About the Minor in Biomedical Research
The UCLA Minor in Biomedical Research was officially launched in Spring 2007. Conceived by Prof. Utpal Banerjee and Dean Fred Eiserling as a logical extension of Dr. Banerjee’s highly successful HHMI Professors program, the Undergraduate Research Consortium in Functional Genomics (URCFG; www.bruinfly.ucla.edu), the Minor was designed to make laboratory research a core part of the scientific curriculum as early as the first year of college. Independent research is complemented by coursework that develops important skills such as critical thinking, analysis of research literature and data presentation. In addition, an ethics and social science component trains students to recognize the political, social and philosophical issues facing science today. The UCLA Minor in Biomedical Research was made possible by generous seed funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and is now supported by the UCLA Division of Life Sciences.
If you are a PI at UCLA that is interested in adding a Biomedical Research Minor student to your research team, please fill out this student request form.
Our Statement of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Definition of Student Diversity:
A diverse student population includes individuals of all backgrounds encompassing their race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, gender, sexual identity, religious affiliation, political perspective, age, socioeconomic status, physical ability, and language/linguistic ability.
Definition of Anti-racism:
An active and conscious effort to promote racial tolerance by working against the multi-dimensional aspects of racism that negatively affect marginalized groups.
Statement of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
The Faculty and Personnel of the Minor in Biomedical Research are all dedicated to providing a safe and healthy learning environment for students of all backgrounds regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, gender, sexual identity, religious affiliation, political perspective, age, socioeconomic status, physical ability, and language/linguistic ability. We embrace the unique combination of intersectional social identities each individual student embodies. We recognize that institutionalized discrimination creates privileges for some students while causing disadvantages for others and take deliberate efforts to ensure equal educational opportunities for all. Innovative science often involves viewing a problem from a new perspective, and it is a benefit and strength to have a diverse set of minds working together to achieve a common goal. We actively promote connections between students of diverse background in order to enrich the scientific experience. We take incredible pride in the vibrant group of students involved in the Minor and strive to hone the academic excellence of our diverse student body.