Medical Science

On This Page:

• School of Medicine Overview
• School of Medicine Degrees
• Vision Statement
• Health Sciences Complex
• Biomedical Research Center
• Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
• University of California, Irvine Health
• UCI Family Health Center - Santa Ana and Anaheim Locations
• Affiliated Hospitals and Clinics
• School of Medicine Alumni Relations

Michael J. Stamos, M.D., Dean
240 Irvine Hall, 949-824-1046

Admissions and Outreach: 949-824-5388
https://www.som.uci.edu/

School of Medicine Overview

The UCI School of Medicine became part of the University of California in 1965. Prior to this time it was known as the California College of Medicine which traces its roots to a private institution founded in 1896.

Mission Statement

The mission of the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine is to Discover. Teach. Heal. The mission is accomplished by promoting biomedical sciences and medicine in Orange County, California, and beyond, through excellence in research, education, patient care, and community service. 

Vision Statement

Our vision is to advance individual and population health through discovery, innovation and inclusive excellence.

Our Goals

Research Distinction: Achieve distinction across basic, translational, clinical and outcomes research.  Excellence in research is an essential feature of the School of Medicine. Therefore, the School is committed to develop and maintain research programs in the health sciences which seek to advance basic scientific knowledge and the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human illness. 

Innovative Education: Educate the next generation of healthcare leaders through innovative learning.  The School of Medicine is committed to provide educational programs of the highest quality to medical and graduate students, residents, fellows, allied health, practicing physicians, and other health care professionals. Educational programs are offered along the continuum of medical education with programs in undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education. These programs emphasize the most current knowledge in the health sciences and reflect the changing practice of medicine. Further, the School of Medicine's educational programs are designed to stimulate life-long self-learning and critical inquiry and to exemplify those human values necessary to fulfill the professional commitments of a career in the health sciences.

Clinical Excellence: Provide excellent care and an exceptional experience. Recognizing its responsibility to meet the educational needs of students and the diverse needs of the patient community, the School of Medicine is committed to programs of clinical excellence across the spectrum of patient care disciplines.

Complex Care Leader: Be the region's top destination for complex care. As a publicly assisted institution, the School of Medicine is committed to serve the community as a vital resource of expertise and knowledge. The School further serves the public through the training of health professionals whose backgrounds reflect California's ethnic and cultural diversity and whose professional careers address California's health care needs.

Degrees

¹

The School of Medicine's basic science departments of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Biological Chemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Physiology and Biophysics offer graduate instruction leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Biomedical Sciences.

²

This degree is designed for students who have completed the first two years of the curriculum, but do not plan to complete the M.D. degree. Students cannot apply for or enroll in the program for the M.S. in Medical Sciences degree only.

³

Admission is for the Ph.D. degree only; the M.S. may be awarded to Ph.D. students after fulfillment of the requirements per policy within each department.

The School of Medicine also offers the Medical Scientist Training Program (M.D./Ph.D.), the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC), Leadership Education to Advance Diversity-African, Black and Caribbean (LEAD-ABC), Health Education to Advance Leaders in Integrative Medicine (HEAL-IM), an M.D./M.B.A. program in cooperation with The Paul Merage School of Business, an M.D./M.P.H. program in cooperation with the Program in Public Health, medical residency and fellowship programs, and continuing medical education for physicians and other health care professionals.

Vision Statement

Powered by discovery, innovation, and inclusive excellence, UCI School of Medicine will advance individual and population health.

Health Sciences Complex

The Health Sciences Complex is a 121-acre site that houses UCI's medical school facilities. Twenty-nine acres have been developed to provide space for teaching, research, and patient care as well as offices for departmental administration.

The School's basic science instructional programs are located in modern, well-equipped, medical sciences buildings. These units provide space for first- and second-year classes, lecture halls (including the Dr. S. Jerome and Judith D. Tamkin Student Lecture Hall), offices and laboratories for various basic and clinical departments. Other buildings house the School's laboratories and administrative offices.

The Medical Education building symbolizes the University's ongoing commitment to high-quality medical education and innovation. The 65,000-square-foot building serves as the hub for nearly all non-hospital related educational activities for UCI medical students, and incorporates the latest technology to help prepare tomorrow's doctors for healthcare in the digital age. The School of Medicine Educational Affairs Office is located in the Medical Education building, as well as the innovative Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC), the Leadership Education to Advance Diversity - African, Black and Caribbean (LEAD-ABC) program, and the Health Education to Advance Leaders in Integrative Medicine (HEAL-IM) program.

