University of California Davis Health Program

Program Identity & Fit

UC Davis is an academically embedded nuclear medicine program housed within a research-intensive Department of Radiology that operates the EXPLORER total-body PET scanner, on-site cyclotrons, multiple SPECT/CT and PET/CT units, and dedicated therapy, oncology, cardiology and pediatric nuclear medicine services. The program is transitioning from a traditional post-internship pathway structure (NM1/NM2/NM3) to a combined five-year Diagnostic Radiology/Nuclear Medicine track, reflecting an institutional push toward integrated, dual-certified molecular imaging training rather than a stand-alone NM residency. Its stated mission explicitly ties clinical training to "molecular precision medicine" and active scholarly engagement, and residents have access to NIH-funded imaging research infrastructure, including novel PET instrumentation development (EXPLORER) and cardiothoracic/breast imaging research labs. The program values applicants oriented toward physics-, technology-, and research-driven molecular imaging practice within an academic tertiary environment, rather than pure community-based nuclear medicine service.