The Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program is designed to allow young physicians committed to clinical medicine to acquire new skills and training in the non-biological sciences that are important to medical care systems. The program offers two years of graduate-level study and research, as part of a university-based, post-residency training program, in priority areas designated by participating institutions. The program is open to U.S. citizens training in any of the medical/surgical specialty fields, including psychiatry, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, and family medicine. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has supported the Clinical Scholars Program since 1975.

The UCLA Program prepares physicians to act as health services research leaders and agents for change in diverse settings such as the community, federal and state governments, health care organizations, and academic departments. The program focuses on two priority areas: "Improving the Care for America's At-Risk Populations" and "Improving Quality of Care in a Changing Social and Economic Environment." Clinical Scholars graduating from the UCLA Program are prepared to play an active role in shaping and evaluating policies and programs to improve health care, with particular focus on care for those outside of society's mainstream, including persons with mental illness, people with AIDS, underserved minorities, adolescents with drug and behavior problems, and the frail elderly. Scholars learn a wide variety of rigorous methods to assess and find solutions for the health and health care problems of these and other at-risk populations. They also learn how to collaborate with patients, health care providers and organizations to improve health and healthcare in community settings and to collaborate responsibly with health care settings and communities.

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