Provost’s Postdoctoral Scholars Program for Clinical Residents and Fellows


The USC Provost and the Dean of the Keck School of Medicine at USC have partnered to create a unique opportunity for senior members of residency programs and/or fellowship programs at University Hospital, LAC+USC Hospital or Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to apply for postdoctoral scholar status at the University of Southern California.

Under this signature program, senior residents and fellows whose programs allow a significant portion of their training period to be spent in pursuit of research (clinical, translational, or basic) or scholarly activity (attaining a master’s degree, certificate, or other relevant training in a field that will be of value in their future career) will apply to the Provost’s Postdoctoral Scholar’s Program for Clinical Residents and Fellows which confers all the rights and privileges of a postdoctoral scholar at USC including, but not limited to: 1) tuition remission for courses required for a graduate degree or certificate, or for courses that enhance skills or knowledge useful for the development of their clinical career, 2) a USC ID number and a USC email address, and 3) full access to library material and facilities necessary for their study or work.

The completed application must be submitted to the Keck School of Medicine Graduate Medical Education (GME) office at USC (Michelle Najera, najera@usc.edu) or CHLA (Cindy Levya, clevya@chla.usc.edu). If the application is approved, the candidate will receive an offer letter that must be signed and returned to the respective department administrator. The candidate will then be appointed as a Postdoctoral Scholar – Visiting Fellow and will be required to register for the 0-unit PDF 999 course each semester they wish to maintain this status. Once appointed and registered in PDF 999, postdocs will be able to register for up to a total of 20 units of graduate-level tuition remission over the period of their appointment.

Download the Program Application

After your application process is complete, submit your tuition remission request by following the instructions found here.

Eligibility requirements for this program:

1) Candidates must have a relevant doctoral degree (e.g., Ph.D. or M.D.).

2) Candidates must be actively engaged in a residency or fellowship training program at Keck Medical Center, LAC+USC Medical Center, or Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

3) The candidate’s residency or fellowship program must permit this type of additional training.

4) Candidates must have the permission of their residency director or fellowship director to participate in the program.

5) The candidate’s residency or fellowship program director must certify that the candidate has guaranteed sufficient protected time to achieve success in their classes, research or scholarly activity, remain in good standing in their residency or fellowship, and meet all responsibilities and requirements for their clinical fellowship/residency.

6) Candidates must receive pay equal to or in excess of the minimum stipend allowed for postdoctoral scholars at USC and have adequate health benefits as determined by the USC Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.

7) Participants must agree to abide by all university and postdoctoral scholar policies.