Postdoctoral Training Programs

Post doctoral training opportunities are available for those holding a Ph.D. or a professional doctorate who seek further training in research under the direction of a faculty member.

Post doctoral training is available in Center for Health and Community programs related to health psychology, epidemiology and biostatistics, multi-disciplinary research on health disparities, health services and health economics, reproductive behavior and sexually transmitted diseases, drug abuse treatment and services, aging, tobacco-related research, and behavioral-developmental pediatrics.

 

General Internal Medicine Clinical Research Fellowship

The Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology at UCSF and the Department of Veterans Affairs sponsor a 2-year training program in Clinical Research Methods for general internists. The program includes a series of didactic courses that address research methods, systematic reviews, decision analysis, cost effectiveness analysis, data management, biostatistics, clinical epidemiology, study design, practical aspects of research conduct, scientific writing, research ethics, and grant preparation. The tuition for this program is paid by the fellowship. Fellows also attend a monthly journal club and a weekly seminar where fellows and faculty present and discuss research in progress. Fellows also develop strong mentor relationships with our experienced senior faculty. Faculty work closely with fellows on research and writing projects, as well as providing career support and guidance. Our faculty have access to many large databases that are available to fellows for secondary analyses and ancillary studies. We emphasize tangible goals - a thorough review of the scientific literature in the fellow's area of interest, publication of a systematic review, completion and publication of independent research projects, presentation at national meetings, and successful application for research funding. A Masters in Clinical Research will be offered beginning in 2002. Students will pay tuition for this program and scholarships are available. Our fellows have been very successful, with over 95% obtaining an academic faculty position at completion of the fellowship. There are a total of five positions available per year. One of the positions is designated to address women's health issues. Deadline for applications is April 1, each year. Fellows are appointed at postgraduate level commensurate salaries. For additional information please contact Andrew Bindman, MD, Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital.

Link : Division of General Internal Medicine Residency and Fellowship Programs

Psychology and Medicine: Translational Research on Stress, Behavior and Disease 

This NIMH-funded postdoctoral program trains researchers to link basic psychological theories and research to preventing and ameliorating disease.  There are two areas, and cross-cutting both areas is a consideration of disparities in mental and physical illness and the mechanisms by which they occur.  The two areas are: (1) Health-risking behavior:  Fellows in this area focus on developing and applying theories of risk perception, social learning, cognitive development, and risk-taking to understand and modify health-risk behaviors, especially those that contribute to exposure to the HIV virus, as well as those contributing to addictive behaviors.  There is an emphasis on developmental processes and on adolescence as a critical period.  (2) Stress, depression, psychobiology and disease:  Fellows in this area focus on theories of the meaning and appraisal of stress, cognitive and affective responses that result from these appraisals, and biological concomitants of these responses that result in disease.  We emphasize common pathways to multiple disease outcomes, especially those spanning mental and physical illness.

Link : Psychology and Medicine: Translational Research on Stress, Behavior and Disease

 

Philip R. Lee Health Policy Fellowship

The Philip R. Lee Health Policy Fellowship Program enables the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies to train a new generation of health policy and health services research leaders from diverse backgrounds. This program provides multi-disciplinary, advanced training to social scientists, nurses, physicians, and other health professionals. Co-sponsored by the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies and School of Medicine, the program provides a curriculum of health policy and health services research courses and supervised experience in existing research projects.

Please direct requests for information to:
Ashli Butler, Fellowship Coordinator
[email protected]


Health Policy and Economics Fellowship

This fellowship is offered through the Program for Pharmaceutical Outcomes, Economics and Policy Studies (PrOPEPS) within the department of clinical pharmacy.

Link : Health Policy and Economics Fellowship

California STD/HIV Behavioral Intervention Training Center (CA PTC)

The CA PTC is a joint project of the University of California, San Francisco and the California State Division of STD Prevention and Control. The CA PTC provides training in behavioral interventions and partner management. Training is specifically targeted for individuals who have direct, face to face contact with persons at increased risk of STDs and HIV, utilizing a client-centered approach for reaching populations in both clinic and community settings.

