Diversity Hub

The UCSF School of Medicine offers a comprehensive, structured post baccalaureate graduate certificate program designed for individuals who have been unsuccessful in gaining admission to medical school or who have completed the required undergraduate course work but feel they need more background before initiating the medical school application process. We are interested in individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds or underserved communities. The UCSF program is designed to help individuals increase their chances of gaining admission to medical school by offering intensive MCAT review, assistance with medical school application preparation, science courses at UC Berkeley Extension, seminars on health care issues in underserved communities, and academic skills workshops.

The Interprofessional Health Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program is a year-long, structured program designed for those who have completed the required undergraduate coursework but feel they need a stronger academic foundation to be more competitive in applying to pharmacy school. Program applicants must have been previously unsuccessful in gaining admission to the UCSF School of Pharmacy or any other pharmacy school. We are especially interested in individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, underserved communities, and from groups traditionally underrepresented in the pharmacy profession.

Our mission is to provide access to quality health care for underserved people of California. This is accomplished by linking academic training programs with training sites in urban and rural underserved areas of the state such as community clinics and health centers, hospitals and other community based sites. The California AHEC has 13 centers, each responsible for a geographic service area in an urban or rural part of the state. Each center develops its own programs based on the needs of their service area and include continuing education for health professionals and staff working in underserved communities; rotations and other community experiences for health professions students and residents and youth health careers programs for underrepresented minority and other disadvantaged K-14 students. Each of these programs seeks to train future HPs, recruit and retain health professionals for community clinics and health centers and other types of sites that provide medical/dental and behavioral health services to the underserved populations of CA.

The UC Davis - UC Merced San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME) is an innovative approach to training future physicians, a pathway that will emphasize quality of care anchored in community-based research and educational experiences. The diversity of the San Joaquin Valley, including health systems, diverse patient populations and broad community partnerships, is a core component of the effort to improve the health and health care of the region. The SJV PRIME program is a collaboration between the UC Davis School of Medicine, UC Merced and UCSF Fresno, to train the next generation of San Joaquin Valley physicians. It seeks to increase the diversity of the medical profession and remedy the uneven distribution of physicians in California. SJV PRIME is a tailored clinical track at the UC Davis School of Medicine for medical students who are committed to ensuring high quality, diverse and well distributed medical care to improve health for populations, communities, and individuals in California's San Joaquin Valley.

The vision of the PLUS program is that its graduates will be pediatrician-leaders who are creating systematic and sustainable improvements to the health of underserved children. Our mission is to train and inspire future leaders in pediatrics to identify and address the various issues that impact the health of children from vulnerable communities. Through a unique blend of classroom lessons, targeted mentorship, and project-based applications, PLUS trains the passionate advocates of today to be the leaders of tomorrow.

This year-long, structured program is designed for first time applicants who believe they need additional preparation in order to be competitive applicants and for previously unsuccessful applicants to dental school. The program are especially interested in individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, underserved communities and/or from groups traditionally underrepresented in the profession. The comprehensive program is designed to help participants become more competitive dental school applicants in a future admission cycle, and consists of the following key elements; (1) Mentoring and academic advising; (2) A full year of upper division science course work through the University of California, Berkeley Extension; (3) Assistance with the dental school application process; (4) Academic and learning skills development; (5) Intensive DAT review course; (6) Faculty mentoring; and (7) Interprofessional collaboration with the Medical and Pharmacy post-baccalaureate programs.

The UCSF Office of Diversity and Outreach is excited to announce the launch of the Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program as a professional development and training opportunity for staff. This initiative is in alignment with the Chancellor's priority on Equity and Inclusion. The curriculum focuses on exploring foundational concepts essential to enhancing an inclusive work environment, through lecture, experiential activities, and independent learning activities. The 4-month Certificate Program's curriculum is designed for the adult learner to have a more self-directed approach to learning. Each curriculum unit has a required core reading assignment, and a number of supplemental readings, video clips, or audio clips to choose from based on learning preference (2 hours minimum for each unit).

The program creates defined educational paths so that individuals can develop focused teaching skills and receive a certificate in recognition of achievement. The program is open to current and future faculty at UCSF and at affiliated institutions (i.e., residents, fellows, volunteer faculty). Participants complete specific sets of UCSF Educational Skills Workshops. Credit toward the certificate is given after demonstration of competence through assessments that are completed during each workshop. Currently, certificate tracks include: 1) General Teaching; 2) Clinical Teaching; 3) Simulation Teaching; 4) Interprofessional Teaching; 5) Teaching Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QI/PS); 6) Education Leadership.

Inside UCSF is an annual outreach program geared towards students at two- and four-year degree schools who are interested in pursuing careers in health and science. This interprofessional opportunity is designed to: introduce students to a specific health science career path; provide opportunities to meet with students and faculty; and offer a chance to become inspired about future career possibilities.

MAP to College! is a free, one-day, annual college-going event held in the fall for Bay Area students in the 12th grade and their parents or guardians. Fall semester of a students' senior year in high school is a critical time for college applications. As colleges become more competitive and selective, it is important that students understand the nuances of each college application and how to write a strong personal essay. Attendees of MAP to College! can attend workshops on the UC application and personal statement, the CSU application, the Community College transfer path, the application and admissions process for private colleges and financial aid. Financial aid workshops are presented in English, Spanish and Cantonese. This event is targeted to students in the twelfth grade, but students of all grades are welcome to attend!