The Medical Education building's Telemedicine Center includes a 60-seat interactive televideo auditorium where students watch UCI physicians provide expert care over the Internet to patients in rural or other remote locations. Located on the second floor, the Clinical Skills Center is a cutting-edge facility for teaching and assessment of clinical skills, communication, and professionalism. The Clinical Skills Center includes 17 fully equipped patient exam rooms, a central control room for exam administration and recording of all activities, and a computer software system that focuses on the capture, debriefing, and assessment of medical training. The building also features an advanced Medical Education Simulation Center, complete with a four-suite Simulation Lab that utilizes high-fidelity human patient simulators with physiologically accurate responses to stimuli to enhance learning and assess competency. The lab is equipped with a fully operational anesthesia suite, a trauma suite, and a general ward environment. The Simulation Lab has two debriefing rooms for immediate feedback on performance as well as a large central control room for all simulation activities.

In addition, the 40,000-square-foot Plumwood House is devoted to basic research in the fields of neurological disorders, diagnostic systems and reagents, and industrial bioreactors. In this facility, faculty from the Department of Biological Chemistry share laboratory space with corporate researchers.

Outpatient services are available on campus through the Louis A. and Helen C. Gottschalk Medical Plaza and the Beckman Laser Institute & Medical Clinic. Together these facilities capitalize upon the broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic programs of the School as well as the extensive clinical expertise of the faculty. Both primary care and specialty services are offered through these facilities, as well as special programs in diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and inflammatory bowel diseases. The medical plaza also houses UCI Corporate Health Services, and one of the world's leading programs in medical laser technology, the Beckman Laser Institute which offers state-of-the-art treatment for cancer and dermatological conditions. The Institute specializes in the development and application of laser and other optical technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

For the latest in diagnostic healthcare for eye diseases, the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, which serves as home to the UCI School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology, provides state-of-the-art services including computerized refraction analysis, glaucoma diagnosis, and ultrasound analysis of eye disorders.

Biomedical Research Center

UCI's Biomedical Research Center (BRC) is a landmark public-private collaboration between UCI and businesses involved in biomedical, biotechnological, and healthcare services. The Center enables UCI researchers and participating companies to work alongside one another, combining basic science, clinical study, and product development to find new approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of disease. The William J. Gillespie Neuroscience Research Facility, the first of several BRC buildings, is the home of a core group of prominent scientists investigating the causes and cures for neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and spinal cord injury. The second building is the Robert R. Sprague Family Foundation Hall, where scientists work to reveal the role of genetics in cancer treatment and prevention. The third building, the Dottie and George Hewitt Research Hall, is home to a state-of-the-art General Clinical Research Center and internationally recognized investigators studying infectious diseases, molecular medicine, immunology, and complementary and alternative medicine. The Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center is the fourth building in UCI's Biomedical Research Center. Opened in 2010, this state-of-the art research and clinical building fosters a multi-pronged approach to neurodegenerative repair and basic stem cell biology by supporting basic research, regenerative medicine, and drug-development programs.

Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center

The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center based in Orange County and one of only 51 such centers in the country. With this designation, NCI recognizes UCI's excellence in providing world-class patient care and innovative research as part of “the backbone of NCI's programs for studying and controlling cancer.” The Cancer Center is headquartered at the UCI Medical Center in Orange and also operates out of Sprague Hall on the UCI campus in Irvine. The 58,000-square-foot Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center in Orange provides an ideal setting for the practice of all the basic and clinical subspecialties involved in oncology care, including the application of the latest techniques for the diagnosis and management of patients with cancer. The 53,000-square-foot Sprague Hall in Irvine serves as the UCI hub for multidisciplinary basic and translational cancer research, housing faculty laboratories and specialized core research support facilities. Overall, more than 200 physicians and scientists, drawn from over 32 departments across eight schools at UCI (Medicine, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Nursing, Engineering, Information and Computer Sciences, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Business), work together to understand the biological mechanisms underpinning cancer and to translate these discoveries into new therapies for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer of all types and degrees of severity.

University of California, Irvine Health

UCI Health is comprised of a devoted team of nationally regarded physicians and nurses, researchers and clinicians, educators and students united by a single calling — to improve the lives of the people in our community and beyond. As the only academic health system in Orange County, this multifaceted organization is dedicated to the discovery of new medical frontiers, to the teaching of future healers, and to the delivery of the finest evidence-based care. UCI Medical Center features a 459-bed acute care hospital providing tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, behavioral health, and rehabilitation. It is the primary teaching hospital for the UCI School of Medicine.

