Education Programs
- MD Curriculum
- MD/Masters in Advanced Studies (MD/MAS)
- MD with Distinction
- Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
- UC Berkeley - UCSF Joint Medical Program (MD, MS)
- MD, Masters of Public Health (MPH) Program
- Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US)
- San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME)
- San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education Plus (SJV PRIME+)
The MD Curriculum
The Bridges Curriculum at UCSF was designed to prepare students for a changing healthcare environment of rapidly expanding knowledge, new science and innovative technologies. Instead of the traditional model of two years of basic science followed by two years of clinical application, Bridges sees students learn about foundational science concepts integrated with clinical skills throughout the four-year curriculum. With this strategy, the art and science of medicine continually reinforce each other.
The Bridges Curriculum is comprised of:
Foundations 1: Knowledge in basic and clinical sciences while building the habits of mind of an inquiring physician, contributing to the health of patients and improving the delivery of healthcare.
Foundations 2: Foundations 2 (F2) is the second phase of the Bridges Curriculum in which students will complete their core clinical clerkships and revisit foundational science concepts for improved patient care. In addition, students will have the opportunity to enroll in short clinical electives to explore a variety of clinical specialties beyond the core clerkships.
Career Launch: The individualized phase of the curriculum in which students choose clinical experiences and a scholarly project aligned with career goals.
Contact:
UCSF School of Medicine
Medical Student Education
San Francisco, CA 94143-0410
MD/Masters in Advanced Studies (MD/MAS)
Medical students interested in receiving rigorous training in the methods and conduct of clinical research can obtain a Masters in Advanced Studies (MAS) degree in the 5-year combined MD/MAS program. Coursework includes advanced epidemiologic and biostatistical methods courses, an advanced version of the Designing Clinical Research program, and electives in specialized topics including causal inference, prediction science, molecular methods in clinical research, implementation science, and decision and cost-effectiveness analysis.
Contact:
Alexis Beatty, MD, MAS
MD with Distinction
Distinction in Yearlong Research is available to UCSF learners who pursue rigorous research or scholarship projects that span 12 contiguous months. Intramural and extramural grants are available to support living expenses and some include project, travel, education, and loan interest expenses. Completion requirements include:
- 12 months Leave of Absence (LoA) from any university enrollment
- UCSF faculty mentorship
- Abstract and poster presentations at the Inquiry Symposium and a professional conference
- Committee-approved legacy product (e.g., thesis, curriculum, published manuscript)
Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
A combined MD/PhD program, the Medical Scientist Training Program prepares a small group of students for careers as physician/scientists. With funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, our trainees receive full tuition support and a stipend while pursuing the superb training opportunities offered by both the School of Medicine and one of our renowned graduate programs. We admit students each year, drawing from a highly competitive, nationwide pool of applicants. Our students, working with world-class faculty mentors, have been extremely successful in competing for top-ranked residencies, fellowships, and careers in academic medicine and biomedical research. Please check the MSTP website for updates on deadlines for applications, etc.
Contact:
Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
513 Parnassus Avenue, Health Sciences East (HSE) Room 1285
San Francisco, CA 94143-0505
Telephone: (415)-476-4423
Email: [email protected]
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UC Berkeley - UCSF Joint Medical Program (MD, MS)
The UC Berkeley - UCSF Joint Medical Program (JMP) is a five-year graduate program. Students spend the pre-clerkship years at UC Berkeley, engaging in a leading-edge integrated Problem Based Learning medical curriculum, while simultaneously earning a Master's Degree in the Health and Medical Sciences at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health. After two and a half years, JMP students move across the bay to UCSF to finish their medical education and receive their MD.
Applicants to the Joint Medical Program must meet all of the requirements of the UCSF School of Medicine and should apply through the regular admissions process. Applicants who pass a preliminary review will be approved for a secondary application from UCSF that will provide information on application to the Joint Medical Program. Each year 16 students are accepted on the basis of motivation, background, and aptitude for an in-depth research experience and suitability for case-based, problem-oriented small group learning. Please check the JMP website for additional information.
Contact:
JMP Admissions
University of California
570 University Hall #1190
Berkeley, CA 94720-1190
(510) 642-5482
Email: [email protected]
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MD/Masters of Health & Medical Sciences
Medical students interested in receiving rigorous training in the methods and conduct of clinical research can obtain a Masters in Advanced Studies (MAS) degree in the 5-year combined MD/MAS program, in partnership with UC Berkeley. Learn more about the program here.
