The CTSI Training Program in Translational Science (TPTS; formerly known as the UCLA K30 Program) was developed to provide clinicians with the necessary training to become successful patient-oriented investigators who can bridge molecular medicine and clinical research. Participants have a high commitment to clinical research and must have either professional health degrees (e.g., medicine, nursing, dentistry) or a doctorate. In addition, participants must be affiliated with UCLA, Harbor-LABioMed, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center or Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (the CTSI partner institutions).
A new articulated/dual degree MD/MS program has been added to allow interested UCLA Medical Students to complete the Master of Science in Clinical Research Program during their Discovery Year (3rd Year). The purpose of the program is to develop physician scientists interested in clinical research or biomedical informatics.
TPTS is organized into:
Certificate Program applicants must have:
MSCR MS Program applicants must:
MSCR MD/MS Program applicants must:
Admissions decisions will be made by our Admissions Subcommittee and approved by our Executive Committee using the following criteria: (1) scientific background, and (2) commitment to a career in patient-oriented translational investigation.
The TPTS Certificate Program is a structured, two-year certificate program (can be completed in one year) that provides participants with the necessary training to become successful patient-oriented investigators who can bridge molecular medicine and clinical research. Participation in The Certificate Program is viewed favorably by K23 study sections.
Completion of the program leads to the CTSI Training Program in Translational Science Certificate from the David Geffen School of Medicine
To be eligible, applicants must have:
Certificate Program requirements:
Fees: Certificate fellows audit courses and seminars. The audit option requires no fees, and no graduate credit is given. UCLA graduate courses may be taken for credit by registering and paying fees through UCLA Extension.
Location: All courses are held at UCLA but are available via Zoom for our partner sites. In addition, individuals may satisfy some program requirements by taking compatible courses at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CS) or Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (HU).
Certificate fellows are required to complete four courses and two electives from the list below over two years. All courses are held at UCLA but are available via Zoom for our partner sites. In addition, individuals may satisfy some program requirements by taking compatible courses at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CS) or Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (HU).
Attendance in each class must not fall below 75-80%, depending on the class. Completing homework for grading is required for Biomath 170A and 266A, and passing a final take-home exam for a certificate of completion is required for Biomath M261.
Please see the UCLA Schedule of Classes for dates, times and locations of courses.
Required Coursework
Sample Coursework Schedule
View Timeline_TPTS_Certificate_22-23.pdf (subject to change).
Course Descriptions
View all the TPTS course descriptions.
Certificate fellows are required to attend monthly meetings until program completion and participate in a Research Interest presentation. The meetings are designed to give trainees and opportunity to present their research in an open yet structured format during which they receive feedback from their peers, the Program Director, and faculty.
Trainees are also encouraged to discuss challenges in their research or professional development at these meetings, soliciting input from fellow trainees and faculty. These can include disagreements with collaborators or mentors, concerns regarding career trajectory, an ethical dilemma, preventing over-committal to multiple projects, addressing critical reviews of a grant or manuscript, challenges encountered with gaps in training, difficulty with research budgets/funding, etc.
Research Interest
This presentation should be done during the trainee’s first year. It is an opportunity to introduce yourself and give a brief overview of your work and research proposal submitted with your Certificate Training Program application. You are strongly encouraged to invite your research mentor(s) to attend the presentation. Other senior researchers in your area of study may be invited to attend at the discretion of Isidro Salusky, MD, Program Director.
Presentation Timing: 20 minutes total. 15-minute talk, 5-minute Q&A.
Click here to view sample recordings of Certificate and MSCR courses from past quarters.
The Training Program in Translational Science Certificate trainee list is being updated.
