Under the direction of Dr. Kristine Yaffe, the program trains and supports junior faculty, pre- and post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, medical students, residents, and research associates in their research and career development.
Postdoctoral positions are available for highly motivated individuals interested in studying cognitive decline, dementia, and neuropsychological disorders affecting aging populations. Positions last from one to two years, and cover an array of essential functions, including but not limited to designing original epidemiological research projects, writing manuscripts, and developing presentations.
Dr. Yaffe holds several leadership positions in mentoring and career development at UCSF, including as the Director of the SFVA Dementia MIRECC, co-leader of the UCSF Pepper Center Research and Education Cores, and leader of the UCSF Alzheimer's Disease Center Research and Education Cores, in addition to serving as an advisor and mentor on several T32 and K12 grants focused on clinical and translational research at UCSF.
Interested candidates should send a cover letter including a brief description of potential projects of interest in the program, a CV, and names of three references to Alice Roberts.
Funded Postdoctoral Training Opportunities
The MIRECC Postdoctoral Fellowship in Dementia and Brain Health Research is a two-year program with the primary goal of training leading clinical researchers in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, cognitive aging, brain health, and geriatric neuropsychiatry. The fellowship combines individual mentored research and clinical training with state-of-the-art educational experiences. Fellows devote 75% of their time to research and educational activities and 25% to clinical training. The Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Centers (MIRECC) fellowship program trains MDs, psychologists and other allied health professionals to become leading clinical researchers in high priority areas of mental health.
The MIRECC Postdoctoral Fellowship in Data Science Applications to Cognitive Aging and Brain Health, offered by the San Francisco VA Health Care System, is recruiting for an advanced two-year Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program in Data Science. The primary goal of the program is to train fellows with a doctoral degree in epidemiology, statistical genetics, bioinformatics, biostatistics, computer science, data science or similar quantitative field to become skilled investigators for advancing our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and cognitive aging with a focus on solving new challenges in cognitive and brain health research.
The UCSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Epidemiology of Cognitive Aging and Dementia offers an opportunity for postdoctoral scholars to apply innovative epidemiological methods to support ongoing research studies on cognitive aging and brain health.
The goal of the UCSF Aging Research Fellowship in Geriatrics is to prepare clinican-investigators for careers in aging research, particularly within the Division of Geriatrics and other clinical disciplines that play a major role in caring for older adults.
The UCSF Behavioral Neurology Training Program (BNTP) is designed to equip physicians for a career that focuses on research and care for patients with cognitive and behavioral impairment due to neurological disease. The program allows emerging researchers to gain an integrated understanding of the clinical, epidemiological, genetic, and molecular features of neurodegenerative diseases.
Funded Training Opportunities for Junior Faculty
UCSF offers an opportunity for career development for women's health research through the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) program. The BIRCWH program provides financial support, targeted mentorship, and educational programs for investigators interested in advancing our understanding of issues related to women's health.
The Paul Beeson Career Development Awards in Aging Research Program, part of the National Institutes of Health, aims to sustain and promote the research careers of clinically-trained individuals who are pursuing research careers in aging. The program provides three to five years of mentored career development support to enable investigators to gain skills and experience in aging research, and to establish an independent program of research in this field.
The Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) strives to protect the world’s aging population from threats to brain health. To support and train future leaders, GBHI launched the Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health program. Atlantic Fellows are provided with opportunities to develop and scale preventions and interventions, exchange knowledge and form interdisciplinary partnerships with leaders of various backgrounds, as well as contribute to advocating the importance of brain health. Atlantic Fellows can receive Pilot Awards for Global Brain Health Leaders as well as support from the Alzheimer’s Association (U.S.) and Alzheimer’s Society (U.K.). Upon completion of their training period, Atlantic Fellows will return to their home countries to implement their projects and new skillsets.
Additional Resources for Trainees
The Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) at UCSF helps advance the careers of clinical and translational researchers by providing career advice, research mentoring, and support.
The UCSF Pepper Center supports interdisciplinary research focused on function and disability in vulnerable older adults, and fosters mentorship and career development for investigators working to advance the care, health, and well-being of older persons.
The UCSF Alzheimer's Disease Research Center integrates basic science and clinical resources to investigate the clinical, molecular, neuropathological, and neuroimaging features of Alzheimer's disease (AD), non-AD dementias, and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The ADRC Research Education Component supports mentorship and career development for future leaders in ADRD research.