Link : California STD/HIV Behavioral Intervention Training Center (CA PTC)


Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health 

The UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, in collaboration with Ibis Reproductive Health, manages the Charlotte Ellertson Social Science Postdoctoral Fellowship in Abortion and Reproductive Health.  The fellowship's objectives are to:

  • support a multidisciplinary cohort of promising new social science researchers who study abortion and reproductive health, and
  • produce and share research that informs policy and program design in abortion and reproductive health.

Link : Charlotte Ellertson Social Science Postdoctoral Fellowship in Abortion and Reproductive Health


The Collaborative HIV Prevention Research in Minority Communities Program

The Collaborative HIV Prevention Research in Minority Communities program is designed to assist investigators already conducting HIV-prevention research with ethnic minority communities to improve their programs of research and obtain
additional funding for their work. The goals of the program are:

  • To increase the quantity and quality of HIV prevention research targeting vulnerable ethnic minority populations.
  • To develop theory-based, culture-specific research methods for effective HIV prevention interventions.
  • To increase the number of minority group members among principal investigators funded by the NIH, CDC and other agencies.

Link : Collaborative HIV Prevention Research In Minority Communities

San Francisco Treatment Research Center

Traineeships in drug abuse treatment and services research in the Department of Psychiatry, University of San Francisco (UCSF), in an active, multidisciplinary research environment. Trainees work with a preceptor to design and implement studies on treatment of drug dependence, including nicotine dependence. Trainees also select a specific area of focus for independent research.

Link : San Francisco Treatment Research Center

Center on Aging

The UCSF Division of Geriatrics provides an array of generalist-based fellowship options in research, teaching, and clinical geriatrics. The aim of these fellowship programs is to develop leaders who will advance efforts to improve care for older persons, especially those who are vulnerable because of serious illness or socio-economic circumstances.

The Department of Veterans Affairs

National Quality Scholars Fellowship Program is a two-year program that incorporates a rigorous didactic curriculum in clinical epidemiology, statistical methods, health services research, health care improvement, and the social sciences relevant to medicine.


Clinical and Research Geriatric Medicine

National Quality Scholars Fellowship Program is a two-year program that incorporates a rigorous didactic curriculum in clinical epidemiology, statistical methods, health services research, health care improvement, and the social sciences relevant to medicine. Fellowships are for individuals seeking academic careers in Geriatric Medicine as researchers or clinician educators. The Geriatrics Division faculty specializes in outcomes research, clinical epidemiology, and quality of care research. Fellows in the clinical education pathway will complete at least one major educational or quality improvement project.

For information, contact Nieta Santos-Kremling, UCSF Division of Geriatrics

Phone: 415-221-4810 x 3562
Email: [email protected]

Link : UCSF Division of Geriatrics


Fellowships in Tobacco Control Research

Academic Background Required: Doctorate/Equivalent Degree

The training program is a national treasure that offers a unique and comprehensive didactic and mentored research experience that considers the transdisciplinary nature of tobacco control in national and international health policy. The emphasis on science to policy research is relatively rare in tobacco research training and highly relevant, given the recent changes in tobacco control public health policies. The Program Director, Dr. Stanton Glantz, has a long and distinguished career conducting transdisciplinary research and mentoring on a wide variety of smoking-related topics and disease endpoints… The Program Co-Director, Pamela Ling, M.D., M.P.H., has been actively involved in the program since its inception … In addition, [there is] a large group of stellar faculty mentors. The environment is exceptional, including collaboration with the World Health Organization’s efforts on Tobacco Control and access to the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library; strong Institutional support is also evident.
                                                                               --NIH Peer Review Summary Statement, 2010

The purpose of the fellowship is to prepare individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds in medical, biological, social, behavioral, and policy sciences to join the next generation of academic leaders in tobacco control. Upon completion of training, fellows will be well positioned to be active participants in crucial policy debates about the future development and implementation of tobacco control interventions.  The need for tobacco control experts continues to grow with the continuing diffusion of smokefree laws, Congress’ recent legislation granting the US Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco products, implementation of health care reform with its emphasis on disease prevention, and the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the world’s first public health treaty.

The fellowship supports two years of postdoctoral training in all aspects of tobacco control research. Our program stresses the skills needed to conduct research in diverse, collaborative transdisciplinary settings.  We emphasize leadership in catalyzing the integration of multiple disciplines and translating science to policy and clinical practice.  Postdoctoral fellows will have exposure to diverse training including both didactic coursework and individualized mentoring to build a personalized research program.  Fellows have come from medicine, public health, nursing, economics, anthropology, political science, law, sociology, psychology, and cell biology.  Prior tobacco research experience is relevant, but not necessary for acceptance.