(by year training was completed)
Naser Ahmadi, MD Lundquist/Harbor-UCLA WLA-VA General Medicine/Cardiology |
Zaid Chaudhry MD UCLA/Olive View / Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery |
Seth Cohen MD UCLA / Urology |
Dennis Montoya PhD UCLA/Molecular, Cell & Development Biology |
My-Linh Nguyen MD UCLA / Obstetrics & Gynecology |
Jenny Dai-Ju MD PhD Harbor-UCLA/Endocrinology |
Luu Doan Ireland MD MPH UCLA/Family Planning |
Bob Geng MD MA UCLA/Allergy & Immunology |
David Gordon Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science |
Tamara Grisales MD UCLA/Obstetrics & Gynecology |
Ivet Hartonian MD UCLA/Pediatric Neurology |
Kattayoun Kordy MD UCLA/Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition |
Rajan Kulkarni MD PhD UCLA/Dermatology |
Sonya Pritzker PhD MA MS UCLA General Internal Medicine & Health Services Research |
Kumar C Shah BDS MS FACP UCLA School of Dentistry |
Nelly Tan MD, UCLA/Radiology |
Peter Tieh MD Harbor-UCLA/Pediatric Endocrinology |
Maida Wong MD UCLA Rheumatology |
Joshua G. Cohen MD UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center/Oncology |
Satiro De Oliveira MD UCLA Pediatric Hematology/Oncology |
Mary T. Jenkins Vogel MD Cedars-Sinai Medical Center/Gynecologic Oncology |
Caron Kim MD MSc UCLA/Obstetrics & Gynecology |
Veronica Sullins MD Harbor-UCLA Surgery |
Eric Yen MD UCLA Rheumatology/Pediatrics |
Kelly Callahan, MD Harbor-UCLA/Pediatrics |
Marissa Caudill, MD PhD UCLA, Child Psychiatry |
Fnu Deepinder, MD Cedars Sinai—WLA-VA Endocrinology |
Catherine DeRidder, MD Harbor-UCLA/Pediatrics/Child Abuse |
Elena Diaz MD Cedars-Sinai Medical Center/Gynecologic Oncology |
Andrew Dorsch, MD UCLA/Neurology |
Joshua Grill, PhD UCLA Director, Katherine and Benjamin Kagan Alzheimer's Disease Treatment Development Program Director, Recruitment and Education Core Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research |
Jane Kuo, MD Cedars-Sinai/Medical Genetics |
Dong Li, MD PhD Harbor-UCLA/Genetic Epidemiology |
Geoffry Sonn MD UCLA/Urology |
Neha Vaghasia, MD UCLA/Pediatrics-Hematology & Oncology |
Ali Alktaifi, MD UCLA Department of Surgery |
Rebecca Hicks, MD Lundquist/Harbor-UCLA Pediatric Endocrinology |
Bahram Khazai, MD Lundquist/Harbor-UCLA Internal Medicine/Endocrinology |
Christina Lam, MD UCLA/Pediatrics and Medical Genetics |
Frank Shih-Chang Ong, MD Cedars Sinai Pathology & Laboratory Medicine |
Lisa Rogo-Gupta, MD UCLA/Femal Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery |
Anita Rowhani Sicolo, MD UCLA Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellow |
Prasanth N. Surampudi, MD Harbor UCLA T32 Endocrinology Fellow |
Sigrid Burruss, MD UCLA Department/General Surgery |
William A. Freije, MD, PhD UCLA Department of OB &GYN |
Michelle Gardner, PhD MS UCLA Department of Orthopedic Surgery |
Jethro L. Hu, MD Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Neuro-Oncology |
Niloufar Ilani, MD Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Endocrinology |
Po H. Lu, PsyD UCLA Department of Neurology |
James A. McKinnell, MD Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Infectious Diseases |
Denise D. Nicholson, AuD UCLA Audiology Clinic |
David E. Piccioni, MD, PhD UCLA Department of Neurology |
Laura Wozniak, MD UCLA Pediatric Gastroenterology/Hepatology/Nutrition |
Z. Chad Baxter, MD UCLA Pelvic Medicine/Urology |
Agnes Huang Chen, MD Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Pediatrics and Neurology |
Daniel DeUgarte, MD UCLA Pediatrics/Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery |
Noah Federman, MD UCLA Pediatric/Hematology-Oncology |
Alan Ikeda, MD UCLA Pediatric/ Hematology-Oncology |
Larissa Mooney, MD UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior/Integrated Substance Abuse |
Mary Elizabeth Patterson, MD Harbor-UCLA Endocrinolog |
Thomas Thannickal, PhD UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences |
