FOOD
OPINION
Arlequin Café
Urban oasis in Hayes Valley offers good food and a tranquil backyard » PAGE 7
IN THIS ISSUE
Mama M’s Soul Advice News Briefs » PAGE 3 A concerned medical student Journal Club » PAGE 5 still hasn’t found The One Puzzles » PAGE 9 » PAGE 10
Synapse The UCSF Student Newspaper
Thursday, September 5, 2013
OPINION
Latest UCSF Tobacco Policy is the Wrong Approach
synapse.ucsf.edu
Volume 58, Number 33
NEWS
UCSF Reaches Out to Young Scientists
By Akshay Govind Staff Writer
O
n September 3, UCSF instated its new 100% Tobacco Free Policy, which requires anyone affiliated with UCSF to refrain from using any tobacco products during their shifts, including break times, on or off university grounds. The stated goal of the policy is to provide a maximally healthful environment at UCSF, demonstrating a commitment to health promotion for patients and communities. I will argue that proponents of this policy are so focused on the ideals of a tobacco-free environment that they fail to properly consider the unintended consequences of a ban. During a recent series of Town Hall meetings, UCSF has made it clear that it is proud to be the first medical center and campus in California to use this strategy. Authorities are also quick to point out that the focus of the ban is on education and cessation, and that it is not meant to be punitive. I believe the very idea, however, is fundamentally flawed. The words “non-punitive ban” can be placed
TOBACCO POLICY » PAGE 3
Photo by Alexandra Greer, BMS6
Maria Bezchinsky (left), a second-year UCSF medical student, demonstrates how to suture at PITCH, a three-week program for high school students held in July.
The Panda Visits Benioff Children's Hospital
Photo by Heather Hoover/UCSF
During his August 22 visit to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, SF Giants Pablo Sandoval poses with Zach Leapaga, who holds up the special flag he made for the third baseman.
By Alexandra Greer Science Editor
Bio Bootcamp and the School of Pharmacy’s Summer Science Camp.
he pigskins were laid out on benches (like so many uncooked slabs of pork belly) as I watched, as a second-year medical student used a scalpel to slash deep wounds that would need repair. Within minutes, the quiet classroom on UCSF Parnassus campus was transformed, as 20 high schoolers streamed in, antsy after a morning of presentations and ready for some hands-on activity. For the next 20 minutes, they poked and prodded and made some careful slip stitches, all under the watchful eye of their UCSF student counselors. Every summer, as UCSF professional students head off to internships and summer vacations, a younger cohort streams in. These students, from San Francisco-area schools and ranging in age from 8 to 18, arrive on campus to learn about science and science careers through a variety of camps organized through UCSF. Three camps in particular stand out for the investment that UCSF students put in to serve as mentors for these camps: PITCH,
PITCH
T
PITCH, or the Program for Investigation and Training for Careers in Health, is a threeweek program in July for rising high-school juniors from San Francisco Unified School District. It is meant to “inspire and expose students to a wide range of opportunities and careers within health care and science,” according to the program’s coordinator, Anthea Lim. PITCH students are introduced to research projects, listen to speakers from UCSF talk about their careers and participate in activities such as a suturing workshop and creating dental molds. In addition, students get one-on-one career advice and college guidance meant to help propel them toward a career in the health sciences. “It is great to see the students really blossom in a supportive environment where they can explore their unique interests in the health profession,” said Maria Quezada, a second-year UCSF medical student and PITCH
YOUNG SCIENTISTS » PAGE 4
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EVENTS MISSION BAY EVENTS
AND ONE-ON-ONES
SACNAS MONTHLY MEETING
Thursday, Sept. 5, noon-1 p.m., Student Resource Center, Mission Bay Join the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science for its first organizational meeting of the new academic year. SACNAS will discuss the details of ongoing outreach and social activities, including its big cultural event: the October Pachanga. These meetings are a great way to learn more about SACNAS and get involved.
SYNAPSE NEWSPAPER
Friday, Sept. 6, noon-1 p.m., Graduate Division Conference Room, third floor, Mission Bay Community Center Synapse is looking for Mission Bay and Parnassus writers, bloggers, photographers and designers. Come to the lunch meeting, share your story ideas and enjoy a free lunch. For more, email synapse@ucsf.edu.
MUSLIM FRIDAY PRAYER SERVICES: MISSION BAY
Friday, Sept. 6, 1-2 p.m., Helen Diller, 160, Mission Bay The Muslim Community at UCSF holds regular Friday prayer services (Jum’a) for the UCSF Muslim community every week. Come join your fellow brothers and sisters for prayer, lunch and socializing. All are welcome.
Wednesday, Sept. 11, 10-11 a.m., Genentech Hall, 114, Mission Bay Kurt Marek, Program Director and SBIR Coordinator for NHLBI’s grant program and Chris Sasiela, PhD, regulatory strategist, will speak. Hear about the funding opportunities and resources available from the NHLBI, as well as how to write a competitive application. One-on-ones will be held from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. If you are interested in a 20-minute slot, please email Anisa, anisa.khosh@ucsf.edu, with a one-page description of your venture. https://nhlbiatucsf.eventbrite.com/
MISSION BAY FARMERS’ MARKET
Wednesday, Sept. 11, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Gene Friend Way Plaza, Mission Bay Shop healthy, shop fresh, shop Californiagrown at the UCSF Farmers’ Market every Wednesday (rain or shine). Sponsor: Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association.
PARNASSUS EVENTS SYNAPSE NEWSPAPER
Thursday, Sept. 5, noon-1 p.m., MU 123W, Parnassus Synapse is looking for Mission Bay and Parnassus writers, bloggers, photographers and designers. Come to the lunch meeting, share your story ideas and enjoy a free lunch. For more, email synapse@ucsf.edu.
