CHESA Training Opportunities

Our flagship training opportunity, The CHESA Fellowship is a one-year experience for individuals who are committed to developing a career focused on advancing health equity in perioperative care and who have completed, or are currently enrolled in, a health professional training program.

Learn more about the CHESA Fellowship

CHESA offers several additional training pathways for learners at every stage, including college students, medical students, residents, fellows and faculty. Many opportunities are open to trainees and faculty from low- and middle-income countries.

Learn more about other training opportunities

I am not a US citizen, can I apply?

• The CHESA Fellowship is open to non-US citizens.
• The HEAL Fellows and CHESA Anesthesia Fellows who wish to be based clinically at San Francisco General Hospital, must have or be eligible for a California Medical License prior to the start date of the fellowship. Applicants must be able to obtain a CA medical license (2113 licenses may be considered) and a US Visa (e.g. H1b, E3 etc) that allows for clinical practice. The requirements and process will be different depending on your country of origin and training.
• The WFSA-UCSF Simulation MedEd Fellowship/Visiting Scholarship opportunity does not require a US medical license and is only available to providers from low and middle-income countries.

I am not a licensed physician in the US, can I still apply?

• The CHESA Fellowship is open to non-US citizens, including those without a US medical license
• The HEAL Fellows and CHESA Anesthesia Fellows who wish to be based clinically at San Francisco General Hospital, must have or be eligible for a California Medical License prior to the start date of the fellowship. Applicants must be able to obtain a CA medical license (2113 licenses may be considered) and a US Visa (e.g. H1b, E3 etc) that allows for clinical practice. The requirements and process will be different depending on your country of origin and training.
• The WFSA-UCSF Simulation MedEd Fellowship/Visiting Scholarship opportunity does not require a US medical license and is only available to providers from low and middle-income countries.

Does the CHESA Fellowship provide clinical training?

• At present, the CHESA Fellowship does not provide clinical training.
• The focus of the fellowship is training, mentorship and support for research, education and policy projects

Do I need to have completed residency training to apply?

• No.
• You may apply for the fellowship during your residency (e.g. during dedicated research years) or before residency
• A prerequisite is that fellows have adequate time per week to devote to the Fellowship curriculum and their scholarly project (usually ~2 days per week)

How many Fellows are accepted each year?

• The CHESA Fellowship accepts up to 20 fellows per year.
• Clinical Fellowships such as the CHESA Anesthesia Fellowship, Urology Fellowship, and Otolaryngology Fellowship each accept 2-4 fellows per year.
• The HEAL Fellowship accepts fellows according to need of partnering sites, with a goal of 2-4 surgery and anesthesia fellows per year, and 30-40 total fellows per year.
• The WFSA-UCSF Simulation MedEd Visiting Scholar/Fellow program supports 1 position per year.

Are the Fellowships funded?

• The CHESA Anesthesia Fellowship and HEAL Fellowships are paid fellowships.
• The WFSA-UCSF Simulation MedEd Visiting Scholar Fellowship is unpaid, though costs of the fellowship are supported through joint fundraising by the CHESA and the WFSA.
• CHESA Fellowships (non-anesthesia or for anesthesiologists that are not eligible to work in the United States) are unpaid, though scholarship/stipend opportunities may be available for select training pathways, though variable.

Do I have to move to San Francisco to be a CHESA Trainee?

• No, not necessarily. Most CHESA Fellows do not live in San Francisco and are not in San Francisco during their Fellowship.
• Many CHESA training opportunities are available to trainees based all over the world. The CHESA Anesthesia Fellowship at San Francisco General Hospital and the MedEd Simulation program require fellows to be present in San Francisco for a portion of the fellowship period.
• At present, CHESA does not have funding to support Fellows’ living expenses

How do I apply?

• Application processes and deadlines for each fellowship vary.
• Application instructions for the CHESA Fellowship, visit the CHESA Fellowship page.
• For all other fellowships, visit our Other Training Opportunities page to find specific application information for the pathway(s) you are interested in.

Is the CHESA Fellowship available to non-UCSF trainees?

• Yes! Individuals who have completed or are enrolled in a health professional training program and are committed to developing a career focused on health equity in perioperative populations (Some specialty specific pathways may have additional requirements) are welcome to apply.

Do I need a California Medical License?

• Not necessarily. At present, only some CHESA pathways (e.g. anesthesia at San Francisco General Hospital) offer pathways that involve clinical appointment at UCSF and require a CA medical license. Most fellows do not need a CA medical license.

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