University of California San Francisco
UCSF School of Medicine UCSF Medical Center

Teaching Scholars Program Details and Application Process

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Eligibility

Applicants must:

  • Hold a UCSF appointment for at least one year as a teacher/educator in any of the professional schools or the graduate division, for any level of learners.
  • Describe and provide examples of: 
    • Commitment to education, e.g., teaching and/or curriculum development experience, education committee participation, goals indicate desire for further engagement in education beyond teaching.
    • Engagement in personal development as an educator, e.g., participation in workshops for educators at UCSF or elsewhere; reflection on teaching that led to improvements.
    • Commitment to UCSF PRIDE Values and Principles of Community, e.g., personal statement demonstrates activities that contribute to professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity, excellence.
  • Have support from Division/Department for time needed for TSP.
  • Complete and submit a TSP Application Form by the deadline.

Other considerations:

  • While applicants from the School of Medicine have priority, there is the potential for two spots for applicants from the other UCSF schools.
  • UCSF does not use race, gender, sex, or other protected categories or proxies for protected categories in the selection process.
Program Schedule 2026

September 8  to June - Interactive Seminars:

  • Topic-based sessions every Tuesday 1-5 pm, Sessions are primarily on Zoom with planned face-to-face meetings so that everyone will know each other.  We will have a face-to-face meeting in the beginning and schedule others in a way that works for the cohort.
  • Our first in-person meeting for the 2026 class will be on September 15  at Mission Bay. We aim to schedule at least one in-person session per quarter and will notify the group of these dates well in advance. While weekly meetings continue through the summer, scholars will work increasingly independently on their projects in preparation for graduation.
  • Scholars will complete the Teach for UCSF Certificate in Education Leadership in the spring (two full days of training)
  • A monthly mentoring session, one Tuesday per month with a CFE researcher and a small group of TSP participants.

July and August - Ongoing Project Work Time:

  • Tuesday 1-5 pm project work and works in progress sessions that are aligned with participants’ personal and work schedules.

Early September - Graduation:

  • Graduation and project presentations
Course Policies

The Teaching Scholars Program is a learning community committed to the professional development of educators. One of the great strengths of the program is the opportunity for scholars to learn with, from, and about one another through discussion of concepts, collaborative activities, application exercises, and peer feedback. The TSP course policies, in conjunction with the community agreement created by each TSP cohort, aim to support the success of the TSP learning community. 

Attendance

  • Regular attendance is expected. We understand that scholars may miss some sessions for vacation, clinical service, personal leave, and other professional commitments. If you need to miss a session, part of a session, or a series of sessions, please notify the TSP administrator (Raven Twilling) and directors as soon as possible. TSP sessions involve small group activities, so knowing absences in advance of the session allows us to adjust groups and activities as needed.
  • If a scholar has 3 consecutive absences or misses 6 sessions during the core curriculum blocks (September – June), the TSP directors will ask to meet with the scholar to discuss options for continuing in the program.
  • The summer sessions (July-August) involve more independent work time, including project work time, consultations with the faculty, practice for final TSP presentations, and peer feedback. Attendance is expected, with the understanding that scholars may miss 1-2 sessions for vacation, conferences, or other purposes.

Absences

  • We generally do not record sessions because they often involve small group activities and discussion.
  • All materials from the session are available on the wiki. TSP faculty are available upon request to meet with scholars who miss the session to review the content and activities. 

Participation and Expectations

  • We strongly recommend that scholars participate in TSP Zoom sessions via a computer with a webcam (rather than a cell phone) because of active participation in writing, teaching, demonstrations, discussions, and screen sharing during TSP sessions and workshops.
  • Scholars are welcome to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) during TSP. If you use AI, we look forward to hearing how you use AI to enhance your learning.  For readings, we recommend that you read the full text of the assignments for the benefit of your learning and retention.
  • Scholars will work on a scholarly project over the course of the year and are expected to show progress on their project during the year.

CE/CME Credit
Application Process

Instructions for Applying to the Teaching Scholars Program
To apply to the Teaching Scholars Program, please complete the online application form by Monday, March 2nd.

All required materials and responses will be entered directly into this form.  Pease access the TSP Application Form.

Application Requirements

In the online form, you will be asked to provide:

  1. Curriculum Vitae.In tthe  UCSF format.
  2. Application Statement. (About 1000 words total)

Use the response fields in the form to address the following components:

  1. Teaching background: Describe your current teaching responsibilities and how you have worked to improve as an educator. Include evidence of professional development (e.g., participation in educator workshops, certificates such as Teach for UCSF: General Teaching or Educator Essentials, reflections that led to change).
  2. Education interests: Describe what aspects of education excite you. Include any projects you’ve participated in or are interested in, such as curriculum innovation, assessment tool. development, program evaluation, or educational research.
  3. Commitment to UCSF PRIDE Values:
    • Describe what you have done and what you would like to do to demonstrate commitment to UCSF PRIDE Values.
    • How does this relate to your role as an educator?
  4. Career goals as an educator:
    • Explain how participating in the Teaching Scholars Program will help advance your goals in educational leadership or academic development.

Additional Information

Provide the following in designated fields:

  • The date of your original UCSF appointment.
  • The name of your department chair or division chief.
    • We will contact this person to confirm:
      • Their support for your participation and that it aligns with your educational and professional goals.
      • That you will have release time on Tuesday afternoons during the program year (from early September through mid‑June, or as specified).

Submission and  Deadline
Complete all parts of the form, including the responses above and any file uploads required, by Midnight on March 2.

Upon submission, you will receive a confirmation of receipt. If you do not receive a confirmation, please contact the program to verify that your application has been received.