Research Fellowship Program

UC San Diego Dermatology is offering a non-ACGME accredited research fellowship opportunity for a highly motivated individual interested in clinical and translational dermatology research starting June/July 2021.  

The fellow will gain experience in conducting clinical trials in dermatology under the mentorship of Dr. Tissa Hata, Director of the UC San Diego Dermatology Clinical Trials Unit, with close collaboration with Dr. Richard Gallo.  

As a result of the collaboration, the clinical trials unit has a broad range of trials ranging from industry sponsored therapeutic trials, to NIH sponsored investigator initiated trials. The clinical fellow in this arena will gain experience in organizing and operating research protocols and clinical trials of therapeutic agents in the dermatologic diseases. 

Curriculum

The fellow will coordinate clinical trials including recruitment and retention of study subjects. They will participate in research protocol design, help with clinical assessments, data analysis and interpretation, and manuscript preparation and writing . They will gain knowledge of FDA and IRB guidelines. Once a week they will also participate in UC San Diego Dermatology Grand Rounds, which will increase their clinical knowledge of dermatology, as well as the Gallo lab meetings, in which they will gain exposure into the new cutting edge lab techniques which are available. They will also be expected to participate in the weekly Clinical Trials meetings held at UC San Diego. Fellows are expected to present their research at various dermatology conferences, both local and national. 

The Dermatology Clinical Research fellow will take part in or attend a number of educational meetings, which include the following: 

• Attend  Grand Rounds which meets every other Thursday morning. Here the fellow will gain exposure to a variety of clinical diseases, as well as thorough review of the literature. 
• Attend the weekly Gallo lab meeting, in which members of the Gallo lab present their data for analysis, interpretation and critique. The purpose of attendance for the fellow here is to gain exposure into the different types of laboratory procedures, as well as to gain insight into ideas for translational research. 
• Attend the weekly Dermatology Clinical Trials meeting, in which members of the clinical trials unit present updates on their studies, and discuss pertinent topics regarding the CRO, sponsor, or IRB.

Prerequisite Training/Selection Criteria

Fellows will be chosen from well-qualified applicants who are graduates of ACGME-accredited medical schools, or who have received equivalent medical and/or dermatology training in another country. Letters of recommendation will be required in all cases, and all fellows are required to have passed USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3 and completed PGY1 training at an ACGME accredited program before summer 2021. 

• Cover letter, curriculum vitae, USMLE exam transcripts 
• Writing example (i.e. published lead-author manuscript, thesis, or other academic publication) 
• Names of two references, including at least one research mentor 

Evaluation 

The Fellow will receive continuous informal feedback on their performance from the faculty, and particularly from the Director of the Fellowship Training Program. In addition, quarterly they are formally reviewed utilizing standardized evaluation criteria; the Fellows then meet with the Director of the Fellowship training program, who reviews these evaluations, and works with the Fellows to remedy any deficiencies noted, as well as encourage further development of special areas of interest that the Fellows have identified. 

Contact

Department of Dermatology Clinical Research Center
Phone: 858.657.1697
Email: dermstudies@health.ucsd.edu