Special Programs: Berkeley-UCSF JMP Program
Many medical schools offer the opportunity to pursue dual degrees while completing your MD requirements. The Berkeley Public Health/UCSF JMP program , established in 1971, is a dual degree program split between the Berkeley and UCSF campuses. The mission statement is as follows: “The JMP strives to provide a world-class medical education grounded in public and community health to develop physicians who improve the health of individuals and communities, and the systems that serve them. The core pillars of a JMP education are antiracism, clinical excellence, inquiry, community engagement, collaborative practice, and systems thinking.” As one student states in their promotional video, “It helps you find your curiosity.” The goal is to create healthcare leaders that, “challenge and change assumptions.”
The program is a 5-year program that culminates in a Master of Science degree in Health and Medical Sciences from the Berkeley School of Public Health. This is the only medical program housed in a school of public health, however, It is NOT a master’s degree in public health. The topics for the degree are driven by the individual student’s interest and include any topic that is a broad trans-disciplinary exploration of the social determinants of health, health systems science, population health, health equity, and data science. A core component of the program is structured mentorship for the master’s project.
The first 2 1/2 years are spent at Berkeley taking Master’s courses in parallel with medical courses and then moving to UCSF to finish the clinical portion of their medical education. The pre-clinical curriculum emphasizes problem-based and self-directed learning and foundational courses in Public Health and Health Systems and the freedom to choose additional courses in support of your individual project. There are two tracks: change making through health policy and biomedical sciences and change making through social science and humanities. All of the foundational medical sciences are taught in a problem-based learning format. There is a parallel clinical skills curriculum that includes weekly sessions where students learn and practice clinical skills through small group activities, simulation with standardized patients, and preceptorships in clinical settings throughout the Bay area.
Within the JMP (Joint Medical Program), there is a Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US) which is a special track to work with the Urban Underserved and is part of the UC systems multiple PRIME programs at different medical schools. 4 students per class participate in PRIME-US, along with another group of students at the UC San Francisco School of Medicine.
Applicants apply to UCSF Medical School through the AMCAS application and indicate their interest in the JMP program if they receive a secondary application (UCSF does prescreen for invitations to complete a secondary application). The JMP program does require program-specific application materials at that time.
