The UCLA STAR Program offers multiple career tracks
The STAR Program begins with approximately 12-24 months of fellowship clinical training, followed by combined clinical and research training in one of four research career tracks. STAR fellows also receive assistance in finding a research mentor and laboratory, guidance during graduate school training, grant writing training and career development mentorship through monthly seminars. The directors meet regularly with fellows to oversee their success in becoming independent clinician-scientists.
This track is for physicians committed to careers combining basic science research with subspecialty medicine. Graduate courses and research are undertaken to fulfill requirements for the PhD degree. Mentors may be chosen from UCLA's basic science programs including:
A partnership between UCLA School of Medicine and California Institute of Technology enables STAR fellows the option of pursuing their PhD studies at Caltech.
This track is for physicians committed to careers combining clinical medicine with health services/outcomes research. Graduate courses and research are undertaken with faculty mentors from the Division of General Internal Medicine in the Department of Medicine, the Departments of Health Services, Biostatistics, or Epidemiology in the School of Public Health or the Pardee-RAND Graduate School. This track leads to a PhD.
This track is for physicians committed to careers focused on multidisciplinary studies involving interactions with patients, diagnostic clinical materials, and data on populations. The program involves course work and research that leads to a Master of Science degree in Clinical Research from the Department of Biomathematics. The course work includes the design and analysis of clinical trails and observational studies, biostatistics, clinical pharmacology, ethics in patient-oriented research, and elective courses appropriate to individual interests. A thesis is also required.
This track is ideal for physicians who have already completed a PhD, such as MSTP graduates. It allows for smooth re-entry into research and state-of-the-art technology. Mentors are chosen from among basic science and health services departments, as well as from the Caltech and Pardee-RAND programs.