Contact:
Jyothi Marbin, MD
Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US)
Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US)
UCSF's Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US) is a special five-year track for medical students interested in working with urban underserved populations. PRIME-US will accept 11 new students from the entering class at UCSF and 4 new students from the entering class at the Joint Medical Program (JMP) at UC Berkeley.
The goals of the PRIME-US program are to:
• Attract medical students from diverse backgrounds who are committed to caring for the urban underserved in the United States and promoting health equity and social justice.
• Provide a medical education experience for these students to equip and support them to become transformative health and healthcare equity leaders.
• Enable these students to serve as a catalyst for others at UCSF and the JMP to advance health equity and social justice and provide care to the urban underserved.
• Increase the number of UCSF medical school graduates who choose to pursue careers devoted to improving the health and healthcare of the urban underserved through leadership roles as community-engaged clinicians, educators, researchers, and policy and advocacy experts.
PRIME-US offers interested medical students the unique opportunity to work directly with urban underserved populations and community-based organizations to address inequities. The PRIME-US curriculum builds on the unique expertise of UCSF, UC Berkeley, and UCSF-Fresno faculty as researchers, educators, and policy leaders in healthcare for urban underserved populations. Core components of PRIME-US include:
• Orientation – a dedicated week-long Orientation prior to the start of medical school to learn about foundational concepts of cultural humility and anti-racist, anti-oppression praxis, build community amongst the cohort, and begin to learn about health inequities in the Bay Area.
• Core Seminar Series - regularly scheduled Tuesday afternoon seminars that focus on leadership and advocacy skills development and community engagement. Community and university experts on the unhoused, immigrant health, the prison system, and health and healthcare inequities speak and share their work with PRIME-US students.
• Community Engagement Program - formal community-oriented curriculum (as part of the core seminar series), mentorship on community engagement projects, and a PRIME-US grant program to support students’ community partners.
• Assignment to UCSF Bridges coaches who work in the San Francisco safety net healthcare system at San Francisco General Hospital.
• A fifth year of study to pursue a master's degree or research or other scholarly activity. This additional year is supported by a merit scholarship distributed in the final year of medical school.
• Capstone – a culminating month-long course in the final year of medical school to focus on leadership development, anti-racist/anti-oppression praxis in medicine, community engagement, community building, and mentorship.
• A formal mentorship curriculum and academic guidance provided by dedicated staff, faculty, community members, and fellow PRIME-US students to ensure personal, professional, and academic success.
Students interested in gaining knowledge and expertise in caring for the urban underserved and promoting health equity are encouraged to apply for PRIME-US. Applicants to the PRIME-US program must meet all the requirements of the UCSF School of Medicine (UCSF SOM) and should apply through the general UCSF SOM admissions process. Applicants invited to complete a UCSF Secondary Application and interested in applying for PRIME-US, can select MD/PRIME and/or MD/JMP/PRIME. Completing the secondary application allows applicants to be considered for the traditional UCSF SOM MD program as well as PRIME-US and the JMP. To gain admission to PRIME-US, students must be accepted to the MD program or JMP program. Students who are not accepted to PRIME-US will still maintain acceptance in the MD program and/or JMP.
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
PRIME Website
UCSF San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME)
San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME) is a tailored track at UCSF School of Medicine for medical students who are committed to ensuring high quality, diverse and well distributed medical care to improve health for populations, communities and individuals in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
SJV PRIME offers interested medical students the unique opportunity to work in the San Joaquin Valley with highly underserved populations at the individual and community levels. It incorporates the unique expertise of UCSF, UC Merced, and UCSF faculty at UCSF Fresno, as researchers, educators and leaders in the field of health care in the Valley.
Students accepted into SJV PRIME will spend their first 18 months at the main campus in San Francisco. They will then spend the next two and a half years at the UCSF Fresno campus.
Students interested in gaining knowledge and expertise in caring for populations in the San Joaquin Valley are encouraged to apply for SJV PRIME regardless of their eventual specialty choice. Applicants to SJV PRIME must meet all of the requirements of the UCSF School of Medicine and should apply through the regular UCSF admissions process. If you are invited to complete the UCSF Secondary Application and would like to apply for SJV PRIME, select MD/SJV PRIME on the application—doing so will allow both MD and SJV PRIME admissions to consider your application.
Contact:
Loren I. Alving, MD
SJV PRIME Director
Grace Carlson, BA
SJV PRIME Manager
Linda Alvarez
UCSF Fresno Coordinator
Learn more about SJV PRIME