Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP)

​​​​​UCSD Pediatric Physician Scientist Training Program 

The Department of Pediatrics at UC San Diego has a Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP) with the goal to promote and encourage scientific investigation during physician training and to provide a pipeline for future fellows and faculty for our department. The program is open to residents with MD/PhD degrees and others with strong research backgrounds who plan to pursue academic careers with a research emphasis.  The goal of the PSTP is for residents to successfully transition into the UCSD pediatric subspecialty fellowship of their choice after successfully completing residency. This allows for the continuity of research projects and optimized integration with clinical training to prepare trainees for their future academic faculty positions. 
 
Our PSTP offers research-enhanced pediatric residency training through the American Board of Pediatrics Integrated Research Pathway and Accelerated Research Pathway. Successful PSTP residents are guaranteed a fellowship position at UCSD in the subspecialty area of their choosing. 

Research Opportunities and Engagement

Residents in the Pediatric PSTP have full access to the thriving research community both within UCSD and at other prominent research institutions throughout San Diego. UC San Diego and specifically the Department of Pediatrics have a very strong research portfolio allowing trainees to find mentors and collaborators in every area of medicine and science. Our Pediatric department has been ranked in the top 10 pediatric departments in the country in NIH research funding for the last 5 years. In fact, the Blue Ridge Institute for Research named UCSD #5  in the nation in NIH funding among U.S. Departments of Pediatrics in its 2019 rankings. Residents and fellows training at UCSD can also choose mentors/research programs in any UC San Diego department as well as at collaborating institutions in San Diego including the Scripps Research Institute, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, and the La Jolla Institute for Immunology.

UCSD Pediatrics is home to numerous outstanding Pediatrician-Researchers, often developed from within or recruited to the Department. They thrive in an exciting training and collaborative research environment throughout the Department, UCSD Health Sciences (Medical School, Pharmacy School, new School of Public Health) and its hospitals, and aligned basic science and engineering Departments in the broader University. The PSTP takes advantage of the remarkable science and physician-scientists at UCSD/RCHSD by incorporating trainees in numerous research-related activities. UCSD and our Department of Pediatrics provide a spectacular environment for research, teaching and
career advancement in biomedical sciences. 

Resident scholars are supported in the Pediatrics Department through formal mentorship schemes, specific educational curricula, and retreats/workshops including:

UCSD/RCHSD Annual Pediatric Research Symposium:

  • Showcases outstanding research from across the Department, including faculty, fellows, residents, and students. Promotes collaboration and highlights high-impact breaking discoveries
  • Research and poster presentations are showcased

UCSD/RCHSD  Pediatric Grand Rounds:

  • Features world-class physician-scientists from across the U.S. as part of weekly Grand Rounds
  • Grand Rounds mentorship Breakfast: Invited illustrious physician-scientist speakers to meet with trainees for informal discussions on research, academic pediatrics, career development, and networking

Annual AAP/ASCI/APSA Joint Meeting:

  • PSTP residents are invited and supported to attend this Joint Meeting annually.
  • Attendance with Department Chair, Dr. Haddad, and PSTP leadership
  • Networking Luncheons

Support for travel and presentation at national meetings:

  • PAS
  • AMSPDC
  • Other subspecialty conferences

Scholarship Oversight Committee (SOC):

  • Committee of 3-4 individuals, including research PI, with a goal of advising the resident on their research project and providing career mentoring and feedback
  • Provide support and guidance to PSTP residents
  • Begins in residency for IRP residents, and during fellowship for ARP residents

Fellow Research Seminar Series:

  • PSTP residents are invited to attend this longitudinal series showcasing trainees' research and focused on curricula to develop scientific projects
  • IRP pathway residents present current research in 2nd/3rd year

.Major Interdisciplinary Research Centers at UCSD Health Sciences fostering cutting-edge science and collaboration:

    • UCSD Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute
    • UCSD Institute for Genomic Medicine (IGM)

Programmatic Support and Scheduling​

We work with each resident to develop a personalized schedule that works best for them and their goals.  

  • Accelerated Research Pathway (ARP): 2 years of residency followed by a 4-year subspecialty fellowship that includes an extra year for research
  • Integrated Research Pathway (IRP): 3 years of residency including up to 11 months of research integrated into your residency schedule residency followed by a 3-year subspecialty fellowship

This pathway allows for early integration of research during residency. In the Integrated research pathway, interns have rotation time dedicated to exploring possible research labs and mentors. During the second and third years of residency, we offer research blocks that can be personalized to focus on either intermixed research and clinical rotations or a few more extended blocks of research time.  In accordance with the ABP, IRP residents are board-eligible for Pediatrics after the completion of their first year of fellowship. Each IRP resident benefits from a Scholarship Oversight Committee. The committee meets regularly to guide and mentor IRP residents.