SACNAS MONTHLY MEETING
BAGEL TUESDAY
Tuesday, Sept. 10, 8:30-10 a.m., Outside the Student Lounge, Mission Bay Come enjoy some free bagels, pastries and coffee. Learn about campus services and events and build a community at Mission Bay. Sponsor: SSMB.
THE NATIONAL HEART, BLOOD, AND LUNG INSTITUTE’S (NHLBI) SBIR/ STTR PROGRAM PRESENTATION
Thursday, Sept. 5, noon-1 p.m., Multicultural Resource Center, Parnassus Join the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science for its first organizational meeting of the new academic year. SACNAS will discuss the details of ongoing outreach and social activities, including its big cultural event: the October Pachanga. These meetings are a great way to learn more about SACNAS and get involved. Everyone is welcome.
Synapse
STAFF
Yi Lu | EDITOR Jenny Qi | EXECUTIVE EDITOR Alexander Greer | SCIENCE EDITOR Geraldine Tran | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Angela Castanieto | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Mason Tran | PHOTO EDITOR Steven Chin | MANAGING EDITOR Victoria Elliott | COPY EDITOR
About
Synapse is the UCSF student-run weekly newspaper, which runs on Thursdays during the academic year and monthly during the summer. Synapse seeks to serve as a forum for the campus community. Articles and columns represent the views of the authors and not necessarily those of the Board of Publications or the University of California.
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Announcements and letters should be submitted six days before publication. All submissions can be either emailed or mailed. All material is subject to editing. Letters to the Editor must be signed by the author.
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CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: FASHION FORWARD NIGHTLIFE
MUSLIM FRIDAY PRAYER SERVICES: PARNASSUS
SUNSET MID-AUTUMN STREET FAIR – CHOLESTEROL SCREENING
Thursday, Sept. 5, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Library, 220, Parnassus Renowned retinal surgeon, inventor and entrepreneur Eugene de Juan, Jr., M.D., is a serial entrepreneur and UCSF faculty member. Gene has founded nine companies, five while at UCSF, all while practicing medicine, raised $100 million and sold one of the companies. He is the founder and vice chairman of ForSight Labs, an incubator where he is an active inventor and advisor in early-stage ophthalmic devices. Gene will share his perspective on being an entrepreneur and not fitting perfectly into either science or the commercial world.
Friday, Sept. 6, 12:30-1 p.m., S180, Parnassus The Muslim Community at UCSF holds regular Friday prayer services (Jum’a) for the UCSF Muslim community every week. Come join your fellow brothers and sisters for prayer, lunch and socializing. All are welcome.
THE ADVENTURES OF DR. FITZGIBBONS
Monday, Sept. 9, noon-1 p.m., Nursing Building, Room 729, Parnassus Physicians Organizing Committee is a nonprofit based in San Francisco with the goal of safeguarding and improving health care for everyone in California. In this talk, Dr. FitzGibbons tells how his efforts to stop an HMO from cutting health care brought its wrath down upon him. Fortunately Dr. FG has survived to tell the tale, and encourage the next generation of doctors and other health care workers to join the fight for health care rights for all.
PARNASSUS FARMERS’ MARKET
Wednesday, June 5, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., ACC, 400 Parnassus Ave. Shop the Farmers’ Markets on Wednesdays to pick up locally grown produce and more. Sponsor: Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association.
OFF CAMPUS 500 Parnassus Ave. Millberry Union 108W San Francisco, CA 94143 tel: (415) 476-2211 | fax: (415) 502-4537 synapse@ucsf.edu
The UCSF Student Newspaper synapse.ucsf.edu
ENTREPRENEURS’ CLUB: NEITHER FISH NOR FOWL: THE DILEMMA OF A PHYSICIAN ENTREPRENEUR
Paid advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of Synapse. Synapse and its editorial board reserve the right to decline advertisements promoting false or misleading claims, known health risks, or content deemed by the editors to be antithetical to the interests of UCSF students or the UCSF community. Synapse does not accept advertisements from tobacco or alcohol manufacturers, or sexually oriented personal ads. Synapse reserves the right to run any ad with a disclaimer.
OFF THE GRID
Thursday, Sept. 6, 5-9 p.m., Stanyan and Waller, Upper Haight, SF Off the Grid is a roaming mobile food extravaganza that travels to different locations daily to serve delicious food, with a free side of amazing music, craft and soul.
SERENITY ART EXHIBIT
Through Oct .15, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., UCSF Women's Health Center, 2356 Sutter St., Floors 3–7 McKinley Art Solutions and the UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women's Health are pleased to present this season's SERENITY Art Exhibit, featuring artists Wendy Robushi, Katia Almeida, Julie Garner, Susan Spies and Maeve Croghan. Open to the public Monday through Friday.
EXPLORATORIUM AFTER DARK: TRANSFORMATION
Thursday, Sept. 5, 6-10 p.m., Pier 15, SF Many of nature’s transformations, like caterpillars turning into butterflies, are easy to see. But a closer look at the world reveals that matter is constantly moving from one state to another, and myriad processes are at work to transform reality as we know it. Explore the power of change and the elegant ways our world grows and evolves at After Dark: Transformation. http://bit.ly/ ExploratoriumAfterDark.
Thursday, Sept. 5, 6-10 p.m., Cal Academy, Golden Gate Park Science and style unite this week as local designers unleash their wearable works. Get styled with fingertip fashion from the nail artists at TopCoat and learn tricks of the trade from the beauty pros at Cinta Aveda Institute. Bring a piece of recycled clothing and browse new-to-you finds from SCORE! Take home a customized patch creation from on-thespot sewing artist Paul Nosa, and learn the folk-art tradition of rag-rug making when you participate in Crochet Jam, a handson, community-based project. http://bit.ly/ NightLifeTickets, http://bit.ly/CLSDiscounts.
