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

First- and Second-Year Electives

The list below documents electives that change from quarter to quarter. This is a partial listing; additional electives may be advertised on separate announcements or offered by other schools. For more information on elective coordination and advertising to other UCSF schools, please see this Elective Coordinators website.

Supervised Study and Laboratory Project Course Offerings: Please see the Registrar's Course Catalog.

Sign up for Electives via your online study list on Registrar's SAA Portal 

MD Competencies referenced in elective listings: 

  • Patient Care (PC)
  • Medical Knowledge (MK)
  • Practice-Based Learning & Improvement (PBLI)
  • Interpersonal & Communication Skills (ICS)
  • Professionalism (Prof)
  • Systems-Based Practice (SBP)
  • Interprofessional Collaboration (IPC) - indicated using the IP codes below

Inter-Professional Level of Learning2 referenced in elective listings: Adapted by Dr. Susan Hyde from Reeves S, Lewin S, Espin S, Zwarenstein M (2010) Interprofessional Teamwork for Health and Social Care. Blackwell-Wiley, London.

  • Interprofessional Education (I): Members (or students) of two or more health and/or social care professions engage in learning with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the delivery of care.
  • Multiprofessional Education (M): Members (or students) of two or more professions learn alongside one another; in other words, parallel rather than interactive learning.
  • Uniprofessional Education (U): Education that is undertaken by individuals within the same profession.

Fall 2024 (Winter 2025 elective information will be available in December)

Course number: Emergency Medicine 170.13
Course title: Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS)
Faculty: Sally Graglia
# of units: 1.0
Day, time, & Room Location: Wednesdays 5:30-7:30pm in S-20/22; 9/18, 10/2, 10/9, 10/16. Friday, 11/15, 5:30-7:30pm, S-20/22 (Kanbar rooms in MedSci)
Student coordinators: Julia Wolf, Elaine Kim, Abigail Kim
MD Competencies: MK, SBP, PC
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: U

Course number: Family & Community Medicine 170.01A (Listed as Special Issues in Health Care)
Course title: Expanding Culture Humility in Healthcare
Faculty: Margo Vener
# of units: 1.0
Day, time, & Room Location: TBA
Student coordinators: Tou Bee Thao, Gobinder Pandher, Jeanine Esteban, Manreet Dosanjh, Alejandro Perez, & Maram Kiran
MD Competencies: MK, SBP, PC, ICS, PBLI, IPC
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: M

Course number: Family & Community Medicine 170.01B (Listed as Special Issues in Health Care)
Course title: Community Organizing, Environmental Justice & the Bayview Neighborhood
Faculty: Margo Vener is faculty of record; Kim Rhoads is faculty advisor
# of units: 1.0
Day, time, & Room Location: TBA
Student coordinators: Daniel Zager, Sidney Ezenwugo, Mallory Shingle, Sophie Oubaha, Annemarie Charlesworth
MD Competencies: MK, SBP, PC, ICS, PBLI, IPC
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: M

Course number: Family & Community Medicine 170.02
Course title: Compassionate Care: The Art of Healing Communication
Faculty: Shieva Khayam-Bashi
# of units: 1.0
Day, time, & Room Location: Tuesdays 12:10-1pm: Aug 20, Aug 27, Sep 17, Sep 24, Oct 1, Oct 8, Oct 15, Oct 22, Nov 5, Nov 12, Dec 10 – Location TBA
Student coordinators: TBA 
MD Competencies: MK, SBP, PC, ICS, PBLI, IPC
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: M

Course number: Global Health Sciences 170.51
Course title: Global Health Interest Group Elective
Faculty: Carmen Cobb-Walch
# of units: 1.0
Day, time, & Room Location: Wednesdays, 12:10-1pm, Room S-157 (MedSci), 9/18, 9/25, 10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 11/6, 11/13, 11/20
Student coordinators: Diego Martinez Mendiola, Abigail Kim, Alessandra Veinbachs
MD Competencies: MK, SBP, PC
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: U

Course number: Medicine 170.01A (Listed as Special Issues in Health Care)
Course title: Food as Medicine
Faculty: Cindy Lai is faculty of record; Diana Thiara is faculty advisor
# of units: 1.0
Day, time, & Room Location: Wednesdays 12:10-1pm: Aug 21, Aug 28, Sep 18, Sep 25, Oct 2, Oct 9, Oct 16, Oct 23, Nov 6, Nov 13, Dec 11; Oct 2 (which will be in the evening 5-8PM); CSB 1113-1114
Student coordinator: Rachel Huynh, Sharlene Shirali, Elaine Kim, Daniel Chan, Kaitlyn Hsu & Mariel Magdits
MD Competencies: MK, SBP
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: I

Course number: Medicine 170.01B (Listed as Special Issues in Health Care)
Course title: Gut Instincts: A Journey through Gastroenterology
Faculty: Cindy Lai is faculty of record; Rishika Chugh & Michael Kattah are faculty advisors
# of units: 1.0
Day, time, & Room Location: Wednesdays 12:10-1pm: 8/14, 8/21, 9/25, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 11/6, 11/13, 11/20, 12/11, 12/18; CSB 1107-1108
Student coordinators: Nicole Garcia, Renee Landzberg, Anjeli Mase, Daniel Zager
MD Competencies: MK, PBLI, PC
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: U

