Molecular Medicine Program

The Molecular Medicine Program is an integrated program within the UCSF Pediatrics Residency designed for individuals with prior research experience who are interested in pursuing a career that emphasizes discovery in combination with the practice of medicine. Our mission is to train and launch the next generation of physician-scientist leaders by integrating superb clinical training, exposure to cutting-edge discovery, and focused career development mentorship.

Program Description

The Molecular Medicine Program provides specialized and individualized attention to each participant’s longitudinal career development as physician scientist while maintaining the same broad and intensive exposure to clinical medicine that is enjoyed by all UCSF pediatrics residents. We encourage anyone with an interest in pursuing a research-centered career in pediatrics to apply.

Clinical Pediatrics Training

The Molecular Medicine curriculum combines excellent clinical training and individualized development to enable long-term success as a physician-scientist. Trainees will complete their internship and residency in our highly ranked residency program. For participants with an established record of research (MD/PhD or an in-depth research experience of at least one year), UCSF supports the Accelerated (ARP) or Integrated (IRP) Research Pathways of the American Board of Pediatrics. The decision to enter an alternative pathway is made in early Spring of intern year after discussions with the Residency Program Director and Director of Molecular Medicine, contingent upon demonstration of clinical skill proficiency during the first year of training.

Research Training

UCSF is ranked #1 in NIH research, receiving more than $725 million in NIH funding. The UCSF Department of Pediatrics has been very successful in obtaining federal and non-federal funding in the Department of Pediatrics. Currently, the Department of Pediatrics at UCSF ranks #13 in NIH funding, with over 20 current K-level awardees and over 30 R-level awardees.

During their intern year, participants will have the opportunity to explore potential research mentors across the institution to maximize their exposure in their scientific field of interest. This will be facilitated through the Molecular Medicine elective experience and during individualized rotations. Participants can pursue research in any lab throughout UCSF or the Bay Area.

Participants will also be provided funding to attend a scientific meeting in-person and are encouraged to submit abstracts of current/previous work for UCSF Pediatrics Research Day and other conferences of interest.

Didactics and Career Development Curriculum

Building on our X+Y+Z (4+2+2) format, Molecular Medicine participants are cohorted to allow synchronized teaching during Z-block electives. As we support and encourage emerging researchers with diverse research interests across the translational research spectrum (ranging from basic research to population-based clinical research), the focus of the didactic sessions is centered on intensive career development training relevant for all researchers. Examples include panel discussions with early-career faculty to discuss the physician-scientist path, workshops to improve scientific writing, and didactics focused on strategies to enhance time management, productivity, and the mentor-mentee relationship.  Each resident also has additional elective time for an individualized curriculum where they can do research, meet with mentors, and perform their own scholarly work, or do additional clinical rotations to identify goals and next steps in their training and career. The amount of time varies depending on whether the Molecular Medicine resident is in an accelerated/integrated pathway (ARP/IRP) or chooses to pursue three full years of training in pediatrics.

Mentorship

Mentorship and the development of the mentor/mentee relationship are a cornerstone of the Molecular Medicine Program. Molecular Medicine residents receive personal mentoring that supports them throughout residency and beyond, focusing on their personal, clinical, scientific, and career development. This mentoring helps trainees identify appropriate research and career mentors, develop individualized training plans, set milestones, and track progress. This also includes assistance in selecting their area of research and choosing laboratories that may be of interest to them for training.  Dr. Alvira, Director of the Molecular Medicine Program, also serves as the Director for Physician Scientist Development for all early-career researchers in the Department of Pediatrics. This allows Dr. Alvira to provide longitudinal career development guidance and mentorship for those Molecular Medicine residents who elect to continue their career at UCSF.

In addition to mentorship from more senior faculty, Molecular Medicine residents also receive extensive near-peer mentorship from Molecular Medicine alumni who elected to stay at UCSF as fellows or faculty and other early-career physician scientists within the Department of Pediatrics.  This near-peer mentorship occurs through formal small group interactions and workshops embedded within the Molecular Medicine educational programming, as well as through informal social events hosted by the Molecular Medicine leadership.

Community

Molecular Medicine (MM) residents in Pediatrics also have regular interactions with residents in the Internal Medicine Molecular Medicine program. In addition, there are regular social events conducted in a relaxed, informal setting where MM residents can interact with each other, as well as fellows, early and senior faculty in Pediatrics and throughout UCSF. Each year, the MM residents will also be invited to attend the Annual Stanford/UCSF Joint Pediatric Physician Scientist Retreat. This retreat brings together physician scientists from both institutions to promote community and collaboration by highlighting the ongoing research of early-career physician scientists and providing an additional opportunity for career development activities.

Molecular Medicine Program Alumni

UCSF has a long history of successfully training and developing physician-scientists, with a strong infrastructure focused on developing future leaders in academic medicine and research. Many Molecular Medicine alumni elect to stay at UCSF to complete subspecialty fellowship training and continue at UCSF as faculty. Please click the links below to see more details about our MM alumni who remain as fellows and faculty in the Department of Pediatrics.

• Jane Symington, MD, PhD
• Bo Qiu, MD, PhD
• Robert Lindquist, MD, PhD
• Jon Witonsky, MD, MAS
• Melody Lun, MD, PhD
• Martin Thelin, MD, PhD
• Paul Pauerstein, MD, PhD
• Taylor LaFlam, MD, PhD
• Lisa Grossman Liu, MD, PhD
• Evelyn Hoover, MD, PhD,
• Jae Eun Choi, MD, PhD
• Vipul Vachharajani, MD, PhD
• Anthony Yeung, MD, PhD

Application Process

The Molecular Medicine Program is a separate program within UCSF Pediatrics Residency and has its own NRMP code for application: 1062320C2. Applicants also interested in the UCSF Categorical Residency Program should be sure to apply to that program separately.

Those applicants who are interested in a career in pediatrics with a research focus are encouraged to consider the Molecular Medicine option. The Molecular Medicine program supports participants with diverse research interests, including basic, translational, clinical, and computational research. Applicants who are selected to interview for this program will be notified by email and invited to participate in interviews for the MM program, in addition to the interviews for the standard categorical program.

The Molecular Medicine interviews provide an opportunity for candidates to meet with potential investigators in their field, members of subspecialty program leadership, current participants in the program, and MM alumni. The Molecular Medicine Program, as part of the UCSF Pediatrics Residency, welcomes all interested individuals and encourages those who have demonstrated commitment to UCSF PRIDE values, personal resilience, or have overcome challenges to apply.

Contact

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Alvira prior to applying to the Molecular Medicine Program if they have any questions.

[email protected]
Benioff UCSF Professor of Children's Health
Director of Physician Scientist Development, Department of Pediatrics 
Director, Molecular Medicine Residency Program-Pediatrics

Pediatric Molecular Medicine Pathway
University of California, San Francisco
1550 4th St., Box 2924
San Francisco, CA 94158