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Career & Specialty Interest Groups

Career Specialty Interest Groups (CSIGs) represent some of the 122 specialties and subspecialties that you can pursue through a residency or fellowship. CSIGs are charged with providing informative and innovative programming geared toward career exploration. Click on a CSIG below to find out what your fellow students have planned in your area of interest! If you are looking for a specialty that is not represented by a group below, contact Mitsue Yokota or Shamar Jones about starting a new group.

Active Interest Groups

Anesthesiology Interest Group (ASIG)
Cardiology Interest Group (CIG)
Dermatology Interest Group (DIG)
Emergency Medicine Interest Group (EMIG)
Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG)
Geriatric Medicine Interest Group (GMIG)
Global Health Interest Group (GHIG)

Head & Neck Surgery Interest Group (ENTIG)

Integrative Medicine Student Interest Group (IMSIG)
Internal Medicine Interest Group (IMIG)
Lifestyle Medicine Intrest Group (LMIG)

Medical Genetics Interest Group (GIG)

Medical Innovations Interest Group (MIIG)

Medicine Pediatrics Interest Group (MPIG)
Neurosurgery Interest Group (NSIG)
Obstretrics & Gynecology Interest Group (OBIG)
Oncology Interest Group (OncIG)
Ophthalmology Interest Group (OIG)
Orthopedic Surgery Interest Group (OSIG)
Pediatrics Interest Group (PIG)

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R)
Psychiatry Student Interest Group (PsychSIG)
Radiology Interest Group (RIG)
Surgery Interest Group (SIG)
Student Interest Group in Neurology (SIGN)

Women in Surgery Interest Group (WISIG)

Anesthesiology Student Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Yas Sanaiha, Shaishav Shah
Student Advisor: Chris Wijekoon and Jessica Hartnett
Faculty Advisor: Randolph Steadman, M.D.
Department Website: http://www.anes.ucla.edu/
CSIG Website: http://www.medstudent.ucla.edu/aig/main.htm
Sponsoring College: Acute Care

The Anesthesiology Interest Group is dedicated to introducing and educating medical students about the field of anesthesiology through a variety of meetings and activities, where students have opportunities to learn clinical skills and explore their interests by shadowing in an OR. Clinical skill workshops are held to introduce students to airway management, including techniques such as bag-valve mask and intubations. Students are also encouraged to participate in the shadowing program to follow residents and faculty in the OR, allowing them to experience directly what it is like to work in this rapidly growing and exciting field.

Cardiology Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Shirley Hu, Eugene Shkolyar
Student Advisors: Ryan Williams, Brian Tse
Faculty Advisor: James Weiss, M.D.
Department Website: http://www.cardiology.med.ucla.edu/
Sponsoring College: Academic Medicine

The goal of the Cardiology Interest Group is to expose future physicians to the excitement of different fields within cardiology at an early stage in training. To do so, we will organize lunchtime meetings during the which leaders in their filed have an opportunity to speak to first and second year medical students about their work and the current trends in the field of cardiology. Students benefit by getting early exposure to cardiology, plus the privilege to hear some wonderful doctors whom they would not otherwise come in contact with so early in their training. We will also provide shadowing opportunities, enabling students to get hands-on experience with cardiology patients. Lastly, the Cardiology Interest Group will provide opportunities for medical students to get to know cardiology fellows and attendings through social events and mixers, thus creating a collegial atmosphere to foster interest in cardiology. We hope this group will spark interest in pursuing a career path in one of the cardiology specialties to balance the growing need for cardiologists both in the clinical and research realms.

Dermatology Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Shalini Krisnasamy, Heajung Lee
Student Advisors: Monica Tsai
Faculty Advisors: Jenny Kim, M.D., Ph.D. and Melvin Chiu, M.D.
Department Website: http://www.derm.med.ucla.edu/tsite/v1/
Sponsoring College: Academic Medicine

The Dermatology Interest Group (DIG) has been founded for the purpose of advancing student knowledge of the dermatology specialty. Our objectives include:

In order to fulfill our goals and objectives, we will utilize faculty support to provide lunchtime talks, offer mentorship opportunities, have regular meetings among medical students in their didactic and clinical training, and establish open communication among students conducting research in dermatology at UCLA. The structure of DIG includes a committee focused on didactics (lunchtime discussions), and a cabinet consisting of a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. DIG will also include both upperclassmen and underclassmen so that both clinical and didactic aspects of DIG can be better addressed and included in DIG meetings. The role of our faculty advisor is to assist DIG members in exploration of long range occupational and professional plans in dermatology, refer students to sources for specialized assistance in dermatology, and to contribute awareness of opportunities in laboratories, clinics, and field experiences. Membership includes graduate students, medical students, and faculty.

