Training Program Description

BSRI has a dual mission in education and research, and therefore has training programs that are both clinical and research based, local and international in character:

Clinical Transfusion Medicine Fellowship:  This ACGME approved program is co-sponsored by UCSF and BCP/BSRI.  Directed by Dr. Herb Perkins, the program has trained over 50 clinical fellows during the last three decades.  For more information including application requirements and instructions, please see http://labmed.ucsf.edu/education/fellowship/fs-transfusion.html

International Training in Transfusion Medicine:  This program directed by Dr. Edward Murphy of BSRI and UCSF provides training to blood bank professionals from other countries in a critical effort to prevent the transmission of infectious agents internationally.  Research-training courses in clinical research methodologies applicable to blood safety are held in San Francisco and in home countries (Brazil, Honduras, Mexico, Argentina, South Africa, France).

Summer Internships:  This program offers four to six 8- to 10-week paid internships for undergraduate students interested in active laboratory research in one of the labs at BSRI.

Research Training Program in Transfusion Medicine and Human Cellular Therapy:  This joint BSRI-UCSF program accepts applications from people with MD, PhD or combined MD, PhD for a minimum of two years postdoctoral research training.   It is intended as a path to advanced skills and a career in scientific research.  Under the guidance of a mentor, postdoctoral trainees conduct collaborative and independent research. The training program is specifically intended to target research in areas that fall within BSRI’s mission:

"To seek new knowledge through scientific research which will aid the worldwide Transfusion Medicine community in achieving a supply of blood, tissue and transfusable products, which is adequate, safe and effective for patients."

How the Program Works:
Your main effort as a Post Doctoral Fellow is to develop a productive research project in collaboration with your designated mentor.

Lab talks:
You are expected to attend all Tuesday morning lab presentations and other Colloquia. You are expected to show active involvement by asking questions and participating in the discussions. While the Institute does not have formal courses, a vast variety of classes, workshops and seminars are available at neighboring UCSF, J.David Gladstone Institute, and other SF Bay Area research Institutes.

Ethics Seminars:
You are expected to show active participation in the quarterly Ethics Seminars (Wednesday lunch slot). These seminars address ethical issues of research responsibility and are specifically intended for the involvement of postdoctoral trainees.

Presentations:
You are expected to present your work at least once a year.  It may be on your research plans, as a way of getting critical feedback; it may be on your research results; or it may be a ‘journal club’ discussion of a paper of general interest. The idea is to have Institute-wide interaction on a scientific basis.

You are also expected to give presentations at one or more scientific meetings each year. You should give a practice presentation to the BSRI scientific community prior to the actual scientific meeting. At the meeting you should try to interact as much as possible with other scientists working on your topic.

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