Teaching Opportunities in the Curriculum
We invite passionate educators and medical professionals to explore rewarding opportunities to inspire the next generation of health care leaders at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Whether you're looking to contribute your expertise or further develop your teaching career, we're excited to connect with you.
Current Teaching Opportunities
See below for teaching opportunities that are currently available. After reviewing these opportunities, please reach out to the noted contact to indicate your interest.
Faculty Curriculum Associate Director | Residency Transition Course
General Responsibilities
UC San Diego School of Medicine is seeking an Associate Course Director with a background in med-peds/pediatrics/family medicine who will lead the pediatric track for the Residency Transition Course.
The Residency Transition Course (RTC) is a core course for the MS4 medical school curriculum. It is designed to prepare graduating medical students for residency through simulated sessions, seminars, and hands-on skill sessions. It occurs over 4 weeks during March, taught 5 days per week.
The objectives include procedural competency, management of common clinical scenarios, and development of professional skills required to succeed as an intern. The course is taught in varying modalities, including hands-on procedure labs, simulated patient scenarios, standardized patient encounters, seminars, small groups, and lectures. Material will vary based on a student’s respective track (Surgery, Reproductive Medicine, General Medicine, Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, Anesthesia, and Psychiatry), but will also include foundational material that will be relevant to all participating MS4s.
The Associate Course Director will be responsible for working with the course director to schedule pediatric focused sessions including lecture based, hands-on skill sessions, and simulation sessions for students interested in pediatric medicine. The Associate Course Director will review feedback from students from previous years and the current curriculum for the pediatrics track in order to build upon the curriculum and recruit faculty to teach highly interactive and impactful sessions. The Associate Director will also be able to discuss space, equipment, and time needs with faculty and fill in with didactic sessions in case of late facilitator cancellation to ensure a well-run pediatric track that is high yield for graduating students. The ideal candidate is someone that is detail oriented, works with pediatric residents and faculty on a regular basis, and has a passion for medical education and curriculum design.
This is a Core Pre-Clerkship level course, and the PCONC Course Associate Director will receive financial and administrative support consistent with School of Medicine policies.
Application Deadline and Contact: The deadline for submission is Friday, May 23, 2025. Please submit your C.V. and Letter of Intent to Jennifer Denson at jdenson@health.ucsd.edu.
Facilitators – Physicians and Psychologists | Practice of Medicine (POM) Course
Are you interested in:
- Teaching first- and second-year medical students in small group settings?
- Supporting student growth in physical exam skills, history taking, and communication?
- Collaborating with colleagues to support student growth?
- Engaging in a meaningful and impact role?
We welcome your involvement in the Practice of Medicine (POM) course for our first-year and second-year medical students at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Sessions are held on Wednesday afternoons. Opportunities include:
- Longitudinal small group facilitators
- One-time substitute facilitators
- GOSCE/OSCE exam facilitators
- Guest content experts
If you're interested, please complete the survey: https://ucsd.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1zwWB2wNenOMhyS
Questions can be sent to:
Sarah Dovi, sdovi@health.ucsd.edu
Matt Allison, MD, mallison@health.ucsd.edu
Desiree Shapiro, dlshapiro@health.ucsd.edu
Faculty Curriculum Director | Clinical Decision-Making Course, Associate Director
General Responsibilities
The Clinical Decision Making (CDM) Course is a core course which just finished its first year of offering under an existing course director. It is taught on Wednesday mornings, from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. throughout the Fall and Winter quarters (September to March). The overarching goal of the CDM course is to develop students’ ability to integrate clinical information and adhere to a decision-making framework while preparing early-stage clinical assessments, differential diagnoses and care plans, in anticipation of a transition to clerkship level training.
