Program Overview

The objective of this program is to develop a scholarly and clinical approach to pulmonary and critical care medicine, enabling our trainees to pursue a career in academic medicine. To meet this objective, we offer an accredited three year combined program in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine that qualifies trainees for certification in both subspecialties. The third year of the training program is intended to provide an in-depth experience with clinical and/or basic science research. Trainees who desire to obtain substantial experience in research will need a particularly intense effort and may require an additional period of research training.

The clinical programs of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine are based at UCSD Medical Center - Hillcrest, UCSD Thornton Hospital, La Jolla and the Veterans Administration San Diego Healthcare System in La Jolla. UCSD Medical Center serves as the principal teaching institution for the UCSD School of Medicine, as the community hospital for San Diego and its environs, and as a national and international referral center. UCSD Medical Center is a Level I Trauma Center with active lung, heart-lung, heart, renal, liver and bone marrow transplant programs. The three-year fellowship training program in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine includes approximately 15 fellows and 25 full-time faculty who represent the breadth of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.

The UCSD Medical Center offers neonatal, surgical, burn, and trauma intensive care units. The special programs of the Division, which include the Pulmonary Circulation, Chronic Pulmonary Infection, Cystic Fibrosis, Lung Transplantation, Advanced Lung Disease, Pulmonary Rehabilitation, and Sleep Medicine programs, assure a steady patient flow.

The UCSD Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). Upon successful completion of the three-year training program, fellows are eligible to sit for the Pulmonary and Critical Care Board Examinations.