University of California (San Francisco) Program

Overview of the Complex Family Planning Fellowship

The Complex Family Planning Fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a prestigious two-year training program that began in 1991. This fellowship is newly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and is primarily based at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG), which serves as the primary clinical training site. The program emphasizes a fully integrated clinical and research environment, allowing fellows to engage in extensive clinical care, policy evaluation, and international training within the framework of family planning.

Curriculum

Clinical Training

The clinical training encompasses a broad range of practices and settings. Fellows are provided opportunities in both hospital-based outpatient abortion clinics that focus on complex second-trimester cases and private practice settings that offer medication abortions and genetic terminations. Fellows also engage in training at affiliated clinics, including an adolescent reproductive health care clinic in partnership with UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, and complex contraception clinics at ZSFG and UCSF Mt. Zion.

Research Opportunities

The fellowship encourages fellows to pursue research on a wide array of topics relevant to family planning, such as contraceptive development, first- and second-trimester abortion safety, abortion training and education, and international family planning program evaluations. The program provides a supportive environment for the development and implementation of research projects with twice-monthly sessions to assist fellows with project design and execution.

Mentorship and Collaboration

Mentorship is a core component of the fellowship, with support from the Director and Co-Director. Moreover, the program promotes collaboration with experts in related fields, including demographers, epidemiologists, and family physician researchers, through partnerships with UCSF’s clinical trials unit and the Bixby Center for Reproductive Health Research & Policy.

Training Sites

Fellows primarily train at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, which is notable for being one of the largest second-trimester outpatient clinics in the United States. This site is complemented by private clinics and collaborative initiatives with other local healthcare facilities, offering diverse clinical and training exposures to fellows.

Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

The program is deeply committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the discipline of family planning. The fellowship’s mission includes an ongoing commitment to challenge systems of oppression and privilege in medical education, ensuring equitable environments for all trainees.

Application Process and Requirements

Applications for the Complex Family Planning Fellowship are accepted only through an online portal, with a specified application deadline of May 21 each year. The program requires applicants to have completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology from an ACGME-accredited institution in the United States. Unfortunately, applicants who have completed residency training in other specialties or outside the U.S. are not eligible.

Competitiveness and Applicant Profile

The fellowship is considered highly competitive, attracting qualified candidates from various backgrounds. The program is designed to be inclusive of both D.O.s and International Medical Graduates (IMGs), fostering a diverse applicant pool committed to advancing family planning services.

Visa Sponsorship

The program is capable of sponsoring visas for eligible international applicants, such as J-1 visas for physicians in accredited fellowship training programs. This support facilitates diverse participation in the fellowship, allowing for a broad range of experiences and perspectives in family planning training.