Residents in the Department of Medicine have the opportunity to participate in diverse and cutting-edge research. The Department of Medicine at UCLA is consistently ranked in the top ten in the country in NIH funding for research, and academic faculty members are involved in a broad range of research activity. The Department of Medicine faculty includes individuals with diverse clinical interests and expertise, including nationally (and internationally) renowned researchers encompassing investigation from basic science research, to clinical research, to health services/outcomes research.

With the advent of the Subspecialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) Program, the majority of the fellowships in subspecialty medicine at UCLA are designed to prepare trainees for academic careers . The research training is vigorous and broad, and leads to an advanced degree in basic laboratory research, health services research, or clinical investigation. For those interested in clinical investigation, the STAR program offers the opportunity to obtain a special Master of Science in Clinical Research degree. Residents/fellows entering the STAR program who already have a Ph.D. are provided opportunities to continue their research training with a post-doctoral fellowship. The extended training period gives STAR awardees protected time with full salary support in a scientifically diverse and nurturing environment.

Residents who seek subspecialty or GIM training in the STAR Program may pursue the Research Pathway of the American Board of Internal Medicine to permit them to enter into their subspecialty and scientific training at the completion of their PGY-2 year, provided they have performed in an outstanding fashion during their first two years of training. For residents not pursuing training in the ABIM Research Pathway, up to 3 months of research elective time may be granted during residency. In addition, "project time" may be utilized during ambulatory blocks to complete small research or scholarly projects (1-2 half-days per week over 8 weeks).