Emergency Medicine Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Elizabeth Lancaster, Jeremy Smith
Student Advisor: Bennett Lee
Faculty Advisors: Scott Votey, M.D. and Pamela Dyne, M.D.
Department Website: http://www.emergencymedicine.ucla.edu/
Sponsoring College: Acute Care

The Emergency Medicine Interest Group is a group of first and second year medical students who work with physicians from the UCLA Emergency Departments to learn both clinical skills and to explore opportunities in Emergency Medicine. Dr. Scott Votey and Dr. Pam Dyne of UCLA, along with residents from the UCLA Emergency Department, help teach students skills such as suturing, splinting, starting IVs, intubation, and ultrasound. The group also meets to discuss topics about Emergency Medicine, such as planning for residency, wilderness medicine, career choices in Emergency Medicine, and much more. The interest group leaders ensure that students have access to information regarding national organizations like ACEP and AAEM. EMIG also encourages participation in emergency medicine conferences throughout Southern California.

EMIG supports a shadowing program whereby students follow residents during their shifts in the Emergency Departments at UCLA affiliate hospitals - RRMC, Harbor, and Olive View.

EMIG fulfills the mission statement above by stimulating interest in Emergency Medicine through providing hands-on experience in workshops and shadowing, in addition to lectures and conferences.

Family Medicine Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Margaret Chen, Max Dean Goldstein
Student Advisors: Yemi Ajirotutu, Lily Adelzadeh
Faculty Advisor: Dan Lee, M.D.
Department Website: http://fm.mednet.ucla.edu/index.asp
Sponsoring College: Primary Care

The mission of the Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) is to inform medical and pre-medical students about the unique philosophy of Family Medicine through education and mentorship. FMIG understands the role of family physicians in the improvement of health in this country and seeks to encourage medical student to be future leaders in their practices, to understand the problems facing health care today, and to respond to the growing disparities in health care that exist among immigrant families and minority populations in large urban centers, such as Los Angeles. Additionally, we would like to inform students and expose them to the various specialties and career opportunities available within family medicine through workshops, lunch talks, networking activities, regional and national conferences, and community service events.

Geriatric Medicine Interest Group

Student Coordinator: Kristin Masukawa
Student Advisors: Emily Dubina, Sayaka Weis
Faculty Advisors: Susan Charette, M.D. and David Ganz, M.D.
Support Staff: Anne Hu, MPH, AGE Program Coordinator
Department Website: http://www.geronet.med.ucla.edu/

Sponsoring College: Primary Care

Regardless of what specialty physicians choose, the elderly will inevitably comprise a significant portion of the patient population. Statistical estimates project that by the year 2030, the geriatric population in the United States aged 65 and over will have doubled to 60 million people. The Geriatrics Medicine Interest Group (GMIG) is the UCLA student chapter of the American Geriatric Society. Our collective goals are to ignite interest in geriatrics among medical students, to disseminate knowledge and increase awareness of the special issues and research work that address the health care problems of older people, and to provide community service that focuses on the wellness of the elderly. We are determined to accomplish our goals with hour-long noon seminars, various opportunities to shadow geriatricians in both clinical and hospital settings, and undertaking several community outreach projects.

Global Health Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Hannah Shull, Ramy Salah
Student Advisors: Braden Mogler, Ziyad Khesbak
Faculty Advisor: Ross Donaldson, M.D.
Website: http://www.uclaghf.org/
Sponsoring College: Primary Care

The Global Health Interest Group (GHIG) serves to educate medical students about global health issue. This is primarily accomplished by hosting speakers with experience and knowledge relating to healthcare and the practice of medicine abroad. The GHIG talks provide an opportunity for students to gain a broader understanding of medicine and thus, a more complete medical education. The group also provides information and encouragement to those seeking to gain or expand on preexisting international experience. All medical students are encouraged to join.

