Curriculum

The curriculum integrates research training with medical education.  During the first two years, preclinical trainees use summers and elective time to explore research opportunities at UCSD and affiliated research institutions. These research experiences enable students to choose a Graduate Program during the second year of medical school and a thesis lab by the beginning of their third year in the MSTP.  Traniees pursue doctoral studies in anthropology, biology, biomedical sciences, bioengineering, biophysics, chemistry/biochemistry, epidemiology, neuroscience or physics.  A traniee's field of interest determines the Graduate Program and location of advanced research training.  Following completion of requirements for the Ph.D. degree, the traniee resumes medical training in third-year clinical clerkships. Most trainees earn both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees in about eight years.

The La Jolla biomedical community is home to a cadre of talented and innovative researchers who investigate a spectrum of topics, ranging from mechanisms of signal transduction to phenomena such as phantom limb pain. The MSTP facilitates trainee exploration of this scientific smorgasbord through lab rotations. Trainees have the option to rotate through labs either on- or off-campus at one of the several affiliated research institutions, including the Salk Institute, The Scripps Research Institute, the Burnham Institute and the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology.  The variety and quality of  the science in the San Diego area provide opportunities for collaborative and interdisciplinary research. Moreover, the proximity of the UCSD hospital system speeds the bench-to-bedside translation of research discoveries.