UCLA Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Fellowship in Precision Genomic Medicine 

Daniel H. Geschwind, MD, Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg and Kelsey A. Roelofs, MD

The Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Fellowship in Precision Genomic Medicine supports an outstanding trainee pursuing professional development opportunities in biological, clinical, and ethical/legal aspects of clinical genetics and/or genomic medicine research. The transition to research faculty is challenging, the Ginsburg Fellowship provides a one-year award to support promising early-stage investigators who have their MD or MD-PhD, during the often-difficult transition from clinical trainee to independent faculty.

Applicants should hold an MD or MD-PhD and be interested in training opportunities in genetics and translational genomics, broadly. This program will support training in the biological, clinical, and ethical/legal aspects of clinical genetics and/or genomic medicine research. 

 

The application consists of:

  • Application Form
  • Demographic File
  • 2-page research plan
  • 1-page career development plan
  • 3 letters of recommendation (one from mentor, one from residency/fellowship director, and one from division chief or department chair).
  • Letter of support should outline protected time for research and any current or future department/division support for transition to faculty
  • Diversity statement

Applicants and mentors must submit an NIH-style Biosketch and ‘Other Support’ page(s).

There will be one fellow selected for the 2023-2024 cycle.

For a complete listing of eligibility requirements and terms of participation, please review the Fellowship Guidelines below.

Please email the completed and signed application to [email protected] 

Full Applications Due:

April 7, 2023

Award Announcements:

May 15, 2023

Fellowship Start Date:

July 1, 2023

For questions, please contact Clara Lajonchere, PhD, Deputy Director, UCLA Institute for Precision Health at [email protected]

  1. The UCLA Institute for Precision Health (IPH) Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg (Ginsburg) Fellowship in Precision Genomic Medicine is intended to support exceptional postdoctoral trainees in the biological, clinical, and ethical/legal aspects of genetic and genomic medicine research.
  2. The optimal candidate will be a clinical fellow (PGY or Clinical Instructor Series) with protected research time during the award period. Assistant Professor candidates in their first year of their academic positions are also encouraged to apply.
  3. Candidates must have received an MD or MD-PhD from an accredited university, be enrolled in, or have completed a clinical residency or fellowship, and plan to pursue translational research with a mentor in some aspect of genomic medicine, considered broadly.
  4. Ginsburg post-doctoral fellows will receive a $75,000 annual award to support salary or necessary research supplies (including software).
  5. Funds may not be used to support the mentor’s research program or equipment.
  6. Applicants who are currently residents or fellows must present a letter from their residency/fellowship director indicating that they will be able to devote at least 80% time to research.
  7. An important goal of the fellowship program is to support individuals from diverse academic backgrounds including developmental biology, cell biology, neurobiology, molecular biology, biomedical informatics, tissue engineering, clinical medicine, law, and ethics. Accordingly, the fellowship encourages faculty mentors from the Schools of Dentistry, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, and any academic unit in the UCLA College to sponsor applicants.
  8. Criteria for review of applications will include prior demonstrated interest in a career in academic medicine, the record of, or potential for, creative research accomplishments by the applicant, the relevance of the proposed project to genomic medicine and a commitment to diversity.
  9. Applications will be assessed by a diverse interdepartmental review committee.
  10. It is strongly encouraged that applications include evidence of departmental support beyond the initial fellowship year and a plan for the transition to faculty.
  11. An IPH Ginsburg fellow may be concurrently supported with another fellowship or similar award that provides a stipend.
  12. U.S. citizenship is not a requirement for participation in the training program.
  13. A laboratory may submit an application sponsoring only one candidate.
  14. Each fellow will have an assigned mentor who is an experienced clinical or basic scientist in areas related to genomic medicine including diseases or conditions that could potentially benefit from genetic/genomic research. The mentor’s letter of recommendation should include the mentor’s qualifications and experience as a mentor.
  15. The research plan should articulate the approaches and methods that you will use in your proposed research as well as a plan for how you will use the funds.
  16. The career development plan should clearly outline your clinical and research goals, how the additional training will help you achieve those goals, how your mentor will support your career development goals, and a timeframe in which your goals are to be accomplished. The goal is to help physician scientists transition to a successful academic career.
  17. The diversity statement should include past, present, and future (planned) contributions to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
  18. Award and subsequent award funds are non-transferable.
  19. Appointments will be made on an annual competitive basis as funds are available. Applications for a second year of funding will be considered but are generally discouraged. There will be one fellow selected for the 2023-2024 cycle.
  20. To be considered for the IPH Ginsburg Fellowship, applicants must complete and submit the completed application packet electronically to [email protected] by April 7, 2023.
  21. APPLICATIONS MUST USE 11 POINT ARIAL TYPE AND 1” MARGINS. Applications that use smaller font sizes (i.e., 10 point), are incomplete, improperly prepared, or exceed page limits will not be reviewed.

Fellows

2023

Adam B. Weiner, MD

Adam B. Weiner, MD

Molecular Correlates with Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) in Prostate Cancer

Adam B. Weiner, MD. obtained his bachelor’s degree from Yale College and his medical degree from the University of Chicago where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha honors society. He then completed his urology residency at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago where he was awarded the 2019 Urology Care Foundation Residency Research Award. He is a current fellow in urologic oncology at UCLA. Dr. Weiner’s academic interests include epidemiology and translational research in urologic oncology and medical education. He has co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications and has won multiple awards in peer reviewing, teaching, and research presentations.

2022

Kelsey A. Roelofs, MD

Kelsey A. Roelofs, MD

Gene Expression Profile of Periocular Basal Cell Carcinomas

Dr. Kelsey A. Roelofs is an oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon who specializes in the surgical and medical management of eyelid, lacrimal and orbital pathology.
She received her MD from the University of Alberta, where she subsequently went on to complete her residency in Ophthalmology. Thereafter, she embarked on an Ocular Oncology fellowship at Moorfields Eye Hospital, followed by a two-year American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery fellowship at UCLA.
Dr. Roelofs has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers, 19 textbook chapters and was the 2021 recipient of the Bartley R Frueh Research Award.  Dr Roelofs was selected as the 2022 Dr Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Fellow in Precision Genomic for her investigation into the gene expression profile of periocular basal cell carcinomas.  Other recent awards include the 2022 Fellow Teaching Award for the Stein Eye Institute of Ophthalmology Residency Program and the 2022 UCLA Department of Ophthalmology Excellence in Research Award.
Dr. Roelofs sees patients at UCLA Stein Eye Institute in Westwood, Calabasas and Santa Monica.