Head & Neck Surgery Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Carlos Guzman, Ashley Kita
Student Advisors: Kevin Ro, Robin Guo
Faculty Advisor: Vishad Nabili, MD
Department Website: http://www.surgery.ucla.edu/headandneck/default.shtml
Sponsoring College: Applied Anatomy

The ENT IG is dedicated to providing opportunities for medical students to learn about Otolaryngology/ Head and Neck Surgery. For many students our lunch events and provided shadowing opportunities are the only experience they will have with Head and Neck surgery until a short rotation during third year surgery clerkships. Head and Neck Surgery is a unique field in that doctors are not only the surgeons but also the primary medical physicians for any illnesses for the head and neck region. Head and neck pathology is important for every feild of medicine and the earlier students receive exposure to the filed the more educated decisions they can make about their future careers. It is our goal provide that exposure to Head and Neck Surgery and serve as the venue where vital student-faculty relationships can be made in order to ensure that UCLA medical students are best prepared for matching into Head and Neck residencies if they so choose.

Integrative Medicine Student Interest Group

Group Coordinators: Katherine Huang, Helen Lam
Student Advisors: Bo He, Takeo Toyoshima
Faculty Advisor: Ka-kit Hui, M.D.

Integrative Medicine emphasizes the whole person. Its practice aims to provide optimal health, healing, and well-being while reaffirming the significance of the patient-physician relationship, all by utilizing an evidence-based, conventional and non-conventional multidisciplinary approach: through the incorporation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, Herbalism, Nutrition, Mindfulness, and a multitude of other modalities. In order to spread the knowledge and philosophy of Integrative Medicine, IMSIG will provide a forum for medical students to learn, challenge, explore, share, and experience Integrative Medicine through sponsorship of speakers, practical workshops, and discussions. Students will gain an understanding and appreciation of health as being cross-cultural, founded upon ancient and modern ideas and practices, and most importantly as a spectrum of human experiences, from body to mind, emotion, and spirit. Through community outreach, students will have the opportunity to educate the community at large while simultaneously exploring and developing a greater awareness of their own health, well-being, and roles as physician-healers in the community. IMSIG hopes to provide medical students with a unique capacity to effect positive, healing transformations in all aspects of patients’ lives while also realizing the motto – “Physician, heal thyself.”

Our Goals:

1. Explore areas of interest in Integrative Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Herbalism, Acupuncture, Nutrition, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.

2. Provide and foster a community and forum for medical students who are interested in sharing and exploring Integrative Medicine.

3. Invite relevant Physicians and Researchers to share their expertise and experiences in the field of Integrative Medicine.

4. Educate students to incorporate the benefits of Integrative Medicine in their personal lives and future clinical practice, to reduce stress and maintain health and well-being for both themselves and their patients.

5. Provide students with clinical and research opportunities in the field of Integrative Medicine.

Internal Medicine Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Jiwoon Chang, Jeremy Smith
Student Advisors: Naomi Serling-Boyd, Michelle Wang
Faculty Advisor: Jan Tillisch, M.D.
Support Staff: Dale Best
Department Website: http://www.med.ucla.edu/modules/wfchannel/
Sponsoring College: Primary Care

The mission of the DGSOM-UCLA Internal Medicine Interest Group (IMIG) is to provide students with information about internal medicine as a medical specialty and as a possible career; expose students to physicians in the field of internal medicine with interesting and successful careers who can provide students with a sense of what it is like to be an internal medicine specialists or subspecialist/ and provide an opportunity for students to learn, network, and serve their community together.

IMIG fulfills this mission by hosting speaker events featuring UCLA and community residents, fellows, and physicians; setting up shadowing opportunities at Ronald Reagan Medical Center; organizing student participation in service events such as community health fairs; and promoting opportunities for students to submit abstracts to American College of Physicians research competitions.

Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Catherine Amble, Katherine Chen, Katherine Henry, Joshua Istrin
Student Advisor: Daniel Croymans

Faculty Advisors: Lillian Gelberg, M.D., M.S.P.H., William J. McCarthy, Ph.D.
Group Website: http://www.lmucla.com/

Mission Statement:

The leading causes of mortality for adults in the United States are heart disease, cancer, and stroke. The prevalence of these diseases is intimately ties to lifestyle behaviors, including tobacco use, food and beverages choices, and level of daily physical activity. Lifestyle practices and health habits are among the nation’s most important health determinants. As doctors, we must not only treat illness, but also take action to prevent disease by promoting healthy behaviors. With training, a physician must learn to foster trusting relationships with patients.Leveraging this relationship, together with the support of the family, an interdisciplinary team, and the community, is paramount toward improving health behaviors and health outcomes.

