M.D. Program

Extracurricular Activities

There are a wide range of opportunities and services to enhance your curriculum vitae (CV) at UC Davis School of Medicine.

Shadowing

Faculty members can help arrange shadowing opportunities for medical students during the pre-clerkship years. Interested medical students may contact Woubejig Shiferaw, wshiferaw@ucdavis.edu for assistance.

Student Interest Groups (SIGs)

UC Davis School of Medicine have several specialty-based SIGs that students can join to learn more about different specialties and subspecialties. In addition to specialty-based groups, there are mentorship, diversity, and wellness SIGs that students can participate to build their CV. These groups coordinate events that promote mentorship, and provide valuable networking opportunities with students, residents and attendings. The SIG website has a full list of all groups. If you have any questions about SIGs, contact Lao Thao, lythao@ucdavis.edu for assistance.

Student Run Clinics (SRC)

Student Run Clinics affiliated with UC Davis Health have long history of providing medical services in the inner-city neighborhoods of Sacramento, providing free health care to uninsured, low-income and other underserved populations.  Operating on weekends, these clinics serve several distinct groups of patients, providing them culturally sensitive health care in a respectful and comfortable environment. SRCs are organized and staffed by students from UC Davis undergraduate and graduate programs with faculty oversight and students work directly with licensed clinicians who provides direct, on-site supervision. These clinics train students in delivering primary care services while simultaneously improving access to care in underserved communities. Contact Katelyn Watkins, kjwatkins@ucdavis.edu for more details about  SRC.

Research

Medical students have several options for a research experience. Some students decide to do research project during their first and second year, others wait until their third or fourth year, to conduct research.

  • Opportunities include: 
    • Year 1: Research Elective – Four or eight weeks between MS1 and MS2 years
    • Year 1: Area of Specialized Concentration (ASC) Research – Elective course starting first year with asynchronous modules and group meetings during intersessions that continues throughout medical school
    • Years 3 and 4: Research Selective that can last two to eight weeks
  • Time intensive opportunities include
    •  Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) TL-1 – NIH funded one year fellowship (generally between third and fourth years)
    • Daniel T. O’Connor Research Award – TL-1
    • ARC-MD – Five-year research pathway
    • MD-PhD – Eight-year research pathway
    • Master’s Program (MPH, MBA or other masters degrees) – Usually students take time off from medical school between third and fourth years to obtain additional degrees.

Please contact Holly Ly, hhly@ucdavis.edu for more details about our Research Programs.

Global Health

Medical students can participate in a global health rotation during the summer after their first year, a selective block in their third year, and during fourth year of medical school.  Students can generally earn credit towards graduation requirements for clinical didactics and advanced clerkships. In addition, students can become a "global buddy" for international students who are coming to UC Davis to do rotations. Contact Emily Ireland Cox, ekcox@ucdavis.edu for more details about the Global Health Program.