Answering a Call to Service: 2025 UCSF School of Medicine White Coat Ceremony | | |
“You said yes. Yes to a life of service. Yes to learning what it truly means to care. Yes to joining a community that believes medicine can – and must – be a force for justice, healing, and discovery.”
With these words, Dean Talmadge E. King Jr., MD welcomed the incoming UCSF School of Medicine Class of 2029 at the White Coat Ceremony on August 10, 2025, at San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre.
| | Start Strong: UCSF MS4s on Making the Most of Medical School | | As the UCSF School of Medicine welcomes the incoming class of 2029, fourth-year medical students reflect on their own journeys and offer advice to help new students make the most of their time in medical school. From go-to study spots and coffee shops to surprising moments of growth, their insights offer a blend of practical tips and personal perspective. | | Apply Now: Peds-START Program for Future Pediatricians | |
The application for the second cohort of Peds-START (Pediatric Specialized Training and Admission to Residency Track) is now open. Second-year UCSF medical students who are interested in specializing in pediatrics and want to stay at UCSF as part of the UCSF Pediatric Residency Program at San Francisco are encouraged to apply by September 7.
Earlier this year, the UCSF Department of Pediatrics proudly launched Peds-START with its inaugural cohort — a select group of aspiring pediatricians embarking on a groundbreaking program. Peds-START students experience pediatrics-focused mentorship, specialized pediatric training, and longitudinal relationship building that can extend into pediatric residency.
For questions or more information, please contact: Michele Long, MD, Director, Peds-START.
| | Clinical Microsystems Faculty Leadership Update | | |
The following faculty educators were recently appointed to roles in the Clinical Microsystems Clerkship, a required longitudinal clinical skills and health systems improvement curriculum for first- and second-year medical students.
Mary (Mimi) Margaretten, MD, Professor of Medicine, was appointed Interim Co-Director of the Clinical Microsystems Clerkship (CMC), Direct Patient Care, effective July 1, 2025.
Christopher (Toff) Peabody, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, was named the Clinical Microsystems Clerkship Site Director, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, effective July 1, 2025.
| | Bridges Curriculum Welcomes Newest Medical Student Coaches | | Christopher Brunson, MD, Assistant Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, and Amy Zhang, MD, Assistant Professor of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, were appointed Medical Student Coaches effective July 1, 2025. | | |
Christopher Brunson, MD
he/him
Medical Student Coach
Assistant Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging
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Amy Zhang, MD
she/her
Medical Student Coach
Assistant Professor of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care
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Education Continuous Quality Improvement
| | Advancing Size-Inclusive Medical Education in Response to Student Feedback | | |
Responding to student feedback, the REGulatioN (REGN) block has made meaningful changes to incorporate size inclusivity into the course curriculum. Starting in 2021, REGN addressed weight bias and stigma in the Obesity Medicine unit. In 2023, in collaboration with Health Professions Students for Size Inclusivity (HPSSI) and the Anti-Oppression Curriculum Initiative (AOCI), REGN developed new sessions focused on compassionate, evidence-based care and co-created educators’ size inclusivity principles and case guidelines.
Course faculty now review all teaching sessions and materials through a lens of size inclusivity, aiming to eliminate weight bias and stigma, and foster trauma-informed interactions with patients in larger bodies. Ongoing student feedback led to moving obesity and size inclusivity topics earlier in the curriculum to the Justice and Advocacy in Medicine (JAM) block in 2024, supporting integrated instruction. These ongoing curricular changes will help prepare future physicians who provide respectful, equitable care to patients of all body sizes.
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The Committee on Curriculum and Educational Policy (CCEP) recently approved the following revisions to existing policies that guide our medical school. All education policies are reviewed and approved by CCEP. CCEP is chaired by Glenn Rosenbluth, MD, Professor of Pediatrics. If you have any questions about the policies that guide our medical education, please email bridges@ucsf.edu.
- The Foundations 1 Policy on Attendance and Participation specifies the requirements for student attendance and participation in Bridges Curriculum Foundations 1 learning activities. The policy was revised to provide more flexibility and autonomy for students. The revision aims to promote student ownership of learning, clearly specify which types of course sessions require on-time attendance, and streamline administrative processes for faculty and staff.
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The Foundations 1 Policy on Assessment, Absence, and Rescheduling sets the requirements for rescheduling Bridges Curriculum Foundations 1 assessments and viewings for individual students. The policy was revised to set clearer expectations for students wishing to reschedule an assessment and to provide a more standardized and streamlined workflow for students, staff, and faculty.
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The Medical Student Mistreatment Policy provides mechanisms and procedures for students to report mistreatment against themselves or others. The revised policy includes language explicitly forbidding retaliation and outlines procedures for presenting student mistreatment reports annually at Super Group, which consists of co-chairs of student governance and registered student organizations.
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The Educational Continuous Quality Review Policy is related to LCME accreditation Standard 1.1, which requires the School to engage in ongoing planning and improvement processes, ensuring it sets clear goals, achieves measurable outcomes, and maintains compliance with accreditation standards. The revision clarifies that UCSF continuously reviews all LCME standards and elements, and describes the process used by the Council for Education Continuous Quality Improvement (CECQI).
| | UCSF School of Medicine Launches Podcast on Medical Student Success: The Bridge: From Surviving to Thriving in Medical School | | |
A new limited-series podcast from the UCSF School of Medicine, The Bridge: From Surviving to Thriving in Medical School, explores what it means to succeed - and belong - as a medical student at UCSF.
The 13 episodes are hosted by Erick Hung, MD, UCSF Professor of Psychiatry and UCSF School of Medicine Associate Dean for Students, Alvine Ngouonga, MS3, and Nakai Corral, MD, MEd, third-year UCSF psychiatry resident. Each episode features candid conversations with UCSF faculty, residents, staff, and medical students on topics that matter most to learners navigating medical school.
The Bridge was made possible by the UCSF Academy of Medical Educators’ Innovations Funding Education Program.
Listen now to The Bridge: From Surviving to Thriving in Medical School.
| | Now Available: New Season of The Spark Podcast | | |
Have you heard? The Spark: Medical Education for Curious Minds, a podcast that explores the people and stories behind medical education at the UCSF School of Medicine, recently launched its new season.
In the first episode, host Chloe Sales, MS4, speaks with Jack Resneck, Jr., MD, UCSF Professor and Chair of Dermatology, former president of the American Medical Association, and a prominent figure in national and global health policy, about the importance of physician storytelling in advocating for patients, the lessons learned from past technological revolutions in health care, and the ethical considerations surrounding AI in medicine.
Listen now to the latest season of The Spark: Medical Education for Curious Minds.
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