UCSF Department Of Medicine | | Clinical Research Fellowship

In certain situations, fellows may prefer to use 1/2 day of their clinical time for a sub-specialty clinic or other clinical activity that relates to their primary research interest (For example, a fellow interested in Hepatitis C may elect to take one-half day per week in the Liver Clinic to become more familiar with the specific aspects of the patients and treatment options, or to assist with recruitment for a planned study). Whenever possible, we are happy to accommodate special interests that will make the fellowship experience more productive and successful. Family Medicine fellows would normally spend their clinical time at the UCSF Family Medicine Practice.

Clinical sites: Each fellow will be assigned to one of three clinical sites at UCSF according to their needs, interests, and location of their primary mentor and research projects. The three sites are:

University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) - UCSF Medical Center is recognized throughout the world as a leader in medicine, known for compassionate and innovative care. The expertise at UCSF covers virtually all areas of health, including cancer, heart disease, organ transplantation, orthopedics, neurological disorders, and pediatrics. In the past 15 years alone, three pioneering UCSF researchers have been named Nobel laureates. The school ranks 4th nationally in National Institutes of Health research funding; 1st for active patents in the UC system; and supports 16 Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators - largest cohort of any medical school in the nation. UCSF Medical Center includes over 900 doctors, practicing at 2 main sites:
a. UCSF Medical Center at Parnassus - which includes a 600 bed main hospital and an adjacent ambulatory care building with an entire floor devoted to general internal medicine.
b. UCSF Medical Center at Mt. Zion - was transformed from an inpatient hospital to an innovative hub of general and sub-specialty clinics, all with the latest technological and design improvements to optimize patient care.
c. More information can be found at: http://www.ucsfhealth.org/adult/patient_guide/services/ourhospitals.html
San Francisco VA Medical Center -
a. The San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) serves as a major tertiary care referral center for veterans throughout Northern California. The facility has 124 acute care hospital beds. It is a high acuity medical center with over a third of bed days of care being in intensive care or monitored beds. The medical center includes an entire building devoted to outpatient clinical care, and a floor devoted to general internal medicine. There are over 350,000 outpatient visits per year.
b. SFVAMC has five of the 65 VA national Centers of Excellence: The Center of Excellence for Epilepsy Treatment, Cardiac Surgery, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, HIV, and Renal Dialysis. It has many other nationally recognized programs including: The Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, The Center for Hepatitis C Research and Education, the Mental Illness Research & Education Clinical Center (MIRECC), and the Western Pacemaker Surveillance Program
c. SFVAMC has been affiliated for over 30 years with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). SFVAMC has 128 residency positions covering all specialties except obstetrics, pediatrics, and family practice.
d. SFVAMC has the second largest funded research programs in the Veterans Health Administration with $54 million annual research budget. Areas of particular interest are: diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, hypertension, stroke, congestive heart failure, atherosclerotic vascular disease, Hepatitis C, breast cancer, PTSD, substance abuse, Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease, health services research, and advanced medical imaging. SFVAMC has the largest VA research foundation, which administers $25 million dollars from which indirect costs serve to enhance the VA research enterprise. SFVAMC has the maximum of three Medical Science Research Enhancement Award Programs (REAP) in neurology research, prostate cancer, and bone research; and one HSR&D REAP in aging research.
e. More information can be found at: http://www.sanfrancisco.va.gov/
San Francisco General Hospital:
a. San Francisco General Hospital is a licensed general acute care hospital, owned and operated by the City and County of San Francisco, Department of Public Health. SFGH provides a full complement of inpatient, outpatient, emergency, skilled nursing, diagnostic, mental health, and rehabilitation services for adults and children. It is the largest acute inpatient and rehabilitation hospital for psychiatric patients in the City. Additionally, it is the only acute hospital in San Francisco that provides twenty-four hour psychiatric emergency services and operates the only Level I Trauma Center for 1.5 million residents of San Francisco and northern San Mateo County.
b. The Adult Medical Center at San Francisco General Hospital is an ambulatory care facility providing comprehensive primary care and medical specialty services to persons over eighteen years of age.
c. The Family Health Center provides 40,000 visits annually, mostly by uninsured and Medi-Cal patients. The Family Health Center serves as a clinical teaching site for UCSF medical students, nurse practitioner students, pharmacy students, and family medicine residents.
d.Through its long-standing affiliation with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), SFGH serves as a training ground to one of the top medical programs in the country.
e. In addition to its commitment to providing the best patient care, SFGH is also a nucleus for innovative research. The SFGH campus is home to more than 20 UCSF research centers, affiliated institutes, and major laboratories. Over 160 UCSF principal investigators conduct research through programs based at the hospital campus with an annual budget over $83 million. Because it's an academic hospital, SFGH is on the cutting edge of the latest medical advances.
f. More information can be found at: http://medschool.ucsf.edu/sfgh/