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
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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 application for residency process in their specialty.
Connect with a ACE Specialty
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
Michael O. Nguyen, MD, PhD, FAAD
Director of Medical Student Education at UCLA Dermatology
Monguyen@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.
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
Deborah Lehman, MD
Clinical Professor & Assistant Dean
DLehman@mednet.ucla.edu
Meeryo C. Choe, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
MChoe@mednet.ucla.edu
Dixie L. Aragaki, MD
Clinical Professor
dixie.aragaki@va.gov
Ginger Slack, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
GSlack@mednet.ucla.edu
Ann C. Raldow, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor
ARaldow@mednet.ucla.edu
Christian M. DeVirgilio, MD, FACS
Professor
cdevirgilio@lundquist.org
Areti Tillou, MD
Associate Professor
ATillou@mednet.ucla.edu
Jonathan Bergman, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
JBergman@mednet.ucla.edu
Victor W. Nitti, MD
Professor
VNitti@mednet.ucla.edu