Definitions

Defining universal terms and acronyms used at the David Geffen School of Medicine

AAMC

Association of American Medical Colleges is a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC that serves and leads the academic medicine community to improve the health of all. The AAMC operates the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) and the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) which facilitate students applying to medical schools and residency programs, respectively.

Committees

Academic Performance Committee (APC)

Course and clerkship chairs for various curricular segments constitute Academic Performance Committees to monitor student performance, assist students with academic and professional issues, and recommend promotions. There are currently three committees and the chair of which is appointed by the Vice Dean for Education: Year One, Year Two, Years Three/Four. The identified APC report to the Committee on Academic Standing Progress and Promotion (CASPP) and are responsible for developing individualized remediation plans for students with deficiencies in meeting academic performance, professionalism, or technical standards set forth by DGSOM.

Committee for Academic Standing Progress and Promotion (CASPP)

CASPP is composed of 12 voting members, including its chair, who are appointed by the FEC with input from the Dean, Vice Dean for Education, and Associate Dean of Student Affairs, for staggered three-year terms; members may be reappointed for two additional terms. 

Faculty Executive Committee (FEC)

The Faculty Executive Committee (FEC) is the elected representative body of the Faculty of the School of Medicine. It functions as an arm of the Academic Senate and has specific responsibilities for the design and conduct of the academic program of courses and curriculum within the Medical School. In addition the Faculty, through the FEC, authorizes the promotion and graduation of students in the School and serves to advise the administration and the UCLA Academic Senate on questions of faculty welfare, academic priorities, and planning and budget allocations within the School of Medicine. Although the FEC formally represents the Senate Faculty, wethey consider it their responsibility to represent the interests of all faculty members of the School, without regard for their eligibility for Senate membership. 

Medical Education Committee (MEC)

The Medical Education Committee (MEC) is a standing subcommittee of the Faculty Executive Committee with the responsibility to authorize and supervise all courses and curricula offered in pursuit of the degree of Doctor of Medicine. The MEC periodically reviews the mission statement and modifies graduation competencies for undergraduate medical education; reviews and recommends revisions of the Medical School curricula; evaluates existing courses, clerkships and other educational programs that support the curriculum; and develops and recommends educational policies related to curricular implementation for consideration by the
Faculty Executive Committee (FEC).

The MEC is composed of 24 voting members and 6 non-voting members. The faculty representatives are chosen for their active interest and experience in undergraduate medical education, and collectively represent the broad range of the basic and clinical sciences. They are expected to be advocates for the curriculum at large rather than representatives of the interests of specific departments, divisions, or courses. The student representatives for this committee are elected by their peers annually.

DGSOM

David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA)

Dual Degree Programs

Our footprint on a large University campus coupled with the relationships that have been built across the other professional schools and research departments allow us to provide a range of articulate and concurrent masters and medical degree programs which we refer to as a "dual degree" program. 

PRIME-LA 

PRIME-LA is a concurrent/dual degree program with a special emphasis on leadership and advocacy to address healthcare disparities in medically underserved populations in California (and the US).

UCLA-Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

The Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) allows students to complete their medical training at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and their PhD in one of the many graduate training programs at UCLA or the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Program

The Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Program, in conjunction with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, offers a six-year training program leading to the MD degree and a certificate of specialization in oral and maxillofacial surgery. The program includes three years as a resident on the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Service, two years as a full-time student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and one year as a resident on the General Surgery Service of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. This comprehensive program is hospital-oriented, with a well-proportioned balance of inpatient and outpatient care.

Concurrent and Articulated Degree Programs

DGSOM students who are in good academic/professional standing and have successfully completed their required core clerkships may pursue one of the following UCLA Dual Degree Programs

The MBA, MPP, and MPH programs at UCLA are typically two years. However, the concurrent degree programs allow completion of the master’s degree concurrently with the MD degree, with only one additional year of enrollment. Students spend one-year full-time on coursework for the master’s degree and then complete the requirements of their program during the MS4 year back in medical school. The master’s degree and MD degree are both awarded at the end of the MS4 year.

Gryphon

The main learning management system (LMS) for housing course materials (resources, handouts, discussion boards, etc.), schedules, session and faculty evaluations, and more!

Access Gryphon here. 