Lifestyle medicine is the evidence-based practice of empowering individuals and families to adopt and sustain healthy behaviors that prevent disease, prolong life, and promote a higher quality of living. Examples of target patient behaviors include physical activity/exercise, food and beverage choices, tobacco use, alcohol use, reproductive health, perceived stress, mental health, hygiene, and sleep. As a Career Specialty Interest Group with service- and community-based activities, the Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group (LMIG) will provide a forum for medical personnel to explore, learn, challenge, share, and experience Lifestyle Medicine and its application in the clinic and in their own lives.

Five Key Areas: 1) Behavior change counseling (motivational interviewing), 2) physical activity/exercise, 3) nutrition, 4) stress management, and 5) public health policy reform and advocacy.

Goals:

Explore Lifestyle Medicine as a philosophy, an approach to medical practice, and a way to achieve better patient health outcomes.
Stimulate student interest in the benefits and rewards of practicing Lifestyle Medicine and the ways, both conceptual and concrete, in which they can incorporate its principles into their future practice as physicians as well as into their own lives as health leaders and role models.
Collaborating with other student interest groups when appropriate, provide students with the opportunity to hear speakers from variety of disciplines share their perspectives on Lifestyle Medicine as it relates to health care reform, evidence-based medicine, disease prevention, and patient empowerment.
Provide students with clinical and research career opportunities in the field of Lifestyle and Preventive Medicine, such as a shadowing, observation of classes, workshops, and arranging connections with appropriate mentors.
Provide students with opportunities to interact directly with patients and provide lifestyle interventions-in the setting of health fairs, mobile clinics, classes, screenings, etc.
Educate students about the career opportunities in the field of Lifestyle and Preventative Medicine including residency (e.g. board certified medical specialty in Preventative Medicine) and postgraduate careers in health departments, academic institutions, state and national government, international or global institutions including WHO, UN agencies or NGOs, government agencies like the CDC or NASA, organized medical care programs in industry, and voluntary health agencies.
Support and develop health policy reform initiatives to promote Lifestyle and Preventive Medicine through collaborations with organizations like the American Medical Association and development tools to empower physicians and medical students to act as advocates for community health.
Establish and develop a national network of Lifestyle Medicine advocates, including: our current relationship with faculty and students at Harvard and Stanford Medical Schools, collaborations with UCLA undergraduate programs and the UCLA Schools of Public Health and Nursing, and partnership with national organizations like the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, American Board preventive Medicine, American College of Sports medicine etc.
Create and maintain a website that provides physicians and medical students with access to science news, resources, and educational materials surrounding Lifestyle Medicine practice.

Medical Genetics Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Lindsay Riley, Alan Yaghoubian
Student Advisor: Steven Klein, Ryan O'Leary
Faculty Advisor: Katrina Dipple, M.D.
Department Website: http://www.genetics.ucla.edu/
Sponsoring College: Primary Care

The genetics interest group and medical genetics selective serve to educate the students of DGSOM about the current research in the genetics field and the possible career paths in the field of medical genetics. We achieve this goal by hosting 10 lunchtime lectures throughout the year and also offering shadowing experiences in the medical genetics clinic.

Medical Innovations Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Steve Blum, Pradeep Rajendran
Student Advisor: Daniel Croymans
Faculty AdvisorS: Jonathan Wisco, M.D., Kathryn Atchison, D.D.S., M.P.H.

The goal of the Medical Innovation Interest Group (MIIG) is to assist medical students to incorporate translational research, technology transfer, and business into their future careers. Between a life-saving idea and actually saving lives stands a mountain that few have mapped out and even fewer have successfully crossed – the process of medical innovation. In recent years it has become especially apparent that good ideas alone are insufficient to bring successful medical devices and drugs to market and ultimately into the clinic. Research is popular activity, but how can we take our findings and translate them into real therapies? How can we capitalize on our clinical knowledge to fill important medical needs?

To address these questions, MIIG will promote knowledge of relevant combined degree programs (e.g., MD/MBA, MD/MPH), intellectual property, and technology transfer. Additionally, the Interest Group will interconnect professionals involved in medical innovation (faculty members, the Anderson School of Business, Los Angeles-area VCs and entrepreneurs) with interested medical students.