Saturday, Sept. 7, 22nd and 25th Ave. blocks of Irving Street Project Healthy Heart of the School of Pharmacy and the Asian Health Institute will be participating in the Sunset Mid-Autumn Street Fair to offer free cholesterol and blood pressure screenings. Come by and get a free check-up and counseling.
ANNOUNCEMENTS EXCELLENCE IN PARTNERSHIP AWARDS
UCSF University Community Partnerships invite applications for the Excellence in Partnership Award. This award recognizes exemplary partnerships between San Francisco Bay Area communities and UCSF that build on each other’s strengths to improve higher education, civic engagement and the overall health of communities throughout the nine-county Bay Area (San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Sonoma, Napa, Marin and Solano counties). Application deadline is Monday, Sept. 16 at 5 p.m.
WALK WHILE YOU WORK AT PARNASSUS LIBRARY
The Parnassus Library has installed two new Walkstations so you can walk while you work on a computer in the second floor of the Technology Commons. The library also has more height-adjustable workstations available. library.ucsf.edu/content/ new-walkstations-available-library-techcommons.
BECOME THE NEXT INSIDER FEATURED ON THE STUDENT INSIDE GUIDE
A major part of the Student Inside Guide website is its student profiles. We would love to feature all students who have tips for incoming and returning students. If you are interested in being featured, please fill out the Student Profile Survey. http://bit.ly/ InsiderProfileSurvey
CAMPUS POETS & WRITERS
Join an ongoing, informal workshop facilitated by UCSF author Dr. David Watts. Beginners welcome, bring a poem or a short prose piece, or just come to listen. Group meets Mondays 4:30-5:30pm, 350 Parnassus, #900. Contact: hdwatts@comcast.net
SAVE THE DATE — BLOCK PARTY 7
Wednesday, October 30, 2013, 12:00-2:00 pm at Gene Friend Way Plaza, at UCSF Mission Bay Come celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Mission Bay at Block Party 7. Rain or shine. Sponsors: Campus Life Services, University Development & Alumni Relations, and the Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association.
synapse.ucsf.edu | September 5, 2013 | 3
NEWS
UCSF2025: University Takes Bold Step into the Future Community encouraged to play online game on September 11 and 12 Staff Report
F
or 36 hours on September 11 and 12, members of the UC San Francisco community will have an opportunity to share their bold ideas to map the future of the University by participating in a novel online game. The game — called UCSF2025 — seeks to engage faculty, staff, students, trainees and friends of UCSF to envision the University’s continued leadership in education, health and research through the next decade. UCSF has partnered with the Institute for the Future (IFTF), www.iftf.org/home/ an independent, nonprofit research organization, to develop the game to spark innovative thinking across the University. While this is the first time that UCSF is taking this approach to gather input, other institutions have successfully used IFTF’s collaborative forecasting computing games to identify ideas from within to develop a strategy for moving forward. Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH, and other campus leaders are encouraging all members of the UCSF community, and beyond, to share their ideas in UCSF2025 to help steer the direction of the nearly 150-year University. “Your participation enables this effort to be an inclusive, grassroots, bottom-up effort — generating ideas from diverse perspectives,” Desmond-Hellmann said in an email to the campus community. “This is your opportunity to share your vision of UCSF’s future with me and the leadership team.” Reinventing UCSF’s Leadership Role The game is the official launch of UCSF2.0, a strategic process UCSF is embarking upon to develop a vision for the future and ensure UCSF’s continued excellence as a university exclusively focused on health. UCSF2.0 is intended to build upon and transcend existing and past strategic efforts, looking out 10 years into the future. “The UCSF2025 game is the first step in a multiphase project to identify several transformative ideas within the vision for the long-term future of the University,” said Jeff Bluestone, PhD, executive vice chancellor and provost. “We want everyone to par-
Tobacco Policy » FROM HOME PAGE next to one another in a way that seems as if it could make sense, but like the terms “round square” or “separate but equal,” I believe a “non-punitive ban” is something that probably does not exist. Whenever something is banned, two questions immediately come to mind: “How will it be enforced?” and “What are the consequences of breaking the rules?” According to the presentation at the aforementioned meetings, security guards are to act as “Tobacco Ambassadors,” reminding tobacco users about the policy and pointing them to available cessation resources. Managers or other employees are encouraged to utilize gum packs or handouts as conversation starters when approaching people they believe may have been using banned products, the list of which includes chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes (which clearly do not affect other people’s health).