Farin Amersi, MD Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology |
David Andorsky, MD UCLA Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology |
Alice Chang, MD UCLA Pediatric Rheumatology |
David Chim, DO UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior/Integrated Substance Abuse |
Sherilyn Gordon Burroughs, MD UCLA Division of Liver and Pancreas Transplantation, Department of Surgery |
Phuong Thao Hoang, MD David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology |
Mariko Ishimori, MD Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Medicine, Division of Rheumatology |
Philip Liu, PhD UCLA Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics |
Daniel Margolis, MD UCLA Radiological Sciences |
Rodney McKeever, MD, FCCP King/Drew Medical Center Critical Care Medicine, Transfusion Medicine |
Jennifer Yee, MD Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Pediatric Endocrinology |
Marc Brodksy, MD, MBA UCLA Center for East-West Medicine |
John David Carmichael, MD Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism |
Yoon-Hee Cha, MD UCLA Department of Neurology |
Dinesh Chhetri, MD UCLA Department of Surgery/Otolaryngology |
Lorraine Evangelista, PhD, RN UCLA School of Nursing |
James Farrell, MD UCLA Division of Digestive Diseases |
Karen Hamill, DPT UCLA Rehabilitation Services |
Joseph L. Lasky, III, MD UCLA Pediatric Neuro-oncology |
Nerses Sanossian, MD Keck School of Medicine at USC Department of Neurology |
Anil Sharma, MD, MBA UCLA Semel Institure for Neuroscience & Human Behavior |
Stephen B. Shew, MD UCLA Surg-Ped |
Brian Shuch, MD UCLA Urology |
Malcolm Taw, MD UCLA Center for East-West Medicine |
Raymond Wang, MD Children's Hospital of Orange County Biochemical Genetics |
Katherine Wesseling, MD UCLA Department of Pediatric Nephrology |
Ana Isabel Alvarez-Retuerto, PhD UCLA Department of Psychiatry |
Mitali Wadekar, MD UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute (NPI) |
Eric Crombez, MD UCLA Department of Pediatrics, Division of Medical Genetics |
Sarah E. Evans, PhD UCLA Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Behavior |
Cynthia Hall, MD, FACOG UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Obstetrics and Gynecology/Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery |
Isett Laux, PhD Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Prostate Cancer Center |
Joann Lin, MD UCLA Department of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy and Immunology |
Michael Milane, MD, MPH UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior |
Phioanh Nghiemphu, MD UCLA Department of Neurology |
Raquel Soto, MD Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Department of Family Medicine/Health Education Center |
Preethi Srikanthan, MD UCLA Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine |
Odelia Cooper, MD Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism |
Jonathan Cotliar, MD UCLA Division of Dermatology |
Deborah Flores, MD Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavorial Sciences |
Jordan Geller, MD Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Division of Endocrinology |
Carla Janzen, MD, PhD UCLA Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology |
John Lam, MD UCLA Department of Urology |
Halleh Mir, MD UCLA Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology |
Pornpimol Rianthavorn, MD |
Noriko Salamon, MD, PhD UCLA Department of Radiology |
Rosa Solorio, MD, MPH UCLA Department of Family Medicine |
Bulent Yildiz, MD |
David Ziring, MD UCLA Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology |
Heather Cahan, MD Private Pediatrics/Neonatology |
Barbara Gitlitz, MD USC Clinical Medicine/Lung, Head and Neck Program |
To be eligible, applicants must have:
Deadline: Applications are accepted Feb 1 to May 15 for the academic year beginning August 1. Additional time can be given on a case-by-case basis.
