David Geffen School of Medicine

David Geffen School of Medicine
Name	David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Established	1951
Type	Private medical school
Parent	University of California, Los Angeles
Location	Los Angeles, California, United States
Dean	Dr. Kelsey Martin
Students	~800 MD students

Contents

David Geffen School of Medicine is the medical school of University of California, Los Angeles, located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1951, the school has affiliations with major clinical centers including UCLA Medical Center, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and Jules Stein Eye Institute, and participates in research networks connected to institutions such as Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and UCLA Health. The school is named for philanthropist David Geffen following a major gift, and it engages with partners like Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and regional systems such as Kaiser Permanente.

History

The school's origins trace to the postwar expansion of University of California campuses and the establishment of clinical training linked to hospitals like Good Samaritan Hospital (Los Angeles) and Santa Monica Hospital. Early deans recruited faculty from institutions including Johns Hopkins Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Mayo Clinic to build departments in surgery, internal medicine, and pediatrics. Major milestones include construction of the medical center during the tenure of UCLA chancellors such as Charles E. Young and capital campaigns led by donors including Jerome R. Strelitz and David Geffen, which culminated in renaming the school after Geffen. The school's evolution paralleled growth in biomedical initiatives connected to National Institutes of Health funding, collaborations with centers like UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, and responses to public health events involving agencies such as Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The campus sits adjacent to the main University of California, Los Angeles campus and integrates facilities including the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, the UCLA Medical Plaza, and specialized centers such as UCLA Neuroscience Research Building and the Molecular Biology Institute. Clinical and translational spaces link to partner hospitals such as Harbor–UCLA Medical Center and research affiliates including UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center. The campus houses simulation centers modeled after programs at Stanford University School of Medicine and equipment suites comparable to those at Caltech and Scripps Research, and is accessible via transport nodes near Wilshire Boulevard and the San Diego Freeway (I-405). Collections and libraries are integrated with the Charles E. Young Research Library and archives connecting to the UCLA Library system.

The school offers the MD program built on core clerkships at sites like Olive View–UCLA Medical Center, Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, and specialty rotations at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Combined degree pathways include MD/PhD in partnership with programs similar to UCLA Graduate Division, MD/MPH with UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, and joint degrees modeled after dual programs at Harvard Medical School and Yale School of Medicine. Curricular innovations echo reforms from institutions such as Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons with problem-based learning, clinical skills training adapted from Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, and electives in global health linked to organizations like World Health Organization programs. Graduate medical education comprises residencies accredited alongside programs at American Board of Medical Specialties member institutions and fellowships in subspecialties related to centers such as UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Research enterprise areas include neuroscience coordinated with UCLA Brain Research Institute, cancer biology affiliated with UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and precision medicine initiatives connected to consortia like All of Us Research Program. The school houses institutes and centers such as the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, and the UCLA Institute for Precision Health, which collaborate with pharmaceutical partners exemplified by ties to Amgen and biotechnology firms similar to Genentech. Grant support from National Institutes of Health, foundations like Gates Foundation projects, and interdisciplinary projects with campuses such as UCLA School of Dentistry and UCLA School of Nursing drive translational trials registered through networks akin to ClinicalTrials.gov.

Admission is competitive and draws applicants from institutions such as Harvard College, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, Princeton University, and international programs like University of Oxford. The school emphasizes diversity initiatives modeled after programs at Morehouse School of Medicine and partnerships with community health systems including Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center. Student organizations collaborate with national groups like American Medical Association, Association of American Medical Colleges, and service programs connected to Doctors Without Borders. Housing and wellness resources link students to services on the wider University of California, Los Angeles campus, cultural venues such as the Getty Center, and student life hubs near Westwood Village.

Faculty and alumni include leaders who have held positions at institutions such as National Institutes of Health, recipients of awards like the Lasker Award and MacArthur Fellowship, and clinical pioneers associated with centers like Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Notable figures connected to the school have collaborated with researchers from Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Salk Institute, UCSF, and public health leaders from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alumni have assumed roles at academic centers such as Mayo Clinic, Mount Sinai Hospital (New York City), and Massachusetts General Hospital, and have participated in initiatives funded by organizations like Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Category:Medical schools in California