• UCI School of Medicine, one of the top U.S. medical schools for research, is where our groundbreaking research and treatment advances are imparted to the rising practitioners of tomorrow.
•  UCI Medical Center has been rated among the nation's best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 21 consecutive years. It is also ranked among the top 50 U.S. medical centers in gynecology, urology, nephrology and geriatrics care.
• The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of only 52 in the nation — and the only one based in Orange County — designated for excellence by the National Cancer Institute.
• UCI Medical Center is Orange County's only Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, which means trauma and critical care physicians are fully equipped to treat life-threatening injuries 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• The Comprehensive Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center is the first in Orange County to be certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by the nation's preeminent health care standard-setting organization.
• Numerous health providers throughout Orange County apply the most advanced medical knowledge — for diabetes, neuromuscular disease, women's health, and more.
• UCI Health is building a new medical complex on the UCI campus. UCI Medical Center – Irvine includes the Center for Advanced Care, opening in 2023, the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care building, and a 144-bed acute care hospital, both opening in 2025.
• This union of discovery, teaching and healing has enabled UCI Health to pioneer new therapies and techniques that have been adopted by institutions across the nation.

More information is available at the UCI Health website.

UCI Family Health Center - Santa Ana and Anaheim Locations

The UCI Family Health Centers are designated as Federally Qualified Health Centers (UCI FQHC). The UCI FQHC Board of Directors is made up of community members and patients, who in collaboration with UCI Health, deliver primary care services to the under-served communities in Orange County. This collaboration is very unique, and although there are other FQHCs in the country with academic affiliations, the UCI FQHC and UCI Health have a co-applicant agreement that is recognized by the Health Resources and Services Administration (an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). 

UCI FQHC is the oldest FQHC in Orange County. It provides care to all patients regardless of their ability to pay. The vast majority of patients served at the UCI FQHC are Medi-Cal patients and predominantly monolingual Spanish speakers. The core services delivered at these locations are primary care - Adult, Pediatric, and Women's health. The Departments of Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing provide these services. 

UCI FQHC serves as a training ground for both residents and medical students which gives learners a unique opportunity to manage complex medical cases while addressing the social determinants of health. In addition, the health centers offer an array of other services.

Behavioral Health is offered by Licensed Clinical Social Workers to address the social stressors affecting our patients and providing counseling for psychological and substance use disorders. Patients can also access our onsite Oral Health services that provide care for all ages and complements the medical care delivered. There are unique pharmacy services offered at the Santa Ana location. These services not only include medication dispensing but also medication reconciliation and diabetes care management visits performed by our pharmacist. Our pregnant patients can access the various services listed above as well as specific Perinatal Education offered through our Comprehensive Perinatal Service Program (CPSP) staff.

Once a month, both health centers provide a mobile food pantry in collaboration with Second Harvest Food Bank. Patients are able to obtain fresh fruits and vegetables to improve their healthy eating habits. In addition, patients can see our certified dietitian for further counseling and monitoring of weight and eating habits. Our dietitian sees all patients including children and pregnant patients. Other collaborations have led to unique Group Medical Visits (GMV) that are offered at both locations. These GMVs provide a unique environment where patients come together to address a specific health issue they share in common, such as diabetes. The facilitators and providers work cohesively to help GMV patients to better understand their medical conditions and promote healthy lifestyle changes.

The uniqueness of having the UCI FQHC collaborate with UCI Health allows all learners to experience a comprehensive approach in dealing with healthcare. This setting takes place in an environment where the vast majority of patients are underserved and would likely not get this level of care elsewhere.

Affiliated Hospitals and Clinics

Additional major teaching and research programs of the UCI School of Medicine are conducted at the Veterans Affairs Long Beach Healthcare System, Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, and Miller Children's Hospital (Long Beach). Other academic programs are conducted in affiliation with Kaiser Foundation Hospital (Anaheim, Bellflower, and Irvine), Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, and AltaMed Medical Group (Anaheim, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, and Santa Ana).

School of Medicine Alumni Relations

The UCI School of Medicine is the oldest, continually operating medical school in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. It began in 1896 as the Pacific College of Osteopathy (PSO) and some years later became the College of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons. It then evolved into the California College of Medicine in 1962 and subsequently joined the UC system in 1965. Alumni Relations provides programs and services for more than 6,000 alumni of the School as well as alumni engagement opportunities for students. From financial support of Honor's Night awards, to mentorship and reunions, Alumni Relations seeks to provide a cornerstone from which students and alumni can benefit from their relationships to one another and in so doing, strengthen the School of Medicine. The UCI School of Medicine also has an official Alumni Chapter under the leadership of the UCI Alumni Association. This chapter and its board of alumni volunteers plan alumni programming, fundraise for events and scholarships and participate in campus traditions.