We offer individual mentorship with UCSF faculty along with courses in tobacco specific topics, health policy, cancer control and prevention, grant and scientific writing skills, career development, interdisciplinary research, and biostatistics.  UCSF is a global leader in tobacco science, a World Health Organization collaborating center, and home of the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library. We place a high priority on developing a fellowship program that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply.

Postdoctoral trainees will receive an annual salary commensurate with their experience, approximately $41,264 - $51,884, $2000 above the current NIH stipend scale.  Learn more about the Center, the fellowship program, current fellows, and faculty and their research interests at www.tobacco.ucsf.edu.

Applications are due January 22, 2014 for fellowships beginning July 1, 2014.

To apply, please visit: http://tobacco.ucsf.edu

Training in Research in Integrative Medicine (TRIM)

The UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine is committed to searching for the most effective treatments for patients by combining both conventional and complementary approaches that address all aspects of health and wellness - biological, psychological, social and spiritual.

The center has three major programs: research, education, and patient care, all focused on integrative medicine. In the summer of 2007, the Osher Center initiated a new, federally funded program that overlaps all three of those areas:  postdoctoral fellowships for training in clinical research in integrative medicine (T.R.I.M.). Trainees are hired for a three-year interdisciplinary program designed for physicians, behavioral and social scientists, and doctoral level CAM practitioners. The program consists of required seminars and formal course work, individual mentoring, research and creative activity, elective seminars and classes, teaching, and a number of optional activities.
 
Eligibility
TRIM post-doctoral fellowships are open to individuals with doctoral degrees (e.g., MD, PhD, DO, ND). In order to qualify for this federally funded grant, an applicant must be a U.S. citizen, a non-citizen national or a foreign national possessing a visa permitting permanent U.S. residence. A temporary or student visa is not acceptable for this grant. At this time, we are unable to consider applications from any individuals who do not meet the eligibility criteria outlined above.

Program Description
Our training program provides the following:

  • An interdisciplinary clinical and research environment that brings together physicians, credentialed CAM practitioners, behavioral scientists, social scientists, ethicists, and health services researchers.
  • Exposure to diverse complementary, alternative, and integrative approaches to patient care involving patients in all age groups from early childhood through adolescence, adulthood and geriatric patients.
  • Access to practitioners with clinical expertise in CAM and integrative approaches to care.
  • Training opportunities for teaching skills and career mentoring.
  • Access to advanced training in biological and psychological research methodologies to support clinical research in CAM and integrative medicine.
  • Academic training in clinical research. All program participants will be encouraged to complete the UCSF Training in Clinical Research  (TICR) program:http://www.epibiostat.ucsf.edu/courses/post.html.
  • Opportunity to conduct original research.
  • Training in research ethics.
  • Strong mentoring by an experienced and diverse research faculty.

The Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at UCSF includes an active (400+ patient visits/month) clinical practice.  The providers in the practice, including physicians who practice integrative medicine and practitioners of CAM modalities, will serve as clinical advisors to the TRIM trainees in the development of clinical aspects of their research.

Trainees accepted into the program will be encouraged to take advantage of UCSF’s strengths in the basic sciences to gain in-depth knowledge of biological science methodologies relevant to their research.  An important goal is to have trainees learn how to choose the most appropriate techniques for the measurement and analysis of biological markers and outcomes, how to assess reliability, and how to understand potential strengths and weaknesses of the techniques. Similarly, trainees who want to measure psychosocial variables and have not had previous training will have the opportunity to become more knowledgeable about the evaluation of the reliability and validity of psychosocial measures and the potential weaknesses and strengths of such measures.

The program offers a two- to three-year fellowship. Trainees are encouraged to enroll in the full-year program, “Advanced Training in Clinical Research,” offered by the Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Research, during their first year, unless they have already had equivalent training in biostatistics and research methods.

Applicants may learn more about the fellowship program at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine web site: 
http://www.osher.ucsf.edu/research/fellowships/

If you have questions about the application process or
fellowship logistics, please contact Yvette Coulter.