UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine-UCLA Medical Center-VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System Program

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Analyst Verified · Oct 3, 2026

UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine-UCLA Medical Center-VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System Program

UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine-UCLA Medical Center-VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System Program is a residency program specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, located in Los Angeles, California, directed by Dixie Aragaki, MD and coordinated by Arthur Velling. The program accepts applications through December 31, 2026. International Medical Graduates interested in this program may contact the program coordinator directly at arthur.velling@va.gov or (310) 268-3342. IMGPrep analysts have verified and compiled this program’s IMG acceptance rate, USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 score requirements, Visa Sponsorship Policy, graduation year cutoff, and ECFMG certificate requirements — available to IMGPrep subscribers.

Program Identity & Fit

This is a longstanding academic PM&R residency (since 1955) combining UCLA's tertiary/quaternary university medical center with the VA Greater Los Angeles system and a distinctive multi-site network spanning Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center, California Rehabilitation Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and Long Beach VA. This breadth gives residents exposure across adult and pediatric inpatient rehab, spinal cord injury, complex musculoskeletal/spine outpatient care, and veteran-focused rehabilitation medicine within a single training arc. The program emphasizes a strong communal, team-based culture, with resident-led committees (SCOUT, wellness, JEDI) and sideline/adaptive-sports community engagement (Team to Win, Angel City Sports, Mobile Clinic) suggesting value placed on service-oriented, collaborative physicians rather than pure research output alone. As part of an academic health system with major research infrastructure, scholarly activity is available and supported, but the explicit program voice foregrounds mentorship, camaraderie, and community/veteran service over an explicitly research-first identity.

Who it fits

An applicant drawn to physiatry's breadth across inpatient rehabilitation, veteran care, pediatric rehab, and sports/adaptive medicine, whose ERAS narrative reflects community service, team-based clinical work, and interest in an academically-anchored but culture-and-mentorship-driven training environment.

Research intensity

Moderate - research infrastructure exists through UCLA's academic system but the program's stated identity centers on clinical breadth, culture, and community engagement rather than research as a defining pillar.

Career orientation

Mixed - Fellowship, Academic Medicine, Community Practice

Choose Specialty / Choose Another Program

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Deadline 12/31/2026

87 days left

Accreditation Status N/A

SCORE

USMLE STEP 1

USMLE STEP 2

SCORE NOTES

VISA POLICY

VISA

GRADUATION CUT OFF

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

ECFMG CERTIFICATE

PROGRAM MISSION STATEMENT

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CURRENT RESIDENTS