A Year of Resilience, Discovery and Impact

Story by:

• Stephanie Healey- [email protected]
• Joyce Pritchett- [email protected]

Published Date

• Two faculty were inducted into the Association of American Physicians, an honorific society for America's leading physician-scientists, for their contributions to basic and translational biomedical research.
• The university's highest honor - the Revelle Medal- was awarded to three emeriti faculty for their sustained, distinguished and extraordinary service to campus.
• More than 100 faculty representing 50 specialties were voted "Top Docs"by San Diego Magazine in its annual "Physicians of Exceptional Excellence" survey, which draws votes from physicians across San Diego county.
• Two staff members were named Exemplary Staff Employees of the Year for their exceptional contributionsto their units.
• The school's Office of Communications earned a Gold Award for Excellencefrom the Asssociation of American Medical Colleges Group on Institutional Advancement for its feature story, "More than a Hair Cut."

Cultivating the Next Generation:
Education Highlights

Celebrating Milestones

As our training programs reach important milestones, we celebrate a proud history of preparing scholars devoted to research and patient care.

• The Medical Scientist Training Program, the school's joint M.D./Ph.D. program marked its 50^thanniversaryin May. The program has graduated more than 250 physician-scientists since its inception.
• The SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology celebrated 40 yearsof preparing future clinical psychologists for careers in teaching, research, diagnosis, treatment, consultation and program evaluation and design.

Creating New Pathways

• The inaugural class of the Atkinson Physician Assistant Education Program began their first clinical rotations this fall, marking an exciting milestone in their training. Meanwhile, the program welcomed its second cohort of 30 students in June.
• The California Medicine Scholars Program (CMSP) matriculated its first medical studentat UC San Diego. A statewide program, CMSP is a partnership between community colleges and University of California medical schools to provide supportive pathways from community college to medical school.
• The new Compassion in Medicine Academic Concentration, a four-year program that explores the intersection of compassion and medicine, welcomed its first two medical students in the fall.

Building Advanced Training Opportunities

The school created new and expanded immersive training programs for students, trainees and faculty.

• To drive innovation in precision medicine for the treatment of cancer, the School of Medicine developed a new Master of Advanced Studies in Precision Medicine Therapeutics in Oncology program. Open to health care professionals, researchers and life sciences industry professionals, the program is accepting applications for the inaugural Fall 2026 cohort.
• Five graduate medical education programs received CalMedForce awards from Physicians for a Healthy California. To help address California's physician shortage, CalMedForce supports expansion of accredited residency and fellowship training programs across the state. UC San Diego's recipients are:
  • Adult Congenital Heart Disease Fellowship Program
  • Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship Program
  • Family Medicine Residency Program
  • Neurology Residency Program
  • Plastic Surgery Residency Program
• The Department of Psychiatry created a new rural psychiatry residency program in partnership with the Imperial County Behavioral Health Services. The program will match four residents into the inaugural class that begins July 2026.
• The Department of Medicine launched the IGNITE Mentoring Academy, a structured program that helps early career physician-scientists and researchers navigate critical transition points, particularly when preparing for career development awards, by offering support for grant writing and manuscript development and submission.

From Bench to Bedside and Beyond:
Research and Clinical Highlights

The School of Medicine turned discovery into practice in 2025. This synergy of science and clinical care reaffirms the institution's standing as the region's premier hub for innovation and high quality patient care.

• Housed within the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, the new Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (MIGS)treats complex gynecologic surgical cases using state-of-the-art technology. MIGS techniques mitigate pain, foster faster recovery and provide unique educational opportunities for trainees.

• The Viterbi Department of Ophthalmology celebrated the opening of the new Viterbi Family Vision Research Center, a 100,000-square-foot facility that expands the institution's research and clinical trials focused on preventing vision loss, restoring vision and curing blindness. The new facility is also home to the Hanna and Mark Gleiberman Center for Glaucoma Research.
• MRI-guided, outpatient TULSA proceduresare now offered by the Department of Urology as a minimally invasive alternative to radiation or prostate removal for men with prostate cancer, one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States.

• The new Project CRASHCART provides a safety net for hospitals experiencing a ransomware attack or other cyber threat by providing portable networks for electronic health records, radiology and laboratory systems. The program potentially reduces hospital downtime from weeks to days or even hours.

Fostering a Supportive Research Community

• To mitigate the impact of federal funding disruptions, the school developed a new pivot grant program, an initiative made possible by a $1 million donation from Prebys Foundation. The funding enabled 19 researchers across the entire university whose funding was disrupted to pivot their work toward sustainable, high-impact areas including infectious diseases, neuroscience, regenerative medicine and cancer biology.
• Two School of Medicine faculty were appointed as new 2025 Faculty Ambassadors. Working with the Office of Research Innovation, they help connect faculty with funding sources, facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and amplify the dissemination of research discoveries.
• Despite the uncertain research environment, the School of Medicine maintained a robust $653 million portfolioof contracts and grants in the 2025 fiscal year. Researchers across the school's 20 departments continue to push the boundaries of biomedical knowledge, producing a steady stream of high-impact research that shape clinical practice and spark new lines of inquiry.

Taking Action: Community Engagement and Federal Advocacy

Community engagement is essential to understanding and addressing health disparities in our region. Students, faculty and staff continue to build and expand programs to meet the needs of our underserved communities through outreach programs, student interest groups, community-based elective coursesand more.

• The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery's Building Orthopedic Networks for Everyone (BONE) Academy, expanded nationally in 2025, bringing hands-on orthopedic career workshops to high school students in Philadelphia, Pa. Workshops in Camden, NJ; New York City and Loma Linda, Calif. are scheduled for Spring 2026. BONE Academy continues to introduce high school students from underserved communities to the spectrum of careers in orthopedic surgery.
• The school community engaged in advocacy to help protect research funding. Faculty, staff and students wrote letters to lawmakers urging the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to reverse a proposed cap on indirect research costs. Medical education leadership met with San Diego's congressional representatives- Scott Peters (CA-50) and Sara Jacobs (CA-51) - to warn that proposed NIH funding cuts could jeopardize critical biomedical research programs. In addition, the leaders highlighted how proposed caps on Graduate PLUS loans and other federal student loan programs could limit access to medical education, which could ultimately affect patient care.

Honoring Alumni and Legacy

In September, the school hosted one of the largest alumni reunions in recent history. More than 150 graduates from the Classes of 1975, 1985, 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2015 returned for a weekend of tours, student-led presentations and reconnection with classmates and colleagues.

These accomplishments represent only a fraction of the everyday excellence that drives the School of Medicine. As we turn the page toward 2026, the school remains steadfast in its mission: to educate leaders, advance science and heal our communities.

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