Curriculum

The curriculum of the UC San Diego MSTP integrates research training with medical education.  Trainees are required to do three lab rotations, the first in the summer before coursework in the School of Medicine (SOM) begins and the second and third in the summer between SOM years 1 and 2.  During these lab rotations, trainees explore research opportunities at UCSD and affiliated research institutions, so as to choose a Graduate Program during SOM year 2 and a Ph.D. thesis lab by the beginning of their third year in the MSTP.  Most trainees pursue doctoral studies in the Biomedical Sciences, Bioengineering or Neurosciences Graduate Programs although trainees have also obtained their Ph.D.s in UCSD Graduate Programs in anthropology, biology, biophysics, chemistry/biochemistry, epidemiology or physics, or at the Scripps Research Institute's Kellogg School of Science and Technology.  Following completion of requirements for the Ph.D. degree, trainees resume 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 for Biological Studies, The Scripps Research Institute, the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research 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.