ACCESS is a recruitment, admission, and first year graduate program. Students admitted into this program complete coursework and three lab rotations with ACCESS faculty. At the end of the first year, students choose a permanent research mentor from their rotations and then transfer into one of the departmental or interdepartmental Ph.D. programs for their graduate studies. It is at that time that the student and mentor submit a joint application for admission to the MBIDP.

(2) Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
Contact: Susie Esquivel, Program Coordinator, aesquivel@mednet.ucla.edu, x41817

A 7-year, joint M.D./Ph.D. program. Students spend two years in medical school, establish a mentor/research project before applying for admission to a Ph.D. program, complete their Ph.D./dissertation research usually within four years, and then return to medical school to complete residency and earn the M.D.

(3) Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR)
Contact: Cindy Pendergrast, Program Coordinator, cpendergrast@mednet.ucla.edu, x64632

For M.D.'s seeking a Ph.D. The STAR program provides the structure for fellows/residents to complete clinical training toward board certification in internal medicine or its subspecialties, and to pursue research training to obtain a Ph.D. in the basic sciences or in health services. STAR students must first establish a permanent research mentor and a potential dissertation research project before applying for admission to the MBIDP.

Admission to the MBIDP

Upon completion of requirements for one of the programs listed above, the student and chosen research mentor submit a joint application for admission to the MBIDP. The application includes a description of the potential dissertation research project, and the training environment offered by the faculty mentor. If the student is admitted to the program, the mentor will automatically become a member of the MBIDP, contingent on approval by the Chair of the mentor’s home department. The latter is necessary because membership in the MBIDP commits the faculty member to periodically teach courses in the MBIDP and to participate in other IDP activities. There are also financial obligations for the mentor and/or the mentor’s home department (see below).

Mentor Responsibilities

Further details on each of these responsibilities are available from the MBIDP Administrative Office.

ACCESS Payback Agreement:

Each department participating in ACCESS pays back to ACCESS a one-time payment ($29,550 for 2007-08) for each ACCESS student entering their Ph.D. program in the second year of graduate school. These funds are applied to the support of the next incoming ACCESS class. If a mentor’s faculty appointment(s) is in a non-ACCESS-participating department, that mentor must arrange a one-time “payback” of the full amount directly to the ACCESS program for each ACCESS student entering his/her lab for dissertation research. Funding source may be the mentor's department or a mentor's research grant, if allowed. For mentors in ACCESS-participating departments, the MBIDP will cover between 50 and 100% of the payback, funds permitting, that the mentor’s home department would normally owe to the ACCESS program if their student joined the departmental Ph.D. program rather than the MBIDP. In this way, all departments benefiting from the ACCESS program contribute to the program’s financial support. For the current level of the MBIDP's payback coverage, please contact the Graduate Office at MBIgrad@mednet.ucla.edu.

Participating ACCESS Departments Providing Faculty Appointments:

Ethics Course Discussion Leader: Each graduate program participating in ACCESS must provide faculty to assist the ethics course instructors in leading discussions on various ethics topics. This course is offered once per year. Mentors are asked to participate as a discussion leader approximately once every three years.

Financial Support of the Student: MBIDP mentors are required to provide stipend support of the student at the ACCESS-recommended level ($26,000 in 2006-07), as well as all required fees and, if applicable, non-resident tuition. These can potentially be offset by various student fellowships if awarded.

Facilitate Student’s Time-to-Degree Requirements: MBIDP students are expected to meet specific deadlines for completion of their written and oral qualifying exams, midstream seminar, and thesis defense. MBIDP mentors are expected to facilitate the meeting of these deadlines.