On September 11–12, you can map the future of UCSF. Pre-register for the game now at UCSF2025.org Pre-registering early will ensure that you get all the information you need to play the game and take on challenges. Whether you pre-register or not, you can create your official player profile on the game site when it goes live. Check out the game blog at blog.UCSF2025.org for updates and challenges to inspire your thinking Visit the game blog as the game gets started for updates on the leaderboard, themes that are surfacing, and new challenges for players to tackle. Follow @UCSF on Twitter and UC San Francisco on Facebook Look for the hashtag #UCSF2025. ticipate and share their good ideas. The ideas, innovations, and themes that emerge from the game will inform a series of workshops across the university and ultimately help us create a visual map for UCSF — a map designed to serve as a resource of creative ideas in the coming decade.” After the game, UCSF will work with key stakeholders from across the University to further define and refine the input into winning ideas for the future of UCSF. Tapping the Wisdom Within UCSF Players will begin the game by watching a provocative video to immerse themselves in a fictional, futuristic scenario of UCSF in the year 2025. They will have an opportunity to participate in challenges, posting short, Twitter-length contributions of 140 characters or In fairness to UCSF, they have put together a very nice set of resources to help people stop using tobacco. Nicotine replacement gum will be provided at both the Parnassus and Mount Zion campuses, full reimbursement will be given to UCSF employees who complete a four-week tobacco cessation program at the Fontana Tobacco Treatment Center at Mount Zion, and there will be group counsel-
less. Game moderators from IFTF will highlight the boldest ideas that push the online discussion beyond the obvious or ordinary. Players can earn points by building on other players’ ideas to create chains of innovation. Those players with the most points rise to the top of a leaderboard, which will be posted on a dashboard and blog for all to watch as the game unfolds over 36 hours through September 12. To help rally excitement before the game and engagement during the two-days of playtime, approximately 100 ambassadors representing a cross-section of faculty, staff and students throughout campus and medical center are helping to spread the word to get their colleagues involved in shaping the University’s future. the other hand, if there are no plans to exercise punishment, what have we gained by making people feel bad for breaking a rule? We all agree that smoking is bad and we don’t want people to do it. Instead of a ban, why not call 100% Tobacco Free a goal, something toward which we set specific milestones to try to achieve together in a step-wise fashion, incentivizing compliance rather than hanging a nebulous threat over people’s heads? The best way for UCSF to create a healthy environment is to make balanced and thoughtful policies that help an already struggling population of smokers deal with the multiple biologic, social and psychological factors they are facing. At the very least, we need not add fuel to the fire in the hearts of those who might interpret this policy as a justification for hurtful, vigilante-style confrontations. UCSF wants to focus on positives. Unfortunately, any type of ban clearly focuses on negatives, no matter how much one tries to sugar-coat it.
“In fairness to UCSF, they have put together a very nice set of resources to help people stop using tobacco.” ing offered on smoking cessation and relapse prevention (information available at TobaccoFree.ucsf.edu). But there are no specific guidelines on how to handle violations, and managers have been instructed to address them on a case-tocase basis. Unless there is a clause that specifically protects employees from being punished, how can we call this policy non-punitive? On
Akshay Govind is a second-year resident in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
NEWS BRIEFS UCSF Goes Completely Tobacco-Free
As a nationally recognized health care institution and health sciences university, UCSF implemented a tobacco-free policy on September 3. UCSF requires everyone who works and studies at UCSF, including faculty, staff, students, trainees, patients, contractors and volunteers, to be tobacco-free. No one is permitted to use tobacco products while on any University property or adjacent grounds, including during lunch and break times, whether on or off campus. The goal of the tobacco-free policy is to improve the level of safety and air quality within the hospital, ambulatory clinics, campus buildings and grounds, as well as the surrounding neighborhoods.
UCSF Creates Online Master of Science Degree UC San Francisco will launch an innovative online Master of Science Degree Program in Healthcare Administration and Interprofessional Leadership created especially for working health professionals who want to focus on developing management and leadership expertise. The program, developed by UCSF faculty and campus leaders, is designed to prepare graduates with a unique understanding of the context, competencies, knowledge and skills to ensure high quality care and outcomes in the ever-evolving health care arena. The new graduate program will formally open to clinicians and non-clinicians in January 2014. The inaugural class will enroll up to 32 students from various disciplines, including dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and social work. UCSF received full accreditation for the program on Aug. 6 from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Global Health Sciences Honors Latest Graduating Class and Retiring Director The UCSF Global Health Sciences program celebrated its fifth Masters of Science graduating class earlier this month in a ceremony that also was a sendoff for the degree program’s founder. John Ziegler, MD, MSc, who launched the masters program in 2008 and has been its director ever since, is retiring after a 32-year career at UCSF. Two awards were established in his honor and given during the Aug. 2 ceremony for the 38 graduates: the John L. Ziegler Outstanding Capstone Award and the John L. Ziegler Outstanding Mentor Award. The student award went to Nicole Santos, PhD, MS. The mentor award was given to Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH, a professor of medicine in the Divisions of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Diseases at UCSF, and the director of the AIDS Consult Service at San Francisco General Hospital.
Potential Drug Discovered for Severe Form of Epilepsy An antihistamine discovered in the 1950s to treat itching may also prevent seizures in an intractable form of childhood epilepsy, according to researchers at UCSF who tested it in zebrafish bred to mimic the disease. The researchers said their unexpected discovery offers a glimmer of hope for families of children with Dravet Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that manifests in early childhood with disabling, lifelong consequences. These include dozens, if not hundreds, of daily seizures, as well as profound cognitive and social deficits.
