Specialty Advisors for Career Exploration (ACE)

Find Your Mentor

Career advising aligned with your professional interests.

The Specialty ACE program was launched in 2021 to enhance career development opportunities for medical students at all levels. The Specialty ACEs are experienced faculty advisors enthusiastic about mentoring students in their specialty.

Roles and Responsibilities

Establish a cohort of faculty members within their Department to support their advising efforts. Cohort members are faculty members who span clinical and research arenas within their specialty.
Serve as the "go-to person" within the Department when students are interested in learning more about their specialty.
Serve as the "go-to person" within the Department when other faculty members, Deans, and College Chairs would like to refer a student to learn more about their specialty.
Meet with students to explore their interests, and match students with potential mentors within their Department.
Oversee the student “Specialty Interest Group,” or identify a faculty colleague to run with this responsibility.
Help students navigate the residency application process in their specialty.

Connect with a Specialty ACE

John S. Shin, MD
Director, Medical Student Education
JShin@mednet.ucla.edu

Judi A. Turner, MD, PhD
Vice Chair for Education
JATurner@mednet.ucla.edu

Paul Levins, MD
Clinical Professor
PLevins@mednet.ucla.edu

Jan Smogorzewski, MD
Medical Student Clerkship Director and Director of Inpatient Dermatology Education
Jsmogorzewski@dhs.lacounty.gov

Rebecca Bavolek, MD, FACEP, FAAEM
Associate Clinical Professor
RBavolek@mednet.ucla.edu

Natasha B. Wheaton, MD
Associate Clinical Professor
NWheaton@mednet.ucla.edu

Denise K. Sur, MD
Clinical Professor
dsur@mednet.ucla.edu

Paul A. Kedeshian, MD
Associate Clinical Professor
PKedeshian@mednet.ucla.edu

Travis Shiba, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
TShiba@mednet.ucla.edu

Interested in learning more about Internal Medicine? Please complete this brief interest form so that we can connect you with one of our outstanding faculty advisors.

Interest Form

Neveen S. El-Farra, MD
Professor of Clinical Medicine
NElFarra@mednet.ucla.edu

Jodi L. Friedman, MD
Clinical Professor
JFriedman@mednet.ucla.edu

John Ly, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
EJly@mednet.ucla.edu

Andrew Wilson, MD, MS, MBA
Assistant Professor
AMWilson@mednet.ucla.edu

Marvin Bergsneider, MD
Professor, Department of Neurosurgery
MBergsneider@mednet.ucla.edu

Erica D. Oberman, MD
Associate Clinical Professor
EOberman@mednet.ucla.edu

Jo Ann A. Giaconi, MD
Clinical Professor
giaconi@jsei.ucla.edu

Gary Holland, MD
Clinical Professor
holland@jsei.ucla.edu

Sharon L. Hame, MD
Clinical Professor
SHame@mednet.ucla.edu

Zhen W. Mei, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
ZMei@mednet.ucla.edu

Elena Stark, MD
Professor
EStark@mednet.ucla.edu