physicians, researchers, educators, advocates, and leaders they aim to become. No single mentor can meet all of your needs, so we help you build your Mentorship Matrix: a personalized network of mentors and advisors who guide you throughout residency. Our model combines assigned mentors (people in your corner from Day One) with organic relationships that evolve as you develop your interests. Residency is a transformational time, and our goal is to help you build a group of trusted mentors that grows along with you.


Your Mentorship Matrix: A tailored network of mentors who will guide and support you through your time in the program

Who's in Your Mentorship Matrix?

Head of House
Faculty leader of your residency house and go-to person in residency leadership.

RAD (Resident Advising & Development) Advisor
Faculty mentor assigned from Day One to support your transition, reflection, and growth.

Program Directors
Drs. Berman, Addington-White (SFPC), and Laponis (UCPC) are available for career and personal guidance.

Big Sib
A near-peer mentor (R2/R3) who offers support and practical advice for residency life.

Clinical Mentors
Faculty who guide your development on the wards and in clinic.

Research & Project Mentors
Collaborators who support your work in research, education, QI, advocacy, policy, or other areas of interest.

Pathway Directors
Longitudinal faculty mentors through UCSF's GME Pathways.

Community Groups
Communities such as the CORE-Residency group and WILD (Women in Leadership Development) that offer mentorship, solidarity, and connection.

Charting Your Path Beyond Residency

Career advising at UCSF is structured and personalized, supporting residents across the full spectrum of internal medicine careers, whether in subspecialty fellowship, primary care, hospital medicine, or other leadership roles.

• Step-by-step guidance through fellowship and job applications
• Dedicated fellowship advisors from each subspecialty
• Personalized support for CVs, personal statements, and cover letters
• Mock interviews with tailored faculty feedback

The Mentorship & Advising Portal (MAP)

The MAP is a brief online reflection tool that residents complete annually to clarify goals, identify career interests, and shape meaningful mentoring conversations. It guides discussions with your head of House and other mentors, evolving alongside your training and career development.

• Clarifies evolving career interests
• Prepares you for mentor check-ins
• Tracks progress over time

Residency Skills Coaching Program 
Coaching is a powerful tool for growth across nearly every field, from sports to business to medicine, and our program has worked to bring that same philosophy to residency training. Any resident can self-refer for coaching to work on specific, personally meaningful goals, whether that's refining a clinical skill, building confidence in a particular setting, or simply gaining an outside perspective from a trusted mentor.

Coaches are experienced educators who volunteer their time to meet with residents regularly, offering a dedicated space to focus purely on growth.

• Open to any resident, at any time
• Individualized, time-limited, and goal-driven
• Coaches are drawn from our Department of Medicine community of skilled educators
  
   

What sets UCSF apart, above all else, is its people. The mentors, colleagues, and friends you find during residency become permanent fixtures in your Mentorship Matrix, long after your training ends. We're thrilled you've taken the time to get to know our community, and we can't wait to meet you on your interview day!