UCLA-Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program

University Of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The mission of the University of California Los Angeles-California Institute of Technology Medical Scientist Training Program (UCLA-Caltech MSTP) is to recruit and train an accomplished pool of dedicated physician-scientists advancing scientific and clinical discovery and driving technological innovations to the benefit of human health and disease outcomes. The program proposes to (1) recruit gifted students with a passion for scientific knowledge and unwavering commitment to research, medicine, service, and leadership; (2) provide a safe and supportive training environment where trainees flourish academically and scientifically in their area of research interest; and (3) provide strong individualized mentorship to support the personal and professional development of all trainees. These goals will be accomplished within a program framework of strong faculty and peer mentorship, didactic and experiential learning, and professional development integrated with medical training in the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and doctoral research in graduate programs at UCLA and Caltech. Trainees will be inculcated with the skills and attitudes needed to pursue meaningful and impactful research in a safe, ethically responsible, rigorous, and collaborative manner. Structured faculty and peer mentorship and programming including the MSTP Tutorial, MSTP Annual Research Conference, Physician-Scientist Grand Rounds, Clinical Practicum during Research, Longitudinal Clinical Preceptorship, and further program-sponsored and student-led activities have been designed to burnish trainees’ identities as physician-scientists and prepare them to pursue wide-ranging careers in the biomedical research workforce. Program initiatives and a dedicated and collaborative team of faculty directors, administrators, and student leaders have resulted in outstanding training outcomes over the past decade as the program has substantially increased in size (118 current trainees nearing a steady state goal of 120). The current 5-year proposal requests 30 NIH-funded positions with the following intended training outcomes: 1) acquired knowledge, skills, experiences and attitudes leading to successful physician-scientist careers impacting a wide range of health-related research needs; 2) established scientific expertise and published rigorous and impactful research work guided by strong mentorship; 3) thriving and resilient graduates retained in the physician-scientist pipeline through professional and career development; 4) timely completion of training in 8 years or less facilitated by curricular innovations that streamline dual degree training and 5) recruitment of promising trainees who will address the most pressing challenges in health and disease outcomes faced by our Nation.