Click the "Apply Now" button to access the online Application Form:.
Required Application Form Materials:
Applicants must attach the following materials to the form in .doc or .pdf format:
Required Letters of Recommendation:
Applicants must also submit the following two letters of recommendation, on letterhead and including signature.
One letter must include a statement from the applicant's department head or supervisor that confirms that the applicant will be given secure protected time to complete the two-year certificate program curriculum.)
Letter of Recommendation Submission:
E-mail to the Program Coordinator at training@ctsi.ucla.edu
The MSCR MS Program, leading to a Master of Science in Clinical Research graduate degree, is designed to develop physician scientists interested in clinical research or biomedical informatics to:
The MSCR MS Program consists of two “Track” options. One focused on Research/Clinical Trials and one serving physician scientists with an interest in Biomedical Informatics.
The program takes two years (one year for UCLA medical students) to complete for full-time (minimum 70%) participants. STAR fellows may take up to three years so they may submit manuscripts, apply for funding (NIH, foundations, etc.), and transition to a faculty position.
MSCR MS applicants must:
Applications are accepted December 1 to April 1 for the academic year beginning in Sept/Oct (Fall Quarter).
MSCR MS graduate students must complete a specified curriculum and a research project.
Coursework Overview
Students must complete a minimum of 48 units, including:
Mentored Research Project
MSCR MS degree students may choose between a Capstone Plan II (capstone: research report) and a Thesis Plan.
(MSCR MD/MS degree students will complete a Capstone Plan II).
Required courses are listed below. All required courses are held at UCLA, but are available via Zoom for Cedars-Sinai, LABiomed/Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.
Please see the UCLA Schedule of Classes for dates, times, and locations of classes.
Required Courses for Clinical Trials Track
Required Courses for Biomedical Informatics Track
Elective Courses
MSCR MS trainees in either track must take a total of 8-units of graduate elective courses (200 series). These can be taken in any quarter(s) during training. Electives must be basic science courses and can include courses offered in other departments.
Sample Timelines
Timeline for MSCR Clinical Trials_22-23 (subject to change).
Timeline for MSCR Biomedical Informatics_22-23 (subject to change).
Timeline for MSCR Clinical Trials Medical Student_22-23 (subject to change).
Timeline for MSCR Biomedical Informatics Medical Student_22-23 (subject to change).
Course Descriptions
View all the TPTS course descriptions.
Click here to view sample recordings of Certificate and MSCR courses from past quarters.
Upon acceptance to the MSCR MS Program, participants must apply directly for admission to the UCLA Graduate Division.
MSCR MS Degree Students:
Fees are subject to revision without notice. To view the current fee schedule, click here.
To be eligible, applicants must:
STEP 1: Meet with Dr. Elashoff and Dr. Ranganath before submitting an MSCR application packet. To schedule a meeting, please email: delashoff@mednet.ucla.edu and vranganath@mednet.ucla.edu.
STEP 2: Submit an application packet (see instructions below).
STEP 3: Applicants accepted into the MSCR MS program will be notified and instructed to officially submit an online application to UCLA Graduate Division.
Deadline:
Application Item Checklist:
Application Submission:
Please email your application items, PDF preferred, to the contact below. (Transcripts must be sent separately from the institution directly to the contact below):
Doug Smoot
UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
CTSI Student Affairs
E-mail: dsmoot@mednet.ucla.edu
Questions: Please email the TPTS Coordinator at training@ctsi.ucla.edu.
The MSCR MD/MS Program is a one-year articulated degree program that allows interested UCLA Medical Students to complete the Master of Science in Clinical Research Program (MSCR) during their Discovery Year (Year 3).
The MSCR MD/MS Program leads to a Master of Science in Clinical Research graduate degree and is designed to develop physician scientists interested in clinical research or biomedical informatics to:
MSCR MD/MS students have the choice of focusing their clinical research education in either of two tracks: 1) Clinical Trials/Translational Research Track, or 2) Biomedical Informatics Track.
