From the August 2015 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


HCB News: Are there any big developments in the works that you can discuss?

JP: An exciting development has been the expansion of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The class has expanded to 180 students and, thanks to David Geffen and other generous donors, about a third of students are on full scholarship. To support the educational and research needs of the medical school, we’re going through a tremendous clinical expansion, so we’re now serving patients with primary care offices throughout Los Angeles. We’re also expanding services people want to have in their community, oncology, for example. Now patients can see a UCLA cancer specialist and still receive chemotherapy treatments, including research protocol treatments, close to home. Our goal is to develop a large integrated health care system. We plan to do that with a faculty-based model that also capitalizes on partnerships with hospitals and medical groups throughout the state.


HCB News: What attracts staff to UCLA?

JP: Like medical professionals at a lot of academic centers, staff is really attracted to not only having a chance to work with top rated physicians and specialists, but to be part of the UCLA system. We also have a strong benefits structure. UCLA is looked upon as a strong place to build a career.

HCB News: What are the biggest challenges UCLA faces today?

JP: Our flagship hospitals and subspecialty clinics are located in West Los Angeles, which is one of the most expensive places to live in the country. That means most of the people that work here need to live elsewhere, so there’s a commute involved and traffic in the area can be a challenge.


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