University of California, Los Angeles

UCLA-Health
david-geffen

Director

Lu Song, PhD, DABCC, FACB
Chief of Clinical Chemistry
Associate Professor
Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Telephone: (310) 267-8169
Fax: 310-267-0972
E-mail: LuSong@mednet.ucla.edu

Fellowship Coordinator

Jayne Lu
Telephone: (310) 267-1900
E-mail: xiaojianlu@mednet.ucla.edu

Faculty and Research Interests

Josh Deignan, PhDMolecular Diagnostics
Thomas Drake, MDClinical Informatics
Omai Garner, PhDSerology, infectious disease, microbiology, POCT
Imir Metushi, PhDGeneral clinical chemistry, therapeutic drug monitoring, clinical toxicology, immunology, POCT
Nam Ku, MDHematology and coagulation
Stan Nelson, MDClinical genomics
Lu Song, PhDGeneral clinical chemistry, Endocrinology, Special Chemistry, Laboratory Calculations and Statistics

Program Listing

Level(s) of training: Postdoctoral
Number of positions available per year: 1
Duration of program: 2 years
Approximate annual salary or stipend: Consistent with PGY1/PGY2
Source of funding: Departmental
Current number of trainees: 1
Number of past graduates: New Program

Application Procedures

Prerequisites

Qualified candidates who have completed a PhD or equivalent degree from a recognized institution of higher learning.  Applicants must have a 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 (ABCC). A description of approved courses can be found in Table 1 and Table 2 below and additional information may be accessed at the ABCC’s website. 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.

Table 1: Subject Areas/Related Course Classification

Course ClassificationSubject Area or Related Courses
Type AUndergraduate or graduate courses in analytic, organic, physical, or general chemistry, or biochemistry
Type BUndergraduate or graduate courses in toxicology, animal biology, molecular biology, medical genetics, genetics, microbiology, or immunology
Type CUndergraduate or graduate courses in material or computer sciences, or bioinformatics

Table 2: Distribution of Required Semester Hours per ABCC Certification Discipline

ABCC Certification Discipline Minimum Required Course Semester Hours
Clinical ChemistryAt least 28.0 Type A course semester hours and 2.0 Type B AND/OR Type C course semester hours.
Toxicological ChemistryAt least 28.0 Type A course semester hours and 2.0 Type B AND/OR Type C course semester hours.
Molecular DiagnosticsAt least 20.0 Type A AND/OR Type B course semester hours, and 10.0 additional semester hours from either Type A, B, AND/OR C courses.

Procedures

Submit letter of intent, curriculum vitae and 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.  Applicants with more than three prior years of postdoctoral experience are not eligible to apply.

Deadline

September 13 for application to positions starting January or July 1 the following year. Our online application may be accessed at the UCLA ComACC Clinical Chemistry Fellowship Application

Program Description

The program’s mission is to prepare those with a PhD for a career in academic clinical chemistry including service, teaching, and research activities and to be certified by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry in General Chemistry and 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 the 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; on-call responsibilities, lab management, compliance, quality assurance, laboratory information systems, informatics, and curriculum specified by ComACC.  The program will also stress molecular diagnostic testing, genetics, quality initiatives, the application of laboratory test results to the management of patients and “Acting Director Training”.  The trainee will also be expected to participate in applied clinical, translational, or basic science research with a UCLA faculty member. ​

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