Course number: Medicine 170.01C (Listed as Special Issues in Health Care)
Course title: Narrative Medicine Elective
Faculty: Cindy Lai is faculty of record; Ashley McMullen & David Elkin are faculty advisors
# of units: 1.0
Day, time, & Room Location: Thursdays 12:10-1pm: 9/26, 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31, 11/7, 11/14, 11/21, 12/5; Hybrid Zoom & in person, Room TBA.
Student coordinators: Ruben Hernandez, Mallory Shingle, Toyosi Oluwole, & Matthew Yee
MD Competencies: MK, PBLI, PC, SBP
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: M

Course number: Medicine 170.01F (Listed as Special Issues in Health Care)
Course title: Oncology Interest Group Elective
Faculty: Cindy Lai is faculty of record; Emily Bergsland is faculty advisor
# of units: 1.0
Day, time, & Room Location: Thursdays 12:10-1pm: 9/26, 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31, 11/7, 11/14, 11/21, 12/5; Hybrid Zoom & in person, Room TBA.
Student coordinator: Alyssa Fuentes
MD Competencies: MK, PBLI, PC, SBP
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: U

Course Number: Medicine 170.07
Course Title: Communicating with the Latino Patient
Faculty: Leslie Seijo
# of units: 1.0
Dates: TBA
Day, Time, Room location: TBA
Student coordinators: Nicole Garica, Benjamin Blue, Isaac Avila-Vargas, Sharlene Shirali
MD Competencies: MK, PBLI, ICS, SBP
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: M

Course Number: Medicine 170.49
Course Title: Native Health Elective
Faculty: Tasce Bongiovanni
# of units: 1.0
Dates: 8/14/23-11/13/23
Day, Time, Room location: Wednesdays from 12:10-1 pm Hybrid (Zoom and In-person)
Student names and contact information: Shivany Y. Condor Montes & Madison Thompson
MD Competencies: MK, PBLI, ICS, SBP
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: M

Course number: Medicine 170.53
Course title: Innovating Healthcare: From Concept to Reality
Faculty: Liviu Klein
# of units: 1.0
Day, time, & Room Location: TBA
Student coordinator: Nathan Ramrakhiani
MD Competencies: MK, PBLI, PC
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: M

Course number: Medicine 170.54
Course title: Queer Health Elective
Faculty: Sam Brondfield
# of units: 1.0
Day, time, & Room Location: TBA
Student coordinators: Nicholas White & Neal Mukherjee
MD Competencies: MK, PC, PBLI, SBP, Prof, ICS
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: M

Course number: Medicine 170.55
Course title: Nephrology Interest Group (NephrIG) Elective
Faculty: Chi-Yuan Hsu
# of units: 1.0
Day, time, & Room Location: Fridays, 12:10-1pm, CSB 1109; Zoom option available for certain sessions- TBA;
Dates 9/20, 10/11, 10/18, 11/15, 12/6, 12/13
Student coordinators: Debbie Adam & Daniel Chan
MD Competencies: MK, PBLI, ICS, SBP
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: U

Course number: Ophthalmology 160.01
Course title: Introduction to Clinical Ophthalmology
Faculty: Neeti Parikh
# of units: 1.0
Day, time, & Room Location: Tuesdays, 12:10-1pm, Room TBD (Starts 9/17)
Staff Coordinator: Shelle Libberton
MD Competencies: MK, PBLI, ICS, SBP
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: U

Course number: Otolaryngology 170.01
Course title: Introduction to Otolaryngology
Faculty: Patricia Loftus
# of units: 1.0
Day, time, & Room Location: Mondays, 12:10-1pm, Room CS 11113-1114. Dates 8/19, 8/26, 9/16, 9/23, 9/30, 10/7, 10/14, 10/2, 11/4, 11/18
Student coordinators: Tiffany Husman, Leon Sarpong, Hudson Lin, Sophia Yin
MD Competencies: MK, PBLI, PC
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: U

Course number: Pediatrics 170.01A
Course title: Pediatric Interest Group Elective (Listed as Special Issues in Health Care)
Faculty: Erica Lawson is faculty of record; Michele Long is faculty advisor
# of units: 1.0
Day, time, & Room Location: Mondays, 12:10-1pm, Room CSB 1102/1103; 8/26, 9/16, 9/30. 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 11/4, 12/2
Student Coordinators: Julia Wolf & Maram Kiran
MD Competencies: MK, PBLI, ICS, SBP
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: U

Course number: Psychiatry 170.01B
Course title: Explorations in Psychiatry
Faculty: Descartes Li
# of units: 1.0
Day, time, & Room Location: Wednesdays, 12-1pm, CSB 1102/1103. Dates 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 10/30, 11/6, 11/13, 11/20, 12/4.
Student Coordinators: Seth Zupanc, Amanda Leon, Shiv Gupta
MD Competencies: MK, PBLI, ICS, SBP
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: U

Course number: Radiology 170.04
Course title: Intro to Radiology
Faculty: Emma Webb
# of units: 1.0
Day, time, & Room Location: Tuesdays, 12:10-1pm, Room TBD
Staff Coordinator: Samira Zebarjadian
MD Competencies: MK, PBLI, ICS, SBP
Inter-Professional Level of Learning: U