People gathered eating at symposium

The STAR-PSTP provides an ideal environment to support residents committed to pursuing physician-investigator careers following clinical training. With its demanding schedule, residency may disconnect residents from their research interests. The goal of STAR-PSTP is to seamlessly integrate residents into the research community at UCLA, keeping them engaged with their research goals while expediting required clinical training in residency and facilitating additional protected time for research in fellowship.

Educational Goals 

STAR-PSTP residents are provided multi-level mentorship by the Department of Medicine (DOM) leadership, Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) Program leadership, faculty mentors, and STAR fellows. There is also access to monthly STAR Seminar Series and research-focused social events to support ongoing research career development. The focus of DOM’s Internal Medicine Residency Program is rigorous clinical training to prepare physician scientists to become excellent clinicians. For our STAR-PSTP residents, we provide this necessary training in two years, giving our residents the option for the ABIM Research Pathway (“fast” or “short” track) into their fellowship of choice and the STAR Program at UCLA. We are committed to proving we are the ideal place to train and practice, and most of our STAR trainees choose to stay on faculty after they complete their training. For our PSTP residents, we guarantee a match into your fellowship program of choice, assuming clinical milestones are met. Thus, when you interview for STAR-PSTP you are effectively interviewing for fellowship and a recommendation for a junior faculty position at UCLA. The goal of STAR-PSTP is create a nurturing environment that supports this developmental trajectory.

Curriculum Highlights 

Education 

STAR-PSTP residents are invited to all STAR program events (monthly seminars, research presentations, and annual symposium), with a requirement that they attend at least four seminars. Monthly seminars/roundtable discussions include research presentations by fellows or visiting investigators, workshops on applying for a K award, techniques for writing grant proposals, and identifying research mentors. STAR-PSTP residents may also present a poster of current or prior research at the STAR Symposium. 

Networking 

STAR program events are valuable opportunities for networking with research fellows and faculty in the Department of Medicine. Additionally, STAR-PSTP residents gather for dinner with the PSTP directors quarterly to interact and share ideas and feedback. Funds for travel to conferences are available if clinical schedule allows and with prior approval. 

Mentorship

Each academic year, STAR-PSTP residents will meet with a STAR-PSTP director approximately every four months. The STAR-PSTP directors will help the participant identify and explore research opportunities, introduce them to potential research mentors, and ensure they stay connected to the program directors of their specialty of interest. Residents will also meet with their assigned STAR fellow mentor at least twice during that year.