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Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences OB/GYN
  1. Department of OBGYN & Reproductive Sciences
  2. Education & Training
  3. Fellowships
  4. Reproductive Sciences

Postdoctoral Training in Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Reproductive Sciences

Program Director: Pamela Mellon, Ph.D.

Co-Director: R. Jeffrey Chang, M.D.

About the Fellowship

The goals of this postdoctoral training program are twofold. The training program for Ph.D. postdoctoral fellows aims to qualify these individuals for future academic faculty or biotechnology positions with a concentration on research in reproductive biology. The training program for the M.D. clinical fellows is designed to qualify individuals for the subspecialty board in reproductive endocrinology and to produce highly qualified physician/scientists with a commitment to clinical and basic research. This training program is designed to provide clinical fellows with a balance of training between clinical and research activities and to support well-rounded training in reproductive biology for basic science postdoctoral fellows. The goal in both cases is to prepare these individuals for successful careers with a complete foundation for leadership in obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences.

Program History

A training program for postdoctoral fellows in Basic, Translational, and Clinical Research in Reproductive Sciences, this program has been continuously funded by NICHD/NIH since 1982 via the T32 training mechanism to support postdoctoral fellows at the UC San Diego School of Medicine with a commitment to research in reproduction. This program received the highest honor conferred by NIH for a T32 program, a Mentor Award, in 2003. This award cited our program for excellence and extended the funding for a full 10 years.

The fellowship-training program in Reproductive Endocrinology was initiated at the inception of the Department of Reproductive Medicine (now Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences) at the University of California, San Diego in 1970. Beginning in 1982, this T32 Institutional Training Grant was funded by the NIH/NICHD. This grant has been consistently renewed and has been funded now for 38 years, first under the leadership of Dr. Samuel S.C. Yen, M.D. (with Dr. Pamela L. Mellon as Co-Director 1993–1998), and renewed in 1998 under the present leadership of Dr. Mellon, Ph.D., Director, and Dr. R. Jeffrey Chang, M.D., Co-Director, who have directed this training program through 4 competing renewals, the second of which resulted in this Mentor Award as an outstanding program in 2003 allowing for automatic renewal for 2008–2013. This grant was renewed for 2013–2018 with a perfect score. We were awarded another five years in 2018, extending the grant through 2023, which will be year 40 of the training program. 

Faculty

This cohesive group of faculty members provides a conducive academic environment to pursue high quality and contemporary training. The faculty mentors and their expertise are listed below:

  • Pamela Mellon, Ph.D. – Vice-Chair for Research, Distinguished Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences and Neurosciences, Director of the NICHD Center for Reproductive Science and Medicine, the Women's Reproductive Health Research Program, and T32 Training in Reproductive Sciences. Molecular and genetic mechanisms in the neuroendocrine regulation of mammalian reproduction. Mellon Laboratory
  • Kellie Breen-Church, Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences. Stress effects on reproduction. Breen Church Laboratory
  • R. Jeffrey Chang, M.D. – Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences.
    Reproductive and metabolic processes in ovarian disorders.
  • Heidi Cook Andersen, MD, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences..
  • Alexander S. Kauffman, Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences. Neuroendocrinology of reproductive physiology and fertility. Kauffman Laboratory
  • Louise Laurent, M.D. – Professor of Reproductive Medicine
  • Mark Lawson, Ph.D. – Professor of Reproductive Medicine
    Mechanisms of reproductive hormones and regulation of gene expression. Lawson Laboratory
  • Jerrold Olefsky, M.D. – Associate Dean for Scientific Affairs and Professor of Medicine. Metabolic effects in reproduction and diabetes.
  • Shunichi Shimasaki, Ph.D. – Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences. Molecular mechanism of growth factor control in folliculogenesis.
  • H. Irene Su, M.D., M.S.C.E. – Associate Professor Epidemiology Oncofertility, ovarian aging
  • Varykina Thackray, Ph.D. – Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences. Mechanisms of gut microbiome changes and influence on reproductive and metabolic phenotypes in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Thackray Laboratory
  • Nicholas J.G. Webster, Ph.D. – Professor of Medicine.
    Metabolic effects in reproduction and signaling in the pituitary.
  • Miles Wilkinson, Ph.D. – Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences.
    Transcriptional regulatory pathways that control embryonic stem cell and germ cell development in vivo. Wilkinson Laboratory

Training Resources

Application Process

To apply, contact Dr. Mellon: pmellon@ucsd.edu