UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine-UCLA Medical Center Program

Program Identity & Fit

UCLA Dermatology is a university-based, academically rigorous program anchored at Ronald Reagan/Westwood with substantial rotations at the West LA VA and Olive View-UCLA (a San Fernando Valley county safety-net site), giving residents a deliberate split between tertiary academic dermatology and underserved county/VA populations. The program offers a distinct STAR (Specialty Training and Research) track for MD/PhD physician-scientists with protected research time and a 2+2 four-year structure, run as a separate match from the traditional three-year clinical track, signaling genuine institutional investment in producing academic dermatologist-researchers alongside clinically excellent generalists. Subspecialty breadth is notable (pigmented lesion/dermoscopy, vascular anomalies, immunobullous disease, CTCL, HS, skin of color, pediatric dermatology) and is reinforced by in-house Mohs/dermatologic oncology, dermatopathology, and pediatric dermatology fellowships, plus continuity clinics pairing PGY3/4 residents with longitudinal faculty mentors. Community engagement (Venice Family Clinic, Camp Wonder) and named regional collaboration (LA MetroDerm Society) suggest the program values residents who can move fluidly between high-volume academic subspecialty medicine and service to underserved or complex-disease populations.