PRIME (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Introduction and Mentorship Program)

UC San Diego Division of Plastic Surgery is proud to present the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Introduction and Mentorship Program (PRIME), meant to provide support and 1:1 mentorship to students from all backgrounds and give them an equal opportunity to gain experience and prepare for a career in plastic surgery.

This mentorship program aims to:

• Support medical students who are interested in plastic surgery and exposing them to an academic plastic surgery training program
• Expose medical students to how different plastic surgery programs work to serve their surrounding diverse communities
• Provide 1:1 mentorship for medical students at various stages in training, from Step 1 to applying to residency
• Connect students with research opportunities with their mentor's plastic surgery institutions

Who is eligible?

Medical students in good standing at a United States medical school with an interest in plastic surgery who are in their:

• First year (started medical school in 2026)
• Second year (started medical school in 2025)
• Third year with plans to pursue a research year (started medical school in 2024 and have not started their research year yet)

What does the mentorship program consist of?

• 1:1 meetings with a resident mentor at a minimum every quarter
• Virtual meet and greet with various plastic surgery attendings
• Opportunity to participate in a research project 
• Of note, the in-person Annual Mentor-Mentee Plastic Surgery Workshop held at UC San Diego is pending for 2027 due to funding issues; the workshop is not guaranteed for the 2027 PRIME cohort. If it does occur, it will be in the fall of 2027 and consist of various lectures, suture lab, and other hands-on opportunities.