University of California Davis Health Program

Program Identity & Fit

UC Davis Anesthesiology is an academic, university-based program anchored at a quaternary referral center that is the only Level 1 trauma center (adult and pediatric) north of San Francisco, serving a vast catchment extending to the Oregon and Nevada borders. The department maintains a structured research and QI curriculum built into the CA-2/CA-3 years, protected time for residents with strong project ideas, and named divisions (pain medicine, cardiothoracic, neuroanesthesia, OB, pediatric, regional, trauma, critical care) supported by a simulation-based Center for Virtual Care. A distinctive longitudinal Global Health program partners with international sites (Gambia, Orbis, Rotaplast) offering residents structured outreach and capacity-building experience beyond typical elective rotations. The program explicitly frames success as graduates thriving across academic, private practice, fellowship, or global health paths, reflecting a broad career-outcomes philosophy rather than a single funnel, while valuing scholarly output, QI leadership, and engagement with complex, high-acuity trauma and referral populations.