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Young Scientists » FROM HOME PAGE volunteer. “The counselors also learned a lot about the great work that is being done at UCSF.” In late September, PITCH will be offering a free planning event for SFUSD seniors and parents/guardians who are planning to apply to college this fall. “We have various workshops to attend, including UC, CSU, private and community college Admissions, Personal Statements and Financial Aid, which will be presented in Cantonese, English, and Spanish,” said Lim. Bio Bootcamp Bio Bootcamp is a new program organized by SACNAS, or the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science at UCSF, for San Francisco Mission High students in late June. The program introduced 22 Mission High sophomores to biomedical research and careers in medicine, through visits to museums and San Francisco universities and hands-on experiments with 30 UCSF SACNAS students. “Working with high school students on a research project was humbling, eye-opening and fun,” said Daniel Johengen, a SACNAS volunteer for Bio Bootcamp. “It is easy to lose perspective of the long process that shapes a person’s ideas and understanding of the world, so it was a fun challenge to answer the students’ questions in a way that provided them the logic and the answer.” At the end of their program, students presented their research for family and SACNAS students to celebrate the culmination of their hard work. “The Bio Bootcamp Program was well received by Mission High,” said Sergio Saenz, the program’s coordinator, “and we are excited about the possibilities of having Bio Boot-
camp at more San Francisco Unified High Schools in the future.” CampUCSF CampUCSF Summer Science Camp is a one-week free camp in July run by the School of Pharmacy for San Francisco area children in the fifth and sixth grades. This year, thirdyear pharmacy student Anthony Wong organized the camp with the help of fellow UCSF student counselors. Fifty kids were arranged into five groups headed by two UCSF Pharmacy student counselors. Children participated in a number of fun, scientific activities meant to inspire the mind, like an egg-drop experiment, boat making and the launching of bottle-rockets from Koret quad. Participants even raced their boats in the UCSF gym pool. In addition to their time spent at UCSF, children were taken to the California Academy of Sciences and elsewhere. At the end of the Summer Science Camp, counselors held a graduation ceremony for students and their families to celebrate their time at UCSF. Students streamed in to Cole Hall to watch slide shows of their activities and receive prizes for “future scientist” and other notable accomplishments. Even though their time was short, it was clear that these students had formed a bond with their UCSF counselors and with each other. At the end of their graduation ceremony, asked what the best part of summer camp was, one camper answered, with the careful deliberation of a scientist, “It’s a hard choice. Everything was my favorite.”
L
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During the afternoon of August 29, Zhang and 12 fellow high school students gave oral presentations and a poster session in Genentech Hall in the third annual Symposium of the UCSF Medical Science Trading ProgramLowell Science Research Program, which was the culmination of a summer of full-time work in various UCSF (and in one case National Institutes of Health) labs. The students all attend Lowell High School, a San Francisco public magnet school. The Lowell Science Research Program is designed “to give talented high school stu-
Photos by Taylor LaFlam/MSTP5
Lowell High School student Aisha Keown-Lang explains her summer research to MSTP Director Mark Anderson.
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Lowell High School Symposium Wraps Up Summer of Lab Research ike many UCSF researchers, Grace Zhang had a productive summer in lab. She tested the activity of 12 novel 3-inch untranslated regions (UTR) elements, observed how mutating these elements affected RNA stability and was now presenting her work in Byers Auditorium. Unlike the typical UCSF researcher, however, Zhang has yet to graduate from high school.
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Alexandra Greer is a sixth-year Biomedical Sciences student.
NEWS
By Taylor LaFlam Staff Writer
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dents the chance to do really high-quality science,” said Julia Ye, co-founder of the program, a current UCSF MSTP student and Lowell alumna. “It gives them a chance to explore what doing real science research means.” For Ilya Verzhbinsky, who worked on computer modeling of a heart failure therapy device, “it was interesting to see how the wet lab and dry lab mesh together.” He added that his research experience has reinforced his interest in majoring in science, perhaps chemical biology or molecular biology. Robyn Wong, a student research assistant who has mentored Mimi Lu for the past two summers, said, “It really surprised me how excited they were to learn.” She was impressed by Lu’s acumen, explaining that they would plan experiments together; then “she’d run with it. … She’d come back and have results.” The program was founded in 2010 by Ye and Lowell AP physics teacher Richard Shapiro. Several dozen students participate in school-year activities, with summer internships decided by a competitive application process. During the school year, students meet after school twice each week. They hear scientific presentations from graduate student mentors (including this reporter), conduct experiments, such as digestion and gel electrophoresis of a plasmid, and learn to read and present scientific literature. In introductory remarks, MSTP Director Mark Anderson said, “The goal is to light the fire, to convey to you the excitement of scientific discovery." It seems to be working. Srinand Paruthiyil said in concluding his presentation, “This has been really awesome. I’ve learned so much about bioinformatics. It’s like the coolest thing ever.”
Taylor LaFlam is a fifth-year MSTP student.
NEWS
9/4/2013 10:48:19 AM
UCSF, Children’s Oakland sign affiliation agreement Staff Report
U
CSF Medical Center and Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland have signed an affiliation agreement that links the two institutions but allows them to remain largely as separate entities. The agreement, set to close in early 2014, marks “the next milestone in establishing a formal relationship” between the two hospitals, according to an announcement sent to employees, faculty and physicians on August 8 from UCSF Medical Center CEO Mark Laret; Children’s Oakland CEO Bert Lubin, M.D., and Sam Hawgood, dean of the UCSF School of Medicine. The new relationship would result in the hospitals' joint operation of the 85-doctor BayChildren’s Physicians, Children’s Oakland’s existing physician foundation. UCSF Medical Center and Children’s Oakland would retain separate licenses and boards under the agreement and most Children’s Oakland employees would not become UCSF employees. But Children’s Oakland’s four top officers, including Lubin and the East Bay hospital’s CFO, chief operating officer and chief of pediatrics, would become UC employees, according to UCSF spokeswoman Karin Rush-Monroe. The four executives would continue to work full-time at Children’s Oakland, she said. The deal is subject to due diligence and regulatory approvals, according to the letter from Laret.
synapse.ucsf.edu | September 5, 2013 | 5
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CANCER BIOLOGY: Oncogenic targeting of BRM drives malignancy through C/EBPβdependent induction of α5 integrin. Damiano, L. et al. (Weaver). Oncogene. June 17 [epub ahead of print].
