UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine-UCLA Medical Center Program

Program Identity & Fit

UCLA Orthopaedic Surgery is a five-year, university-based, research-intensive program anchored at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center/Orthopaedic Institute and Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, with subspecialty exposure spanning adult reconstruction, trauma, spine, hand, pediatrics (via the Luskin/Orthopaedic Institute for Children alliance), sports, oncology, and foot and ankle. Research is structurally embedded rather than optional: every resident must produce a publication-worthy manuscript and present research at graduation, and two residents per class take a dedicated research year supported by a competitive NIH T32 Regenerative Musculoskeletal Medicine Training Grant, working alongside dedicated PhD research faculty in bioengineering, molecular biology, and tissue engineering. The program explicitly frames its dual mission as producing both academic orthopaedic surgeons and community clinical leaders, with graduated autonomy and fellowship preparation built into the later PGY years. It appears to value residents who can engage seriously with basic science or translational research alongside high-volume, multi-site clinical training.