The Visiting Elective Scholars Program (VESP) in Psychiatry was established by the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences with generous annual support from the UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital Board of Advisors. This program was created to encourage fourth year medical students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine and those committed to efforts fostering workforce diversity in healthcare to do a clinical elective on the inpatient unit at the UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital.
The scholars program provides a transportation, housing, and food stipend of up to $2,500 and is designed to:
- Provide trainees with excellent clinical training opportunities at the Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA
- Promote student interest in applying to the Psychiatry Residency Training Program at UCLA
- Provide scholars with mentorship from faculty and house staff during the clinical elective experience.
- Invite opportunities to participate in health equity, diversity, and inclusion-related eventssponsored by the Residency Committees on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI, https://uclasemel.net/diversity) and Community and Global Psychiatry (CGP, www.uclacgp.com)
Clinical electives are three weeks in length and are available, space permitting, to U.S. visiting students. Participants are assigned a faculty mentor and residency mentor and will have the opportunity to network with UCLA faculty, residents, and students.
Who can apply?
- All fourth year medical students with a commitment to efforts fostering workforce diversity inhealthcare professions are encouraged to apply, in particular, those coming from groups that areunderrepresented in medicine (UIM). Per the Association of American Medical Colleges AAMC: “Underrepresented in medicine means those racial and ethnic populations that areunderrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population.”
- Only students enrolled at an affiliated LCME-accredited institution may apply
- Student must be in good academic standing at an accredited US medical school
- Requirements for the DGSOM UCLA School of Medicine’s clinical electives must also be met.
Application Requirements
- Completed Department of Psychiatry VESP application. Form found here.
- Completed David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA VSAS application: https://medschool.ucla.edu/current-us-visiting-students
- Letter of recommendation from a faculty member in Psychiatry
Please ask letter writers to email directly to DVMadrid@mednet.ucla.edu
- A personal statement/letter of interest (1 page)
Please describe your interest and experience in promoting workforce diversity in healthcare as well as your interest in the UCLA Psychiatry Residency Program. This should be uploaded to the application form.
- Recent CV (This should be uploaded to the application form.)
- An official academic transcript from your school of medicine
Selection
Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of:
- Interest in pursuing a career in academic psychiatry
- Commitment to promoting workforce diversity in healthcare
- Leadership
- Community service
- Academic achievement as indicated by transcripts, letter of recommendation, etc.
Program Timeline
Application Submission: April 30 – September 2021
Visiting Elective Enrollment: July 12 – December 2021
DGSOM at UCLA will be accepting visiting medical students for the 2021-22 academic year. The VSAS catalog for 2021-22 will open on April 15, 2021, for electives that start on July 12 and late
How to Submit
Please complete the VESP application here and have your LORs and Med School Transcript sent to the email or address below, at least two months prior to the start of the elective:
Dulce Madrid: DVMadrid@mednet.ucla.edu
UCLA Department of Psychiatry
Psychiatry House Staff Office
760 Westwood Plaza
Room 37-384
Los Angeles, CA 90024