Who Can Apply:
Second-year UCLA Medical Students, in good standing, who are interested in learning how to design, analyze, and conduct high-quality clinical research.
When to Apply:
Initial application deadline is April 1. This allows time for MSCR admissions committee review prior to the April 30 UCLA Medical School Discovery Year declaration deadline.
Students who are accepted by the MSCR admissions committee will then be asked to submit an official online application with the UCLA Graduate Division.
The academic year begins in Sept/Oct (Fall Quarter).
MSCR MD/MS graduate students must complete a specified curriculum and a research project.
Coursework Overview
Students must complete a minimum of 48 units, including:
Mentored Research Project
MSCR MD/MS students will complete a Capstone Plan II (capstone: research report).
Required courses are listed below. All required courses are held at UCLA, but are available via Zoom for Cedars-Sinai, LABiomed/Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.
Please see the UCLA Schedule of Classes for dates, times, and locations of classes.
Required Courses for Clinical Trials Track
Required Courses for Biomedical Informatics Track
Elective Courses
MSCR MD/MS trainees in either track must take a total of 8-units of graduate elective courses (200 series). These can be taken in any quarter(s) during training. Electives must be basic science courses and can include courses offered in other departments.
Sample Timelines
Timeline for MSCR Clinical Trials Medical Student_22-23 (subject to change).
Timeline for MSCR Biomedical Informatics Medical Student_22-23 (subject to change).
Course Descriptions
View all the TPTS course descriptions.
Click here to view sample recordings of Certificate and MSCR courses from past quarters.
Upon acceptance to the MSCR MD/MS Program, participants must apply directly for admission to the UCLA Graduate Division.
MSCR MD/MS Students:
Fees are subject to revision without notice. To view the current fee schedule, click here.
To be eligible:
STEP 1: Meet with Dr. Elashoff and Dr. Ranganath to discuss possible mentors and projects. To schedule a meeting, please email: delashoff@mednet.ucla.edu and vranganath@mednet.ucla.edu.
STEP 2: Submit an application packet (see instructions below).
STEP 3: Applicants accepted into the MSCR MD/MS program will be notified and instructed to submit an official online application to UCLA Graduate Division.
Deadlines:
The initial MSCR MD/MS application deadline is April 1. This allows time for MSCR admissions committee review prior to the April 30th UCLA Medical School Discovery Year declaration deadline.
Students who are accepted by the MSCR admissions committee will then be asked to submit an official online application with the UCLA Graduate Division.
The academic year begins in Sept/Oct (Fall Quarter).
Application items for April 1 deadline:
If accepted, additional application items for Graduate Division application (if not already provided):
Application Submission:
Please email your application items, PDF preferred, to the contact below. (Transcripts must be sent separately from the institution directly to the contact below):
Doug Smoot
UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
CTSI Student Affairs
E-mail: dsmoot@mednet.ucla.edu
Questions: Please email the TPTS Coordinator at training@ctsi.ucla.edu.
UCLA BruinLearn-Canvas: CTSI course management sites
TPTS students who have been officially added to a course (enrolled or auditing) can access schedules, notices, and materials through BruinLearn.
Login information: Once you have been added to a course, the course will appear when you log into BruinLearn using your UCLA logon ID. If you are using guest access, you will not be able to view most of the course content. If you do not have a UCLA Login ID, you will be able to create one, even if you are not a UCLA faculty, fellow, or student.
CTSI Training Program Director
Isidro B. Salusky MD
office: (310) 206-6987
email: isalusky@mednet.ucla.edu
MSCR Co-Director/Faculty Advisor
Veena Ranganath, MD, MS, RhMSUS
office: (310) 825-3061
email: vranganath@mednet.ucla.edu
CTSI Training Program Coordinator
Doug Smoot
office: (310) 825-6312
email: training@ctsi.ucla.edu