More broadly, the Interest Group seeks to bridge student interests in academia, clinical medicine, and public health to invention, management, and the real world. The organization seeks to broaden students’ perspective about what a career in medicine can entail through tacit understanding of business and promotion of translational research. Competency in such skills is increasingly a prerequisite for leadership in the medical sciences - our aim is to enable medical students to embrace these disciplines and harness them in a medical career.

Medicine Pediatrics Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Lujia Zhang, Lisa Zhu

Student Advisors: Rogelio Pinon, Kristina Lee

Faculty Advisor: Erin Curcio, M.D.

The purpose of the UCLA Med-Peds Interest Group (MPIG) is to provide guidance and support for the growing number of students interested in a combined Medicine-Pediatrics residency. MPIG is the only group on campus that gives students access to information about a Med-Peds residency and puts them in touch with physicians in specific fields like transitional care. With more patients with congenital conditions surviving long into adulthood, there is increased demand for physicians who can both treat these patients in their childhood as well as provide them with the unique care they need many years later. MPIG provides students with the opportunity to learn more about career options in this field, and allows them to make connections with current residents and physicians at UCLA. In addition to informal lunch meetings whereby students can hear faculty opinions and ask questions, shadowing opportunities are set up such that students can experience life as a med-peds physician, attend teaching rounds, and interact with the patient population.

MPIG organized different talks throughout the year to inform students about the Med-Peds residency program, the roles that Med-Peds physicians fill, and the differences and advantages of being trained as an internist and pediatrician compared to a career in pediatrics, internal medicine or family medicine alone. We also invited Med-Peds physicians to talk about their experiences and how they are able to continue offering continuity to their pediatric patients, especially those with congenital diseases or with disabilities and as they transition into their adult lives. MPIG is also committed to exposing medical students to the field of Med-Peds by offering mentorship and shadowing opportunities with physicians and residents in the field.

Neurosurgery Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Stephanie Cheok, Winward Choy
Student Advisor: Marko Spasic
Faculty Sponsor: Linda Liau, M.D., Ph.D.
Support Staff:
Department Website: http://neurosurgery.ucla.edu/
Sponsoring College: Applied Anatomy

Mission Statement:

To educate students about a career in neurosurgery—the road to residency and the diversity of the various career paths and research that can be chosen within the specialty. To galvanize interest among the students to pursue such a unique career. To offer a companion group to the larger Surgery Interest Group in the medical school.

Obstetrics & Gynecology Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Melanie Maykin, Kelly Mooney
Student Advisor: Ying Zhang, Victor Velasco
Faculty Sponsor: Robin Farias-Eisner, M.D., Ph.D. and Lauren Nathan, M.D.
Department Website: http://www.uclaobgyn.com/
Sponsoring College: Primary Care

This group is open to anyone interested in becoming familiar with the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology and in Women's Health. We offer resources to educate and support students who are interested in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and serve as a liaison between medical students and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. We sponsor lectures and panels on topics ranging from the current lifestyle of physicians practicing Obstetrics to the various sub-specialties available in both Obstetrics and Gynecology. In addition, we provide shadowing opportunities with residents at the Center for Health Sciences and with physicians in the community.

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Oncology Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Melody Chung, Evthokia (Evie) Hobbs
Student Advisors: Andrew King
Faculty Sponsors: Gary Schiller, M.D.
OIG Website: http://www.medstudent.ucla.edu/students/wordpress/oig/

JCCC Website: http://www.cancer.ucla.edu
Sponsoring College: Applied Anatomy

The OncIG is a student-run interest group whose mission is to expose first and second year medical students to the oncological medical specialties. To fulfill this mission, the OncIG organizes events ranging from student shadowing of fellows and attendings during J-service rounds, to a walkthrough of an interdisciplinary (surgical, medical, radiation) approach to treatment of an advanced brain tumor, and even an introduction to investigators and research opportunities for students to directly advance our understanding of cancer and its treatment. In short, the OncIG is both first and second year students' best route to knowledge about the oncological specialties, and it represents a unique opportunity to enter the fascinating world of cancer and its treatment earlier in students' careers than otherwise possible. We hope that the OncIG will spark interest in one of the oncological specialties to balance the growing need for cancer specialists, both in the clinical and research realms.