PSTP Resident/Leadership Dinners and Happy Hours: Residents and leadership come together to share ideas for individual and program development.  The program is committed to continuous improvement and feedback.

 PSTP resident socials: Support for PSTP track residents to gather, socialize, and build community.

Mentorship

Mentorship is essential to cultivating a successful academic research career. We are proud of the strong personalized mentorship provided longitudinally to each Physician-Scientist track resident. They are matched with both pediatric physician-scientist mentors and research-specific mentors in their areas of interest. Our PSTP Scientific Advisor, Dr. Brent Polk, meets regularly with residents for advice and to ensure that they are progressing as expected and receiving the support they need to succeed. Support and career development of Physician-Scientists is a vital goal of the Department of Pediatrics.

​

+ Expand All

 


​​​

Physician Scientist Training Program Leadership



​
 ​Gabriel Haddad, MD
Chair, Department of Pediatrics
Research Focus: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms Involved in Response to Oxygen Deprivation
Haddad Lab
​
​Mamata Sivagnanam, MD
Residency Program Director
Research Focus: Congenital Diarrheal Diseases and Intestinal epithelial Biology
​

​Brent Polk, MD
PSTP Scientific Advisor​
Professor of Pediatrics
Executive Vice Chair for the Department of Pediatrics
Chief, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Research Focus: Inflammatory bowel disease and intestinal to injury, inflammation, and regeneration
​
​

 ​Vanessa Villo
PSTP Program Coordinator
Pediatric Educations Program Coordinator



Physician Scientist Training Program Oversight Committee Members




​Nicole Coufal, MD, PhD
Division of Critical Care
Research Focus:
​
Preethi Ganesan, MD, PhD
Division of Hematology/Oncology
Research Focus: Cellular and molecular mechanisms of anti-tumor immunity

​

​Hal Hoffman, MD
Division Chief of Allergy Immunology
Research Focus: Genetics of Rare Human Disorders
​

​George Y. Liu, MD, PhD
Division of Infectious Diseases
Research Focus: Microbial pathogenesis and vaccine development
​

​Karen Mestan, MD, MS
Division Chief of Neonatology
Research Focus: Mechanisms of Placenta-Lung Crosstalk and Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

​

​Victor Nizet, MD
Vice-Chair for Basic Research
Research Focus: Bacterial Pathogenesis and Innate Immunity

​

​Peter Zage, MD, PhD
Division of Hematology-Oncology
Research Focus: Novel Targets and Treatment for Children with Solid Tumors


Current Research Pathway Residents 



Alexander Carlson, MD, PhD

Undergraduate: Point Loma Nazarene University (BS in Biochemistry)
Medical School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

PhD Research Focus: The role of the gut microbiome in modulating early brain development and behavior through the gut-brain axis. This work detailed novel associations of the infant gut microbiome with cognitive development, fear behavior, and brain development. 

Current Projects: My research projects focus on the intersection of the human gut microbiome with the developmental origins of health and disease framework. These include 1. The Gut Microbiome in Prenatal Arsenic Exposure and Infant Neurodevelopment. 2. Prenatal Toxic Stress and Infant Microbiome Development. 3. Investigating a Diagnostic and Etiologic Role of the Gut Microbiome in Autism. 

What would I like to tell applicants: Researchers at UCSD are excited to meet you and want to work with you! We are building our PSTP to ensure participants leave the program as outstanding clinicians with a firm foundation of postgraduate research to launch their careers as physician-scientists.

Favorite things about San Diego: Beach volleyball days with my co-residents!

​
​Ben Hills, MD, PhD 

Undergraduate: Northeastern University in Boston, MA (Behavioral Neuroscience) 
Medical School: Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine 
PhD: Microbiology and Immunology, Dartmouth College 

PhD Research Focus: Determining how post-translational modification of the transcription factor Foxo1 impacts CD8 T cell differentiation, survival, and formation of long-lived immunologic memory.

Current Projects: I am currently applying for an IRB to study immune system development from birth to early adulthood with a specific focus on B-cell and T-cell maturation using parallel single-cell transcriptomic and proteomic methods.

What would I like to tell applicants: I couldn't imagine a better place to embark on my physician-scientist career. Between UCSD and other local institutes such as Salk, Scripps, and LJI, we have the opportunity to work with world-class investigators across the spectrum of biological and biomedical sciences. We have incredible support from UCSD/Rady to tailor our training to best suit our individual needs and career goals. Finally, we get to train in a beautiful setting that allows us to recharge and develop interesting ideas about science and medicine in our free time.