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One of the ways an aberrant cell becomes cancerous is by becoming less adherent to its surrounding cells. Integrins are a class of cell receptors that assist in tissue adhesion, and by changing expression of integrins, a cell can move more freely away from its tissue of origin and metastasize. While it is well known that the dysregulation of integrins contributes to the development of cancer, it is not known exactly how this process occurs. In this paper, researchers identified the method of α5 integrin dysregulation causing metastasis in mammary epithelial cells. They found that MEK signaling activated Myc, which reduced expression of the chromatin remodeler Brahmin. Reduced Brahmin led to increased C/EBPβ, which in turn led to increased α5 integrin expression and improved metastasis. NEUROSCIENCE: Disruption of alcohol-related memories by mTORC1 inhibition prevents relapse. Barak, S. et al. (Ron). Nature Neuroscience. 16(8):1111-7. A common cause of a relapse in behavior (in this case, drinking alcohol after a period of abstinence) is triggering of cue-induced cravings: the memory of an event associated with the behavior induces a desire to repeat the behavior. Recent work has shown that memories are particularly susceptible to rewriting upon remembrance, or “reconsolidation,” which seems to be dependent on protein synthesis via mTORC1. Given how apparently easy it is for us to modify our memories upon recall (considering how unreliable witness accounts can be), an attractive treatment for alcoholism is to modify, inhibit or destroy the behavior-associated memories, and inhibition of mTORC1 is one potential target. In fact, the researchers found that inhibition of mTORC1 either systemically or locally in the amygdala resulted in inhibition of relapse upon exposure to cues. STEM CELL BIOLOGY: Vitamin C induces Tet-dependent DNA demethylation and a blastocyst-like state in ES cells. Blaschke, K. et al. (Ramalho-Santos). Nature. 500(7461):222-6. One remarkable feature of embryonic stem cells, or ES cells, is their ability to suppress tissue-specific genes and retain an undifferentiated phenotype. Through this genetic program, ES cells retain their pleuripotency, or their ability to later differentiate into any cell type. Cells often suppress expression of genes through DNA demethylation, which practically blocks gene transcription from being able to occur. Tet enzymes help to control DNA demethylation and are therefore an attractive target for compounds that might be able to induce pleuripotency in non-ES cells. Interestingly, while similar enzymes require vitamin C as a cofactor for their activity, Tet enzymes are typically incubated in the absence of the vitamin. In this paper, researchers incubated ES cells with vitamin C and saw a remarkable improvement in Tet activity and an increase in DNA demethylation, improving the quality of ES cells.
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CANCER BIOLOGY: BACH2 mediates negative selection and p53-dependent tumor suppression at the pre-B cell receptor checkpoint. Swaminathan, S. et al. (Müschen). Nature Medicine. 19(8):1014-22. Mature, antibody-producing B-cells go through multiple checkpoints during their development that ensure that the B-cell is producing a functional antibody. If the partially completed antibody fails to signal properly during its development, the cell dies and the nonfunctional antibody is never synthesized. In this paper, researchers identify the molecular mechanisms that lead the cell to apoptosis (death) upon expression of a nonfunctional antibody. They found that PAX5 activates Bach2, which binds to BCL-6, thereby inhibiting BCL-6’s ability to inhibit p53. With p53 active, the cell begins the process of apoptosis. Leukemia patients with low Bach2 expression tended to have a poorer prognosis of disease, probably because of a lack of apoptosis upon nonfunctional antibody expression.
Alexandra Greer is a sixth-year Biomedical Sciences student. For comments or paper suggestions, email Alexandra.Greer@ucsf.edu.
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6 | September 5, 2013 | synapse.ucsf.edu
NEWS
OPINION
DIY Lab Equipment Design Teaching Strategies to Lower Prescription Drug Costs for Contest Under Way Tekla Labs seeks to improve global science research through shared designs By Kate Lovero Contributing Writer
M
eeting global challenges requires breakthroughs from the entire global scientific community — not just a select set of well-funded universities in industrialized countries. Scientists in developing regions, afflicted communities and social entrepreneurs have the potential to contribute diverse and novel solutions, yet they often lack the resources to advance their own scientific research. Limited access to standard lab equipment is one of the greatest barriers to conducting research around the world. Due to the high cost of commercial lab equipment, underfunded science communities rely on donated, used equipment that is costly to ship and near impossible to repair. Often, because of scar-
The grand prize winner will receive a HiTorque mini mill, a DSO nano oscilloscope, a Dremel kit, an Open Source PCR kit and an Instructables prize pack including a robot T-shirt. Second prize is this 3-D printer (above).
city and limited donations, they simply aren’t able to conduct experiments that require even the most basic of lab equipment. This fall, Tekla Labs, a nonprofit organization led by researchers at UC Berkeley and UCSF, has teamed up with the popular online DIY hub, Instructables (www.instructables.com), to hold a competition for lab equipment designs. The competition, called BuildMyLab, is open to all types of laboratory equipment designs, from the simple to the very complex, and is offering over $5,000
Under-Served Patients Pharmacy students promote interprofessional collaboration By Helen Gavrilova, Jian-ya Lin, Katya Kurdyukova and Kristi Jhangiani Contributing Writers
in prizes for the top submissions. There is even a special judges’ prize for the best “lab hack”—a quick solution to everyday challenges in the lab. Tekla Labs has been tackling the lab equipment shortage by creating an online community for sharing designs to build highquality lab equipment from locally available supplies. As part of the community, scientists everywhere can request equipment designs or share their own equipment blueprints. They can also ask questions about instructions or request modifications to designs to fit their resources and needs. This DIY approach empowers scientists worldwide to build their own infrastructure, creating a sustainable solution to the lab equipment shortage that can be adjusted to meet the requirements of scientists in any setting around the world. Because the submission to the competition will go toward building the equipment design repository of the Tekla Labs website, an additional judges’ prize will be awarded to the best design for building a piece of laboratory equipment that the majority of scientists Tekla Labs has surveyed throughout Latin America and Africa need for their research. The Instructables competition is open through December 16. Details are at www. instructables.com/contest/buildmylab. And if you are interested in learning more about Tekla Labs, check out its website at www.teklalabs.org and become a member of the community!
