Welcome Letter from our Program Director

Thank you for your interest in the UC San Diego Med Peds residency program! Since the inception of our program in 1994, we are proud to recruit and train a diverse group of exceptional physicians from around the country who are life-long learners committed to caring for vulnerable communities and who become leaders in a variety of fields within med peds, including primary care, hospital medicine, global health, advocacy, specialty care, research and more.    

Our program provides comprehensive training and unique clinical experiences within two exceptionally strong categorical programs at world-renowned hospitals – UC San Diego Health, which is ranked in the top 10 academic hospitals in the nation for patient care, and Rady Children’s Hospital, which is ranked in the top 10 children’s hospitals nationally and the largest children’s hospital in California. Residents gain experience in caring for a diverse patient population at sites including the county's safety-net hospital, the VA, a free-standing children’s hospital, Kaiser (the largest HMO in California), FQHC clinic sites, the US Navy healthcare system, and more - yet all within a 25-minute drive or less from each other. These sites provide experience in nearly every specialty, including unique rotations in gender-affirming care, care of neurodiverse patients, LGBTQIA+ care, child protection, toxicology, and local global health to name a few.    

San Diego is a very large city that is home to many vibrant communities, but with persistent and significant health disparities. We aim to recruit residents who are passionate about health equity and caring for marginalized groups. Our residents advocate and care for patients living in both urban and rural underserved communities, those experiencing homelessness or incarceration, and those newly arriving to the US. While we care for these patients every day across our institutions, we are also intentional in what rotations we require to ensure our residents have rigorous adult medicine and pediatrics training and learn evidence-based care for our many vulnerable patient populations across different settings. San Diego is only a 25-minute drive from the US-Mexico border and residents also have opportunities to care for patients and learn from our colleagues in Tijuana, Mexico.   

Our program believes in providing comprehensive training that is tailored to meet our residents’ career goals while providing a strong foundation in adult medicine and pediatrics. There are several optional pathways our residents can join to enhance their education, as well as protected didactics. We also offer international opportunities, including rotations in Mexico and a bidirectional partnership with the residency program in Mozambique. Lastly, UCSD is a remarkable research hub with innumerable opportunities to work with world-renowned faculty on a variety of projects, ranging from basic science to clinical and translational research or QI.  We offer a generous amount of elective time and mentorship by med peds faculty to best allow you to explore and prepare for your future career.  

My greatest pride lies in our residents, who are an exceptionally talented, passionate, brilliant, and thoughtful group with diverse interests and experiences. Our trainees are part of a very close and supportive med peds family, and they also integrate seamlessly into the larger families of the categorical programs. We have a broad influence at UC San Diego with the opportunity to interact often with med peds-trained faculty. Lastly, San Diego is rated as one of the 50 best cities in the world to live, and for good reason! San Diego offers a broad array of outdoor activities, cultural experiences, beautiful weather and incredible food – somewhere you can truly thrive both inside and outside of work.   

Thank you again for your interest in our program! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.  

Sincerely,    
  
Perrie Pardee, M.D.   

Program Director, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residency Program   
UC San Diego School of Medicine