Favorite things about San Diego: On any given day I can easily explore the mountains, desert, or ocean, and the consistently amazing weather allows me to capitalize on my days off.  

​

​Mark Fang, MD, PhD

Undergraduate: Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA (BS in Biology and Mathematical & Computational Sciences) 
Medical School: UCSD School of Medicine 

PhD Research Focus: Designing a high throughput genetic and small molecule screen to study the mechanisms underlying Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and to identify potential therapeutics. Also with a focus on developing new tools for single-cell sequencing and studying the RNA interactome.

Favorite things about San Diego: The people, the weather, UCSD/Rady, and the proximity to beaches, the Sierra Nevada, Disneyland, Vegas, Julian Pie, music festivals, and Tucson (my fiancee's hometown).
​
​Kristina Boguslawski, MD, PhD

Accelerated Pathway PSTP Resident
Undergraduate: University of Massachusetts Amherst (B.S in Microbiology)
Medical School: New York University Grossman School of Medicine

Favorite things about San Diego: Within 15 minutes I can be climbing a mountain, laying on the beach, or experiencing the food and culture of a busy city. 
​
​Michael Lee, MD, PhD

Undergraduate: Washington University in St. Louis
Medical School: University of Maryland School of Medicine
PhD Research Focus:

Favorite things about San Diego: Being able to be outside all the time!

​
​Lee Serpas, MD, PhD

Undergraduate: Drexel University in Philadelphia (B.S. in Chemistry)
Medical School: New York University Grossman School of Medicine

PhD Research Focus: Dissecting the role of secreted DNases in protective and autoreactive immune responses. My PhD explored the following topics: the antigenicity of circulating DNA in the context of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the implications of plasma DNA profiles in mouse models of SLE and human patients with SLE, the development of antibody-mediated DNase deficiency in human patients with sporadic SLE, and the protection secreted DNases provide in the context of systemic bacterial infection with S. aureus. 

Favorite things about San Diego: The California burritos and chill vibes. The beautiful weather at the end of a long day Mountains, beaches, deserts, and Mexico are all within driving distance.


Past Research Pathway Residents ​


Phillipp Hartmann, MD, MAS

Where are they are now: 
I am now a physician-scientist and assistant professor in pediatric gastroenterology at UCSD/Rady Children's Hospital, dedicating 75% of my time to basic science and translational research on the role of the gut microbiome in liver diseases and dedicating the remaining 25% of my time to clinical duties including the inpatient gastroenterology service and fatty liver clinics.

Testimonial:
Besides the robust clinical training that I received during my residency, many doors for my research interests and training as a physician-scientist were opened. I was matched with experienced mentors who successfully transitioned from residency and fellowship into research careers. Further, I was able to take advantage of prolonged periods solely dedicated to research during my residency. Also, I was allowed to attend national and international conferences to advance my research further. With this support from the pediatrics department and from my principal investigator, I was able to remain productive with multiple publications during residency. Thanks to this support and productivity, I was able to submit a successful K12 grant application during my residency program, which was the first of various other grants since then. So I am very glad that I carried out my pediatric residency in San Diego and I strongly recommend to medical students who are interested in a career as a physician-scientist to do the same!

​
​Nicole Coufal, MD, PhD

Where are they are now:
UCSD/RCHSD Pediatrics Resident 2011-2014
UCSD/RCHSD Pediatric Critical Care Fellow 2014-2017
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, UCSD 2017-present
NIH/NINDS K08 2018-2023 mentored by Christopher Glass (UCSD) and Fred (Rusty) Gage

Testimonial:
Dr. Coufal is a physician-scientist interested in the intersection between neuroimmunology, pediatric neurocritical care, neurodevelopment, and aging. She completed her MD-PhD at the University of California, San Diego in medicine and in neuroscience. She undertook her clinical training in pediatrics and pediatric critical care, becoming interested in the contribution of neuroimmunology to both rare and common neurodevelopmental disorders. Her postdoctoral work with Christopher Glass mapped the transcriptome and epigenome of primary microglia and generated predictions about regulators, pathways, and mechanisms underlying microglial biology. To understand and model microglial biology, her lab utilizes patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells and genome-wide approaches to identify transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms to model genetic and idiopathic neuro disease in vitro and in vivo. Current directions in the lab query the ontogeny and environmental responses of microglia, and the contribution of neuroimmunology to rare and common neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.

​​
​Alex Ghaben, MD, PhD

Where are they are now: 
UCSD Pediatric Residency 2021-2023
UCSD/Rady Children’s Hospital Endocrinology Fellowship 2023-2026





​

Show additional content areas below