Journal of literary and artistic expression 

Showcasing the creativity of our community.

The journal was initiated by DGSOM medical students in 1998 with the goal of establishing an enduring medium for the expression of literary and visual art. The UCLA BEAT is published annually each spring and shared inter-departmentally with faculty, students, staff, patients, and other universities.

The BEAT 2024

Submissions

Submissions ARE OPEN

 

Submission Categories

Literary Art

This category can include original fiction, non-fiction, poetry, humor, and opinion pieces (3000-word limit). Submissions for this category can be submitted online or to the DGSOM Office of Student Affairs in Geffen Hall. Include a short 2-3 sentence biography about yourself with your submission.

Submit Literary Art 

Visual Art

This category can include photography, drawing, painting, cartoon, and sculpture. Submissions for this category can be submitted online or to the DGSOM Office of Student Affairs in Geffen Hall (they will be returned after they are scanned), or they can be scanned at a resolution of 600dpi and submitted as TIF files. Include a short 2-3 sentence biography about yourself with your submission.

Submit Visual Art and Photography

Submission Guidelines FAQ

The submission deadline is Sunday, January 7th, 2024 at 11:59PM.

Anyone in the UCLA Health System.

Any original content, non-medical or medical.

No more than three entries per category, per person.

All submissions are anonymously evaluated by an impartial committee. All UCLA medical student submissions to The UCLA Beat are automatically entered into the Vital Signs Awards for Literature and Art, awarded to the two highest-rated submissions of each category. Prints of the pieces that win the Visual Art Vital Signs Award are also displayed in the Geffen Hall student lounge.

Literary Art

This category can include original fiction, non-fiction, poetry, humor, and opinion pieces (3000-word limit). Submissions for this category can be submitted online or to the DGSOM Office of Student Affairs in Geffen Hall. Include a short 2-3 sentence biography about yourself with your submission.

Visual Art

This category can include photography, drawing, painting, cartoon, and sculpture. Submissions for this category can be submitted online or to the DGSOM Office of Student Affairs in Geffen Hall (they will be returned after they are scanned), or they can be scanned at a resolution of 600dpi and submitted as TIFF files. Include a short 2-3 sentence biography about yourself with your submission.

Hall of Fame

These awards are bestowed annually to the top two UCLA medical student submissions in each of the separate categories of Art and Literature.

2023-2024

  • Art: In Mama's Footsteps by Katherine Ničev Holland
  • Art: Housing Crisis by Emma Ruskin
  • Literature: The Mandarin Tree by Kate Coursey
  • Literature: Silence by Daem Roxane Celestin

2022-2023

  • Art: Little or No Color by Aarushi Saharan
  • Art: Washed Ashore by James Asuncion
  • Literature: The Painting by Kate Coursey
  • Literature: hospital cafeteria food by Juhee Agrawal

2021-2022

  • Art: In Memoriam of Kwame Firempong, by Michelle Miller
  • Art: not far from home, by Jazlyn Chong
  • Literature: Perfume, by Kate Coursey
  • Literature: To Do List (MS2), by Beau Sperry

2020-2021

  • Art: Climb On, by David Lee
  • Art: Hypoxia, by Maggie Tsang
  • Literature: Jenga Tower, by Lauren Taiclet
  • Literature: Letters to My Donor, by Guneet Kaur

2019-2020

  • Art Look Up, by David Lee
  • Art: Memento Mori, by Ansley Unterberger
  • Literature: Eclipse, by Kate Coursey
  • Literature: First Day, by Savannah Starr

A special thank you to Dr. Neil Parker for his support of The BEAT, without whom we could not showcase the multitude of talents of our medical community.

We would also like to thank our past Editors-In-Chief, whose guidance has been critical to the continuation of this UCLA tradition.

Editors-In-Chief

  • 2021-2022: Lauren Taiclet and Stuart Fine
  • 2020-2021: Angela Pham, Kate Coursey, Maggie Tsang, Melodyanne Cheng
  • 2019-2020: Minji Kim, Zoe Zhou
  • 2018-2019: Safiya Lahlaf, Vivian Wung, Varun Gudapati, Eviola Nakhla
  • 2017-2018: Michelle Miller, Jessica Poon, Jon Warren
  • 2016-2017: Jacqueline Ngo, Rose Shan, Victoria Sun
  • 2015-2016: Christina Harview and Christine Shieh
  • 2014-2015: Elyse Guran, Joel Amezquita, Stephan Chiu
  • 2013-2014: Catherine Ni and Renee Thomas
  • 2012-2013: Aaron Jen and Shauna Higgins

Connect with Us

Contact us if you have any questions or comments about The UCLA Beat.

Faculty Advisor: Neil Parker, MD
Email: uclabeat@gmail.com

Address:

The UCLA Beat
Student Affairs Office
Geffen Hall, Suite 200
885 Tiverton Drive, Box 951720
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1720