Ophthalmology Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Judy Chen, Harry Mai
Student Advisors: Arman Zaman
Faculty Advisor: Gary N. Holland, M.D.
Department Website: http://www.jsei.org/index.htm
Sponsoring College: Applied Anatomy

The Ophthalmology Interest Group (OIG) is a career specialty interest group that is devoted to increasing medical student awareness, exposure and interest in the field of ophthalmology. Our primary partnership is with the Jules Stein Eye Institute Mobile Eye Clinic through which we give students first-hand exposure to the practice of ophthalmology in a clinical and community setting. In addition, we increase exposure to the field through guest speakers and lectures, resident and faculty panels, and shadowing opportunities in the various sub-specialties of ophthalmology

Orthopaedic Surgery Interest Group

Student Coordinators: James Chen, Claire Eliasberg
Student Advisors: John Kimball, Evan Vellios
Faculty Advisor: Sharon Hame, M.D.
Department Website: http://www.ortho.medsch.ucla.edu/
Sponsoring College: Applied Anatomy

The Orthopaedic Surgery Interest Group (OSIG) at UCLA is designed for students who are interested in learning more about a career in orthopaedics. Over the course of the academic year, specially selected speakers will address a number of important issues including

what an orthopaedic surgeon does
what a career as an orthopaedist entails
the different sub-specialties that one could ultimately pursue
the qualities/experiences that make a competitive applicant

Additionally, various research, volunteer, and shadowing opportunities will be offered to interested members. Students who are considering a career in orthopaedics, as well as those who are simply curious about this often misunderstood
field, are invited to join.

Pediatrics Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Kelsi McCoy, Pradeep Rajendran
Student Advisor: Stephen Speicher, Caitlin McGrath
Faculty Sponsor: Lee Miller, M.D., Ryan Coller, M.D.
Group Website: http://www.medstudent.ucla.edu/students/organizations/pig/index.htm
Department Website: http://www.pediatrics.medsch.ucla.edu/
Sponsoring College: Primary Care

The Pediatric Interest Group (PIG) strives to educate medical students about the vast field of pediatrics by promoting student exploration of pediatrics and its subspecialties, providing opportunities for career guidance, and encouraging awareness of issues pertaining to children and their families. With these goals in mind, PIG hopes to encourage and inspire pursuit of a career in pediatrics.

To fulfill this mission the PIG student coordinators work with pediatric residents and faculty to provide several events around the year. Through lunch time lectures, students have the opportunity to learn about and ask questions of pediatrics or experts in pediatric research. Through resident-student mixers, students can learn more abut the pediatric training and ask advice about how to decide if pediatrics is right for them. Through the PIG sponsored shadowing program, interested students are matched to a physician willing to have students spend the day with them in clinic. Through community events students gain exposure to the community of children at large and have the opportunity to give something back.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Daisuke Furukawa, Ben Shin
Student Advisor: Nikki Ross, Eric Trieu
Faculty Advisor: Dixie Aragaki, M.D.
Department Website: http://www.losangeles.va.gov/internships/pmr/index.asp

Exploration:

The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Interest Group (PM&RIG) is dedicated to the education of future physicians about the PM&R specialty and its function within the healthcare system. We accomplish this goal by hosting talks given by PM&R specialists and by arranging clinical skills training sessions.

Service:

PM&RIG is working with the UCLA Mobile Clinic Project to bring PM&R expertise to underserved population in Los Angeles. Through this opportunity, we give medical students the unique opportunity to simultaneously shadow and learn from PM&R physicians while serving Los Angeles’s homeless population.

Leadership:

PM&R provides leadership opportunities for interested medical students. These leadership opportunities grant students the opportunity to interact especially closely with UCLA faculty and physicians towards a common goal of spreading awareness and interest in PM&R among future physicians.

Psychiatry Student Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Adam McIntosh, Adam Norberg

Student Advisors: Martin Safrin, Steven Storage
Faculty Advisor: Margi Stuber, M.D.
PsychSIG Website: http://www.medstudent.ucla.edu/psychsig/
Department Website: http://www.psychiatry.ucla.edu/
Sponsoring College: Academic Medicine

Exploration: We are dedicated to the exploration of the practice of psychiatry and its subspecialties. We will accomplish this through faculty lectures on psychiatry and related topics and by providing access to information about psychiatry to our members.

Mentoring: We want our members to have people to whom they can turn with questions. For this reason, we will develop a mentoring program where students can approach willing residents and practicing physicians with their questions about psychiatry.

Leadership: This group will provide leadership opportunities for its members. Along with the traditional leadership roles for an interest group, we will also provide opportunities for event coordinators and mentorship coordinators. This will help students develop their leadership potential.

