UIM Visiting Student Scholar

UCLA Visiting Student Scholarship in General Surgery 

For Outstanding Final Year Medical Students from Underrepresented Backgrounds

Purpose

The UCLA Department of General Surgery invites an outstanding fourth-year medical student who self-identifies as Underrepresented in Medicine (African American, Latinx, Native American, Native Hawaiian, mainland Puerto Rican) annually to experience our culture of excellence, purpose and community at UCLA.  

We pride ourselves on the breadth of our intellectual pursuits - from basic science to outcomes research to robust studies in surgical equity. We are committed to providing the highest-complexity surgical care to patients from all walks of life. We are dedicated to fostering workforce diversity at every level in the department.  

Award

• Up to $2000 reimbursement for the elective fee, travel to Los Angeles, and housing in Los Angeles for the duration of the rotation
• The Student Scholar will spend a 3 week sub-internship on our Complex Surgical Oncology Service
• You will be assigned to a resident mentor to communicate with during your time at UCLA
• You will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with the General Surgery Program Director (Dr. Donahue), or the Assistant Program Director (Dr. Agopian) 

Eligibility

• Students must be in their MS4 year and applying into General Surgery during the 2020-2021 application cycle
• Students must be in good academic standing at a U.S. medical school
• Students must self-identify as Underrepresented in Medicine based on the above AAMC definition
• A complete VSAS application must be submitted for the elective ‘SU440.01: Surgery: General Surgery: Oncology’
• Students must select a rotation date between July - October 2020 

How to Apply

• Complete the VSAS form - https://medschool.ucla.edu/current-us-visiting-students
• Select ‘SU440.01: Surgery: General Surgery: Oncology’
• Submit the separate Visiting Scholarship in General Surgery Form here
• Deadline for application is June 30th, however early applications are encouraged 

Contact

General Administrative questions regarding VSAS: Ms. Iris Mau - imau@mednet.ucla.edu

Questions regarding the scholarship: Dr. Hattie Huston-Paterson - Champion for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion for the General Surgery Residency - hpaterson@mednet.ucla.edu 

Please note: Our Surgical Oncology Team provides the highest-level access to general surgery residents across clinical years, as well as high-level faculty and the Residency Program Leadership. You do not need to be interested in a career in Surgical Oncology to apply.

Update: Due to COVID-19, the AAMC has issued the following guidelines for medical student away rotations:

For the 2020-2021 academic year, away rotations should be discouraged, except under the following circumstances:

• Learners who have a specialty interest and do not have access to a clinical experience with a residency program in that specialty in their school’s system.
• Learners for whom an away rotation is required for graduation or accreditation requirements. 

If you feel that you meet these criteria, you are welcome to apply.  Please contact Dr. Huston-Paterson if you have questions about these recommendations or your eligibility.