University of California, Los Angeles

Program Director	Program Admin
Lu Song, PhD, DABCC	Victoria L. Amador
Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Chief of Clinical Chemistry	Program Coordinator
lusong@mednet.ucla.edu	VAmador@mednet.ucla.edu
(310) 267-8169	(310) 825-3766

About the Program

The program’s mission is to prepare postdoctoral fellows for a career in academic clinical chemistry including service, teaching, management and research activities and to be certified by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry in General Chemistry, toxicological chemistry, or Molecular Diagnostics. The training will be conducted in diverse environments; a clinical hospital laboratory (Ronald Reagan Hospital), a reference/outreach laboratory (Bruin University Reference Laboratory), a performance enhancing drug testing laboratory (Olympic Analytical Laboratory), and a molecular diagnostics laboratory all at UCLA Medical Center. These environments require excellence in different skill sets and this exposure will give the fellow a broad perspective of career choices.

The program will provide training in the operation of a high complexity clinical laboratory, which includes but is not limited to, technical oversight of the laboratory, on-call responsibilities, laboratory management, regulatory affairs and compliance, quality control programs, laboratory information systems, informatics, the implementation of total lab automation, as well as the curriculum specified by ComACC. The program will also provide experience with molecular diagnostic testing and genetics. The trainees are encouraged to take quality initiatives to improve laboratory operations and clinical services. The trainees will learn how clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine is integrated in patient care and obtain the training as “the Acting Director”. The trainee will also be expected to participate in research activities in clinical chemistry, laboratory medicine, or basic science research with a UCLA faculty member.

Program Requirements

To be considered for the program, prospective fellows must have:

1. Completed a Ph.D or equivalent degree in medical, biological or basic sciences from a recognized institution of higher learning.
2. Satisfactorily completed a minimum of 30 semester hours (or equivalent) in undergraduate and/or graduate level chemistry courses to meet certification eligibility requirements by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry. Additional information may be accessed at the American Board of Clinical Chemistry (ABCC) Educational Requirements.
   • Foreign graduates with credentials earned outside of the United States or Canada will be required to submit a credentials evaluation from an ABCC approved agency. A list of approved credentials evaluation services may be accessed at ABCC Credentials Evaluation Services.

To Apply

Application opens in April and closes in September. Our online application may be accessed at the UCLA ComACC Clinical Chemistry Fellowship Application.

The application packet must include:

1. Letter of intent
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Three letters of recommendation

Selected applicants will be required to complete a formal application and submit transcripts of graduate and undergraduate records. Interview is required and will include a seminar presentation.

Training Level

Postdoctoral Training Level
Number of positions available per year: 1 every other year
Duration of program: 2 years
Approximate annual salary or stipend: PGY Scale
Source of funding: Department Funding
Current number of trainees: 1
Number of past graduates: 2

Faculty

Allison Chambliss, PhD	General Clinical Chemistry, Urinalysis, Laboratory Stewardship
Josh Deignan, PhD	Molecular Diagnostics
Thomas Drake, MD	Clinical Informatics
Omai Garner, PhD	Point-of-Care Testing, Serology, Infectious Disease, Microbiology
Nam Ku, MD	Hematology, Coagulation
Zhen Mei, MD	Transfusion Medicine, Coagulation
Imir Metushi, PhD	General Clinical Chemistry, Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, Clinical Toxicology, Immunology, Point-of-Care Testing.
Stan Nelson, MD	Clinical Genomics
Lu Song, PhD	General Clinical Chemistry, Endocrinology, Special Chemistry, Laboratory Calculations and Statistics