Radiology Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Aaron Jen
Student Advisors: Kristen Olinger, Sahil Patel
Faculty Advisor: Theodore Hall, M.D.
Organization Website: http://www.medstudent.ucla.edu/rig
Department Website: http://www.radiology.ucla.edu/main.jsp
Sponsoring College: Applied Anatomy

Radiology is a field that lies at the heart of the future of medicine with its rapidly expanding power and potential in diagnostics and guided therapy. The goals of the Radiology Interest Group (RIG) are to introduce medical students to this exciting career path, its different specialties, research opportunities, lifestyle, training, and what it takes to get there!

These goals will be accomplished through formal and informal meetings with Radiologists and Radiology

Residents from different Radiology specialties and different clinical settings. Shadowing, mentoring and research opportunities will also be provided.

Surgery Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Sudeep Banerjee, Zachary Burke
Student Advisors: Steven Seyedin, Alice Zhang
Faculty Advisors: Christian de Virgilio, M.D., Jonathan Hiatt, M.D.
Department Website: http://www.surgery.ucla.edu/
Sponsoring College: Applied Anatomy

While many students find themselves drawn to the world of surgery, they often have little idea of which specialty they wish to pursue. The Surgery Interest Group brings together students from a number of different interests, creating a venue for stimulating and challenging conversation among members of the student body, while simultaneously ushering them into the inner-workings of the surgical field. Immersion activities offered include lunchtime talks, preceptorships in the community, shadowing sessions in clinic and operating rooms and discussions on important research subjects including breast, transplant, vascular, cancer and other surgeries. Acting as a networking tool and motivator, our organization hopes to introduce students to their future colleagues and to begin their practical training in the arena they will one day contribute to as physicians.

Student Interest Group in Neurology

Student Coordinators: Cynthia He, Sophie Rengarajan
Student Advisors: Tom Fadial, Xavier Gaeta, Marko Spasic
Faculty Advisor: Martina Wiedau-Pazos, M.D.
Department Website: http://www.neurology.ucla.edu/
Sponsoring College: Academic Medicine

The UCLA Chapter of the national organization Student Interest Group in Neurology (SIGN) is affiliated with the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). The purpose of this student interest group is to provide guidance and support for the increasing number of students interested in neurology at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Through SIGN, students gain exposure to both neurology and the neurosciences. SIGN coordinators facilitate communication and interaction between students and faculty members and plan events in which students can learn about life as a neurologist, residency training, and medical student clerkships. SIGN coordinators also organize an ongoing medical student shadowing program in which students have the opportunity to shadow physicians in diverse areas of neurology and attend rounds with residents, interns, and attendings. SIGN also offers a Medical Student Summer Research Program scholarship enabling students to undertake neurological research endeavors at various sites across the country. In addition, SIGN student members may attend the annual AAN meeting at no personal cost. All medical students at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA are eligible to participate in SIGN activities and there is no membership fee to join SIGN.

Women in Surgery Interest Group

Student Coordinators: Ashley Kita, Sarah Park

Student Advisor: Alex Havard, Emily Dubina

Resident Advisors: Jessica Beth O'Connell, M.D., Avital Harari, M.D. and Mary Maish, M.D.

Mission Statement:

The David Geffen School of Medicine’s Women in Surgery Interest Group (WISIG) is a student-run organization with a commitment to support the professional and personal needs of aspiring female surgeons. WISIG was created to address the increasing interest in surgical careers by female medical students and to enhance the exposure of UCLA’s medical students with active female surgeons within the UCLA community.

WISIG’s primary focus is to increase the pipeline for female medical students considering careers in general surgery and the surgical subspecialties. WISIG is proud to (1) highlight female surgeons from the university and local community to serve as role models for female medical students, (2) to provide direct mentoring and advising with respect to careers in academic and community practices, (3) to allow for open and guided discussions about specific challenges and tribulations that especially pertain to the woman surgeon and (4) to introduce unique opportunities for research, networking, volunteer work and education within the various surgical fields.

The primary focus of the organization lies within the mentorship of female medical students and the educational dialogue regarding topics readily pertinent to women in surgery. That being said, many issues that are considered “women’s issues” are truly issues for the “modern day surgeon.” As such WISIG is open to all members of the medical school community regardless of sex, race, sexual-orientation or socioeconomic background, considering therein lies an investment to the advancement of the WISIG mission.