Kate Lovero is a fifth-year student in the Neuroscience Graduate Program.
I
n the setting of health care reform and rising health care costs, cost-containment strategies are critically important and relevant in patient care. More than 48.6 million patients under the age of 65 years old in the United States are uninsured, and more than 29 million Americans between the ages of 19 and 64 years old are under-insured. As student pharmacists, we want to do our part to ensure that underserved patients gain access to needed medications. Based on this gap in care of the under-served, and the pharmacy profession’s dedication to help patients gain access to medications, Drs. Helene Levens Lipton, PhD, and Marilyn Stebbins, Pharm D, of UCSF’s Department of Clinical Pharmacy, created the Peer Educator Program. The Peer Educator Program was started seven years ago to help elderly and disabled patients and their health care providers navigate the complex Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. As part of this program, student pharmacists from pharmacy schools across California were trained to help seniors enroll in the most cost-effective Medicare Part D plan. Eventually, the students saw a need to disseminate the information to other health care professionals and promote inter-professional communication to improve patient care. Today, the program has expanded its focus to providing education to medical residents, physician faculty, social workers and nurses on many practical cost-containment strategies. Major academic medical centers in Boston, New York and the San Francisco Bay Area have invited the Peer Educators to lecture at Medical Grand Rounds, medical residents’ seminars and conference meetings.
Several peer-reviewed journals have noted the impact of the lecture on learners. These studies have shown that the presentation increases learners’ knowledge of drug-cost containment strategies for the under-served, and enhances health professionals’ willingness to collaborate with pharmacists. As the current Peer Educators, we were honored to receive invitations to lecture at three major academic medical centers in Chicago: University of Chicago, Northwestern, and Rush, this year. Our trip gave us the opportunity to both teach and learn from practicing health care professionals and health care professional students in Chicago. While we were able to educate other health care professionals about drug cost-containment strategies, we also connected with medical residents and program directors, as well as pharmacists and health professional students. This collaboration allowed us to share our ideas on increasing medication adherence through enhancing patient-provider communication as well as utilizing cost-containment programs. Over the last seven years, the Peer Educator program has grown, and its impact has been felt across the nation. Our trip to Chicago was a great opportunity for us to reach across state lines and work inter-professionally. Recently, James Town, MD, chief resident of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center, expressed the influence our lecture had on his learners: “Many residents sent me emails, came up to me afterwards to let me know what a great talk it was and how useful they found it. "We’re already seeing lots of traffic of residents downloading the slide set! One of our general medicine case managers, Barb Powell, was in attendance and thought it was one of the best, most useful presentations she’s seen here in 15 years. She was raving about it and eager to share the information with her colleagues.”
Helen Gavrilova, Jian-ya Lin, Katya Kurdyukova and Kristi Jhangiani are pharmacy school students.
SPORTS
UCSF Team Pathology Take the Field By Daren Le Contributing Writer
I
n addition to providing high-quality patient care, performing cutting-edge research and educating students and residents in anatomic pathology, athletic members of the UCSF Pathology Department recently teamed up to field the department’s first-ever competitive softball team in the San Francisco Municipal Softball League. Spearheaded by histotechnologist Yuri Murphy and physician assistant Rosendo Medina, the active roster includes physician assistants, residents, pathology technicians and attending pathologists. The team has already rallied the energy and support of the entire department. Spring training began at the beginning of May, with weekly practices at the nearby Golden Gate Park on Wednesday evenings. A few campus-wide bake sales helped with the purchase of equipment and jerseys. Attractive UCSF Pathology softball
T-shirts are on sale. Although the speed at which the members of the Pathology Department can turn two for the double play may lag behind their ability to process and diagnose stat specimens, the team exhibited some real, raw baseball talent in an early win against SF Toyota in a scrimmage game. The team’s strengths include the quick bats of Yuri Murphy and Kuang Jen, the strong throwing arm of Ashley Puskar, and the accurate slow pitching arcs of Rosendo Medina and Gillian Genrich, not to mention an unparalleled, exquisitely sharp collective mental acuity. As Yogi Berra said, “Baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical.” The team encourages members of the UCSF community to come cheer them on. Summer league opening day was July 19. The team has games on the next three Fridays, Sept. 6, 13 and 20 at Chestnut and Buchanan streets.
Daren Le works in the Department of Pathology at UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion.
Photo by Daren Le
Standing (top row): Yuri Murphy, Scott Allen, Gretchen Werner, Joshua Menke, Robert Grefka, Sean Warren, Lucky Caballero, Dien Nguyen, Rosendo Medina. Kneeling (bottom row): Gillian Genrich, Sherry Kamiya, Dianna Ng, Gabi Rizzuto, Ashley Puskar, Maritess Navarro, Reina Shiozuki, Dacia Miyake, Whitney Purtha.
