PhD Trainees

Please review the educational area of the DGSOM website for information relevant to you.

  • All DGSOM PhD students are required to complete the daily UCLA Student Monitoring SystemTo enroll, click here.
  • All DGSOM personnel working on campus who are NOT engaged in clinical care are required to submit a daily UCLA Symptom Monitoring Survey before commencing work (FAQs here).
    • This requirement DOES NOT APPLY to those who are working remotely.
    • This requirement applies to all DGSOM personnel visiting campus or working onsite, including researchers in labs.
    • To enroll, click here. By enrolling, you will receive a symptom monitoring survey each morning.

* Updated October 23, 2020 

  • Revised guidelines announced on 10/22/20 for in-lab research by graduate students. The following summary reflects our understanding at this time.  Guidelines may change based on additional information from central campus.

For first year students.

  • GPB rotation students can continue (or start) in-lab rotations effective immediately if they meet the following criteria:
    • Students supported by block grant funds distributed by GPB (most students) are eligible because this support qualifies as fellowship
    • Students supported by other fellowships (e.g. Cota-Robles) are eligible
    • Rotation student research will qualify as essential work as long as they are working on a project that is essential to the faculty member’s research (e.g. funded by the PIs grant).
  • At this point, any first year student who meets the criteria above and is already on an approved ROP (regardless of approval date) should be able to continue without any further approval.  This might change if there are further instructions on ROPs from central campus.
  • For any rotation student who is not on an ROP, faculty should submit an updated ROP as soon as possible (following the existing process for ROPs, unless campus sends new instructions). The Docusign ROP form can be accessed here.
    • The ROP amendment should indicate in the first box the specific reason for the amendment (i.e. addition of a rotation student), that the student’s in-lab work provides essential support for the faculty member’s research and clarification that this work cannot be carried out remotely.
    • The ROP amendment should indicate how addition of student(s) still allows compliance with the safety procedures described in the original plan.
    • Notably, faculty do not need input all information from the original ROP into the amendment: just the new students and relevant information about the new students, with “no change” in other boxes that require an answer.

For continuing students in their second year or later.

  • Continuing students paid as GSRs or by fellowships can continue to carry out in-lab research as long as your faculty adviser has approval for a Research Operational Plan (ROP) on which you are listed.  Whether an amended ROP will have to be submitted is uncertain at this point.
  • Students appointed as a TA are also permitted to carry out in-lab work as long as the student is on an approved ROP or ROP amendment, provided that the student is also supported as a GSR or fellowship at no less than 25%.
  • Any students appointed as a TA who are not supported by a GSR or fellowship at least 25% time should contact their program director. Instructions from central campus for preparing an amended ROP for students are expected soon.
  • Guidelines for UCLA Research Ramp-Up.
  • PI operational plans should be submitted using the link provided, allowing phase 2 research ramp-up plans to be approved by the Chair (or the Chair’s designee) and Vice Dean for Research.  The UCLA Research Ramp-up website houses a number of resources, including ramp-up guidelines, the online DocuSign application for resuming research and research operational plan instructions for faculty, chairs and deans.
  • Parking permits: As the City of Los Angeles and UCLA begin to ramp up services, UCLA Transportation has reinstated monthly auto-renew parking permit fees, effective June 1, 2020. If you do not need your monthly parking permit at this time, you may log into the Bruin ePermit system and cancel your permit within the next two weeks. If you do not cancel your permit, standard parking deductions will resume with July pay periods. Step-by-step instructions on how to cancel your permit are here. Discounted daily parking permits are available to faculty and staff members who need to drive to campus occasionally. Please follow these steps to purchase a daily parking permit. If you have any questions or need further information, please visit the UCLA Transportation website or contact transportation@ts.ucla.edu or (310) 794-7433.
  • An additional resource page for graduate students has been created by the UCLA Graduate Division.
  • If you have specific concerns or questions related to your training situation or program requirements, please reach out to your Program/Home Area Director or Greg Payne, GPB Director.

Improving Computational Skills

The UCLA Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences (QCB) has opened its registration portal for the Fall Quarter; all classes, which are streamed online, are now open for enrollment. QCB workshops are free for UCLA faculty, staff, affiliates, and students – and UCLA graduate students are eligible to receive course credit for the Applied Bioinformatics Course.

Guidelines for remote activities

  1. Both UC Path and Graduate Division are fully functional and processing payments as usual now and it is expected this will continue in the future.
  2. Only undergraduates on currently approved Research Operational Plans can carry out in-lab research.  All other undergraduate students should not be in the lab but should engage remotely.
  3. For graduate students and postdocs, productive remote activities could include fellowship/grant proposals, manuscript preparation, performing data analysis, catching up with the literature, writing a review article, preparing for thesis committee meetings and exams, learning programming or new computational methods (Collaboratory workshops).
  4. For first year students who are not eligible for in-lab rotations. students should work with their rotation adviser to develop a plan to work remotely.
    1. Specific activities for rotation students could include writing a research proposal based on research topics in the lab (F31 or NSF format), reporting on current literature relevant to lab research, writing a review article, analyzing data from lab, using preliminary data from the lab to prepare a report in the form of a manuscript.  Students can also take the opportunity to learn programming or new computational methods (Collaboratory workshops).
    2. During the rotation, students should be in regular contact with the rotation adviser and if appropriate a direct supervisor.
    3. Rotation students should also participate remotely in lab meetings and journal clubs, and meet other lab members to learn about projects in the lab.
    4. Depending on the pandemic situation, GPB will work to provide student funding for sufficient in-lab rotation experience to allow informed decisions about thesis lab choice.
  5. As we move forward, contact your program/home area director or Greg Payne if you have questions or issues.

Access to DGSOM buildings 

Effective Wednesday, March 18: perimeter doors of DGSOM buildings – including Geffen Hall and the entire CHS complex, Reed, Gonda, MRL, NRB, BSRB/OHRC, Factor, and Ueberroth – will require badge entry until further notice.

  • If you already have after-hours access, you will be able to enter the buildings using your BruinCard/UCLA Health ID badge. If you do not already have after-hours access and you will continue to require access to our buildings, please contact DGSOMBuildOps@mednet.ucla.edu.
  • If you have any additional questions, please email Erin Quinn, Director, DGSOM Safety.

Wellness

Your emotional health and well-being are of the utmost importance. Click the button below for Wellness Resources that are available during this time.

Wellness Resources

Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Childcare

The latest information on child care and other family resources is available here.

Professional Development and Events

See our upcoming events for professional development opportunities and social activities that can be accessed online.

Events Calendar

Other Links to Accurate and Current Information

For daily reliable updates on UCLA’s response to COVID-19, visit DGSOM’s Coronavirus Information Website and UCLA Campus’ Bruins Safe Online