# UCLA-Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2020 · $1,542,962

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The mission of the UCLA-Caltech MSTP is to educate and train outstanding physician-scientists. To fulfill this
mission, our current goals are to 1) recruit exceptionally bright and accomplished students who exhibit unusual
passion for scientific knowledge and a life-long commitment to research, medicine, service, and leadership; 2)
help guide admitted students toward outstanding training environments that encourage individual thinking and
provide tools for development into accomplished physician-scientists; 3) provide a comprehensive support
system to meet trainees' needs; and 4) enhance physician-scientist diversity by playing an increasingly
prominent role in guiding the career development of current and future students from under-represented ethnic
groups and disadvantaged backgrounds through mentoring and outreach. To accomplish these major goals as
effectively as possible, the UCLA-Caltech MSTP is led by two equal Co-Directors, four Associate Directors, and
a strong administrative team, all of whom are deeply committed to the Program. The Program is structured for
an average of eight years of combined research and clinical training. Our integrated problem-based medical
school curriculum emphasizes flexibility and is particularly well suited for MSTP students because it provides
increased time for independent scientific exploration and encourages trainees to pursue research projects that
will advance current knowledge of disease etiology, diagnosis, and treatment. For Ph.D. training, students
choose mentors affiliated with a broad array of UCLA and Caltech graduate programs, most frequently in
genetics & genomics, immunology, cell & developmental biology, neuroscience, bioinformatics, bioengineering,
or our newly instituted social sciences track. A recent milestone achievement of our Program was the recent 20th
anniversary of the affiliation between UCLA and Caltech into a joint MSTP (1997) for the mutual benefit of these
preeminent campuses and our trainees. A second remarkable celebratory achievement will be the upcoming
centennial of UCLA becoming a UC campus (1919) and its amazing rise to a world-ranked institution in research,
education, and service in under 100 years of existence. A prominent goal of UCLA’s Centennial Campaign is to
raise $4 billion, one-third of which is earmarked for research. Despite a competitive funding climate, the UCLA-
Caltech MSTP is in a period of substantial growth because of generous institutional support from the David
Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and from Caltech. This has permitted an increase in the size of the Program,
with 107 current students. The MSTP benefits tremendously from substantial improvements and expansion in
physical facilities and research capabilities at UCLA and Caltech, from the strong financial health of both
universities, and from the recruitment of many outstanding new faculty members to our campuses.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9963230
- **Project number:** 5T32GM008042-37
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** David Wayne Dawson
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,542,962
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1983-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9963230

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9963230, UCLA-Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program (5T32GM008042-37). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9963230. Licensed CC0.

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