Residency & Fellowships

The UCSF Medical Genetics residency is a two-year program for physicians who have already completed at least two years of training in an ACGM- accredited residency program in another primary specialty, e.g., pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pathology, family practice, etc. In addition, our residency program is also the medical genetics portion of the UCSF Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) fellowship training program, a joint program between the UCSF medical genetics residency and the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences. The MFM fellows participate completely in the UCSF medical genetics residency and complete the same rotations and clinics as medical genetics residents do (see below). The educational goals of the medical genetics residency program are listed below.  These goals are attained through clinical and laboratory training and experiences, didactic instruction, attendance at conferences and journal clubs, and the conduct of individual research projects.

Goals of the UCSF medical genetics residency program include:

• The resident shall attain a working knowledge of the principles and concepts of basic, human, and medical genetics, including the principles of population genetics, risk assessment, and Bayesian analysis, and shall be able to apply that knowledge to the practice of medical genetics.
• The resident shall be familiar with and be able to use effectively textbooks, journals, databases, and other sources of information to further his/her practice of medical genetics.
• The resident shall be competent to obtain, record, and interpret detailed family histories and pedigrees.
• The resident shall acquire a knowledge of the physical and laboratory diagnosis of a broad range of inherited and acquired genetic disorders, congenital malformations, and mental retardation syndromes in children and adults.
• The resident shall be competent to provide risk counseling for common inherited cancer syndromes in children and adults.
• The resident shall be competent to provide clinical laboratory services to infants, children, and adults.
• The resident shall have a knowledge of the procedures for the newborn screening and diagnosis of inherited metabolic disorders, and should be able to manage affected individuals.
• The resident shall understand the methodologies, interpretation, and limitations of cytogenetic, biochemical, and molecular genetic laboratory tests.
• The resident shall know the methods, risks, benefits, and limitations of procedures used for the prenatal screening, detection, and treatment of genetic disorders.
• The resident shall be familiar with interviewing and counseling techniques and be able to recognize and address the psychological implications of a genetic condition in a person and/or family.
• The resident shall know the methods, limitations, and psychological implications of procedures used for the presymptomatic detection and treatment of genetic disorders.
• The resident shall have a knowledge of the ethical, legal, and social implications of practice and research in medical genetics.
• The resident shall formulate conduct, and write-up a research project relevant to medical genetics.

The program is directed by Anthony Wynshaw-Boris, MD, PhD, who is the Charles J. Epstein Professor of Human Genetics and Pediatrics and chief of the Division of Medical Genetics in the UCSF Department of Pediatrics. The associate director is Katherine Rauen, MD, PhD, associate pofessor in the Department of Pediatrics.

For more information see:

• Clinical Programs
• Research Program
• NIH T32 Training Grant
• Clinical Conferences
• Application Procedure