LCME

Medical education programs leading to the MD degree in the United States and Canada are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The LCME’s scope is limited to complete and independent medical education programs whose students are geographically located in the United States or Canada for their education and that are operated by universities or medical schools chartered in the United States or Canada. Find out more about our accreditation and rankings here. 

MD Curriculum 

HEALS Curriculum

The medical school curriculum redesign effort started in the Fall of 2017 with the very fundamental question, “why?” What does DGSOM seek to uniquely do in training future physicians? The answer – “Empower students to become physicians committed to excellence and leaders in innovation, research, health, education, advocacy, and humanistic care." The Healer. Educator. Advocate. Leader. Scholar. (HEALS) curriculum began a phased implementation in August 2021.

  • Year 1: Pre-Clerkship 
    Required courses with focus on case-based learning for students to think like a physician from the first year of medical school. Four core courses comprise the year – Base Camp, Early Authentic Clinical Experience (EACE), Foundations of Practice (FOP), and Scientific Foundations of Medicine (SFM)
     
  • Year 2: Clerkships
    Eight Core Required Clerkships (Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Medicine, Neurology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Surgery) Providing Foundational Knowledge & Experiences.
     
  • Year 3: Discovery & Longitudinal Clinical Experiences
    A period of protected time for a deep and substantive creative, scholarly, and clinical experience in an area of specialty interest.
     
  • Year 4: Electives & Capstone
    Student can pursue their passion for research and scientific inquiry in addition to exploring a wide variety of elective clinical coursework.
  • Foundations Courses
    • Intersessions
       Mandatory curricular time that covers longitudinal elements of the curriculum, scheduled intermittently between clerkship blocks. The week-long intensive activities are designed for integration of knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired in clerkships, reflection on how clinical experiences inform future practice and identifying areas of interest for future research and/or advocacy.
    • Foundations for Fourth Year
      As a required foundations course, all senior students must successfully complete this one-week course to graduate and enroll in 300- and 400-level coursework. This course is the first week of the MS4 curriculum and focuses on the development and reinforcement of core clinical skills that will be used in sub-internship rotations. 
    • Assessment for Internship
      DGSOM's capstone foundation course. This week-long course is designed to assess proficiency in key skills and activities that will be vital to functioning as a resident physician from the first day of internship. All students must complete this course to graduate.

Legacy Curriculum: Human Biology & Disease (Historical)

The three-phase Human Biology and Disease curriculum was sunsetted with the implementation of the HEALS curriculum in August 2021. 

Discover More About Our Historical/Legacy Curriculum Here.

MyCourses/OASIS

MyCourses (OASIS) is a web-based course scheduling and student records systems designed for the unique needs of health science and professional schools. OASIS gives students, administrators, and faculty 24/7 access to student, course, and schedule information. Students become actively involved via the web in building and maintaining their course selections and schedules, completing course and faculty evaluations, and verifying their records and activities

Access MyCourses here.

Pathway Programs

Global Health Program

The Global Health Program (GHP) at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) creates reciprocal, long-term collaborations rooted in equity, trust, and mutual respect. GHP prepares medical students and trainees to advance health equity locally and globally by providing them with knowledge, skills, and structural competency in global health. Through credit-bearing academic coursework, leadership opportunities, experiential learning at partner sites, and a gold-standard pre-departure health and safety workshop, students and trainees learn to make real contributions in the field of global health.

  •  Global Health Equity Pathway
    Intensive program that incorporates a longitudinal commitment to health equity activities, both locally and globally, throughout medical school. Included Foundation for Discovery and Discovery Year based at a partner organization.
  • Global Health Equity Concentration
    Non-competitive program that allows students to gain in-depth knowledge regarding global health equity without committing to a global health-based Foundations for Discovery or Discovery Year. Open to all students.

Urban Health Equity Pathway

The Pathway is a curricular and experiential program to advance health, research, and medical practice for urban underserved communities, focusing on South Los Angeles. The program is geared toward students who are interested in health equity, health disparities, urban underserved medicine, and social justice. Pathway students are selected each year through a competitive application process. As part of the Pathway, students build longitudinal relationships with DGSOM and CDU faculty as well as community partner organizations. Those who complete all requirements of the Pathway will have details of their achievement noted in their MSPE (Dean’s Letter).

Student Information System (SIS)

The Student Information System is the DGSOM database for course registration and grades. This system holds students’ official records. It is administered by DGSOM Student Affairs Office (SAO).