The CDM Associate Director will assist and support the CDM Course Director in providing direction, leadership, and instruction on a continuing basis to the students and staff associated with the course. Primary responsibility for assuring students acquire the knowledge base, skills and attitudes regarding clinical decision making in preparation of readiness for transition to clerkship level training. Develop goals and objectives related to clinical medicine that support a broad foundation of medical skills and knowledge, as well as habits of self-directed learning. Responsible for the implementation of the thread’s educational objectives.
Program Planning and Implementation
- Design, plan, implement and evaluate all aspects of the CDM course in coordination with the CDM Director.
- Collaborate with Organ Block Directors develop/design and implement appropriate experiences to meet curricular goals.
- Participate in COAST Curriculum Steering Committee and associated curricular meetings; review student progress, including service on the CLEAR Committee, address course related issues and long range, strategic planning of course goals and objectives.
Teaching Activities
- Participate in teaching activities related to the CDM Course.
- Teaching methods will include lecture, discussion, reflection, seminars and other methods as appropriate.
- Assist students in developing the clinical knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to become an outstanding physician.
- Evaluate student performance considering instructional goals; provide feedback to students as part of the development of appropriate skills and attitudes.
Individual Student Mentoring and Advising
- Advise medical students on academic issues related to the course.
- Provide guidance to students in the development and/or continuance and implementation of activities related to developing mastery of the course material.
This is a Core Pre-Clerkship level course, and the CDM Course Associate Director will receive financial and administrative support consistent with School of Medicine policies.
Application Deadline and Contact: The deadline for submission is Friday, April 25, 2025. Please submit your C.V. and Letter of Intent to Jennifer Denson at jdenson@health.ucsd.edu.
Faculty Curriculum Director | Principles of Clinical Oncology (PCONC), Associate Director
General Responsibilities
PCONC is an established MS2 core course in the COAST Curriculum. It is offered from the last week of August until the third week of September each year, with in-person sessions on Monday and Thursday mornings from 8-10 a.m. The course ensures knowledge of pre-clerkship level pathologic and pathophysiologic mechanisms of malignancy and prepares student to engage with clinical pharmacotherapeutics of disease.
The PCONC Associate Director will assist and support the PCONC Course Director in providing direction, leadership, and instruction on a continuing basis to the students and staff associated with the course. Primary responsibility for assuring students acquire the knowledge base, skills and attitudes regarding clinical oncology necessary for a clerkship level training. Develop goals and objectives related to clinical medicine that support a broad foundation of medical skills and knowledge, as well as habits of self-directed learning. Responsible for the implementation of the course’s educational objectives.
Program Planning and Implementation
- Design, plan, implement and evaluate all aspects of the PCONC course in coordination with the PCONC Director.
- Collaborate with Organ Block Directors develop/design and implement appropriate experiences to meet curricular goals.
- Participate in COAST Curriculum Steering Committee and associated curricular meetings; review student progress, including service on the CLEAR Committee, address course related issues and long range, strategic planning of course goals and objectives.
Teaching Activities
- Participate in teaching activities related to the PCONC Course.
- Teaching methods will include lecture, discussion, reflection, seminars and other methods as appropriate.
- Assist students in developing the clinical knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to become an outstanding physician.
- Evaluate student performance considering instructional goals; provide feedback to students as part of the development of appropriate skills and attitudes.
Individual Student Mentoring and Advising
- Advise medical students on academic issues related to the course.
- Provide guidance to students in the development and/or continuance and implementation of activities related to developing mastery of the course material.
This is a Core Pre-Clerkship level course, and the PCONC Course Associate Director will receive financial and administrative support consistent with School of Medicine policies.
Application Deadline and Contact: The deadline for submission is Friday, April 25, 2025. Please submit your C.V. and Letter of Intent to Jennifer Denson at jdenson@health.ucsd.edu.
Please be aware that medical school accreditation standards prohibit faculty who have or are seeing students as patients from participating in their evaluation or promotion decisions, excluding exceptional circumstances. Should this apply to you, you must recuse yourself from that student’s evaluation/promotion process. This standard may be found on the LCME website.