1. < Dermatology

Each year in mid-March, we experience anticipation and exhilaration in the department of medicine as we learn who will be coming to UCLA to train in medicine and also where DGSOM students will move on to for the next phase of their clinical training. After months of interviewing hundreds of medical students who applied to the UCLA Internal Medicine Residency Program, students, faculty, and trainees all eagerly 0awaited the 2023 Match Day results which were revealed at 9 am on Friday, March 17th. It was a suspenseful morning but as you can see from our “Match Madness” reveal video below, we achieved an outstanding match of incoming physician and physician- scientist residents who will be joining the DoM community in July 2024. Although, we were confident in an outstanding result we were surprised to see that we filled our complement of trainees by matching all of our incoming residents from the top 40% of our submitted list of compelling candidates. This is unprecedented and reveal that our program is becoming increasingly competitive.

Overall, 73 students matched into our categorical program, ProSTAR-PSTP, primary care tracks, medicine-pediatrics, and dermatology. Across the five programs, 18 states and 28 medical schools are represented, 47 incoming residents are women, and eight identify as underrepresented in medicine. These statistics represent much to celebrate, but also represent some challenges for future recruitment. I am pleased to see that majority of our categorical and primary care residents are women. 13% of our categorical residents and 16% of our primary care residents identify as under-represented in medicine. We will double down in future years to attract a diverse class of candidates to consider training at UCLA, as we play our part in increasing the diversity of the internal medicine workforce. We have doubled the size of our physician scientist intake this year, as a first step in increasing the proportion of future physician scientists who choose to train here. As we grow these ranks, we will continue to focus on showcasing the tremendous opportunities at UCLA for research training and our commitment to creating a supportive and inclusive environment with a strong commitment to mentorship that will ensure future career success.

I am also pleased to share that the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Program at the UCLA/VA Greater Los Angeles (VA GLA) Health System achieved an excellent match that includes eight future physiatrists, representing seven medical schools, and 50% are women. Meet the cohort of incoming trainees at VA GLA and will be joining us in July 2024:

The success of our match would not be possible without our faculty, staff and leadership participating in the recruitment efforts with the goal of attracting the best and brightest to UCLA. Over 80 faculty participated in the recruitment efforts under the leadership of Program Director Lisa Skinner, MD, Associate Program Director Kelley Chuang, MD, Faculty Pod Leaders, and the chief residents, who reviewed the candidate pool holistically, and Recruitment and Onboarding Coordinator Bear Waters. The dermatology match was successfully executed under the leadership of Program Director Marcia Hogeling, MD. The physical medicine & rehabilitation medicine residency match was spearheaded by Program Director Dixie Aragaki, MD. Together, these leaders, their teams, and volunteers reviewed hundreds of applications, produced virtual open house events, and served as distinguished representatives for the department of medicine and the VA GLA. Now, we prepare to welcome this spectacular cohort of new bruins and train them to become the next generations of leaders in medicine and research!

I also congratulate the DGSOM students who successfully matched this year. I am pleased to see that nearly one-third of the graduating DGSOM class have chosen to pursue careers in internal medicine. I applaud all of our DoM faculty who play critical roles in medical student training and to all our faculty who precept and train our medical students during their rotations on our inpatient and ambulatory medicine sites. I include below a summary that was included in the email announcement last Friday from Dean Dubinett.

Here are some interesting facts about our graduating students: 

• 60% of the class will stay in California. 
• 33% of the class will train in the UC System
• 22% of the class continuing their training at UCLA Health
• Of those that are leaving California, the top choice city is Boston, with a record number of the class training in the Harvard system, followed by a close second of 14 students heading to New York City
• 36% of the class will train in a primary care discipline.
• 30% of the match cohort will be surgeons.
• See the full Match Day 2023 results here

In reflecting on the match results, I believe that one of the drivers of our success, are the innovative clinical programs and research training opportunities that are available at UCLA. Here are three examples.

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As we continue to re-imagine how we deliver care, it is encouraging to see that the department and UCLA Health are at the forefront of meeting consumers where they are at and ensuring that we are providing the highest quality of comprehensive care. I look forward to seeing this continued growth, serving new communities and patient populations.

Dale

P.S.

My grand-daughter (and her parents) are arriving this weekend and staying with us for a week. This will beat the video visits on Zoom.

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