FOOD
synapse.ucsf.edu | September 5, 2013 | 7
Arlequin Café: An Urban Oasis By Dawn Maxey Staff Reporter
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t times, walking in San Francisco can feel like one’s been doomed to an oppressive eternity of wandering a concrete-laden strip mall, with not a green patch or leafy respite in sight. Walking down Hayes Street in Hayes Valley however, the popular Arlequin Café offers a veritable urban oasis. Owned by the Absinthe Group (the same people who own the restaurants Boxing Room, Absinthe Brasserie & Bar and Comstock Saloon), Arlequin Café serves up high quality breakfast, lunch, dinner and a variety of snacky items to fit in-between. The hidden secret though, is the expansive leafy garden out back where patrons can linger as long as they’d like. Iron wrought tables and chairs and the occasional wooden bench are set amongst a green paradise — a great setting for relaxing or getting work done (especially with the free WiFi available). Arlequin offers a variety of breakfast entrees and pastries, including the popular brioche donut ($2.50). When I visited, they had two flavors available: mint chocolate chip and peach. Because the former struck me as a little odd (shouldn’t mint chocolate chip be reserved for ice cream?), I opted for the peach. The pastry was a nice and doughy little pillow with a dollop of fresh tasting peach compote in the middle. It could have been improved by spending a little time in a toaster, but was otherwise delicious. Other pastries available included cardaArlequin Cafe mom spiked morning buns ($2.50), croissants arlequincafe.com ($2.75-$3), seasonal scones ($2.75) and mon384 Hayes St. key bread ($2.5). San Francisco, CA 94102 Breakfast is available until 11:30 a.m. every day, after which sandwiches and salads are ATMOSPHERE Casual served. At noon, you can order off the “From HOURS Monday 8 a.m.-7 p.m. the Kitchen” menu, which includes plates Tuesday-Friday 8 a.m.-8 p.m. like the Indian-Spiced Lamb Burger ($11.50) Saturday 9 a.m.-8 p.m. or the popular Baked Mac ’n’ Cheese ($8). I Sunday 9 a.m.-7 p.m. opted for the Grilled Cheese Sandwich ($9),
Photos by Dawn Maxey/MS3
The Grilled Cheese Sandwich has aged provolone, gruyere cheese and basil pesto nestled between two toasted slices of levain bread
which came as a gooey layer of aged provolone, gruyere cheese and basil pesto nestled between two toasted slices of levain bread. I hadn’t had a grilled cheese with pesto in it before and the combination was fantastic. The plate also came with a side salad which was a good contrast to the savory sandwich. If you weren’t feeling the hot dishes and instead wanted to set up your own picnic in their backyard, there is a variety of cold sandwiches, salads, charcuterie and cheese for sale in the cold case near the register. To top it all off, there’s also wine available by the glass and by the bottle. The café’s sister shop, Arlequin Wine, is located right next door in case none of the selections fit your mood. Although a touch pricey, Arlequin Café is what a café should be — a place to eat good food, linger with friends, and even work in a peaceful environment. On my visit there, I saw business lunches taking place, people chatting over large mugs of coffee, and a table with what looked like an architect’s work spread out everywhere. No one seemed to be in a rush, and the roar of city-life had been replaced by the hum of conversation. Especially in the often-sunny Hayes Valley neighborhood, time spent in Arlequin Café’s backyard can make you forget you’re even in San Francisco.
Dawn Maxey is a third-year medical student.
MIND&BODY
Let’s Get Physical ... Therapy! Your questions answered If you have any questions about muscles and bones, musculoskeletal issues you’ve had or would like to know more about, or anything under the sun related to physical therapy, send them to Ilka.Felsen@ucsf.edu.
By Ilka Felsen Staff Writer True or False? Babies move just like us
F
alse! From the musculoskeletal perspective, babies have a lot of development to accomplish before they are walking like an adult. In fact, children don’t establish their normal gait pattern until they are 7 years old — which means, don’t freak out if your 5-year-old niece is still tiptoeing around the house. And by the way, tiptoeing is actually a developmental milestone, and if you see a 5-year-old who is not able to tiptoe, then you should worry. So what exactly does a baby look like when it emerges from the womb? The cozy intrauterine environment squishes the fetus into a position called physiological flexion. In this position, the fetus’s spine is flexed into a “C” shape, while its legs are bent and turned outwards, and its arms are flexed and turned inwards. This has dramatic implications on the newborn’s posture, and explains why infants will lie and sit with their extremities flexed. The infant’s hip flexors and lower abdominals are extremely tight from this posture. Gravity and muscle use are required to pull the neonate’s hips and knees out of flex-
ion, and allow them to gain control of their heads. By 11-12 months, infants should be able to walk. However, despite their quirky posture, newborns demonstrate a curious reflex, called spontaneous stepping. When supported on a surface, the infant will kick its legs, as if stepping. This reflex disappears by two months of age, but can resurface in children with spinal cord injuries. Of course, if the gentle parents were to grip their infant less tightly and try the procedure above, the helpless neonate would begin to crumple to the floor. This is because walking independently necessitates strong muscle performance, an upright spine with concave and convex curvatures, and valgus knees (a less dramatic version of knock knees). This combination, as well as a wider pelvis, is responsible for our uniquely bipedal gait. In an infant, lumbar lordosis (the concave part of the lower spine) develops first and begins increasing by 4 months of age. Over time, contraction of the infant’s hamstrings and back extensors, when they lie on their stomach, pulls the lower spine out of the C shape. By the time they are 4 years old, their lumbar spine is fully concave (lordotic), and they will walk around (albeit somewhat wobbly) at 11-12 months of age. With the help of the neck extensors, cervical concavity develops slightly after lumbar lordosis. This is facilitated by the infant lying on its stomach, and lifting its head up to look around.
Other activities, such as crawling like a bear and playing with their feet while lying down, also help infants progress out of intrauterine physiological flexion. The other necessary component to walking normally, genu valgum, develops by age 2. Initially, infants bear their weight (with help in the beginning!) with their knees bowed out like a cowboy.
Over the next two years, gravity and the weight from their trunks will straighten their legs. Oddly, they overcompensate and get knock knees until age 8, when their knees return to normal genu valgum, and they indeed walk like little adults.
Ilka Felsen is a second-year physical therapy student.
8 | September 5, 2013 | synapse.ucsf.edu
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synapse.ucsf.edu | September 5, 2013 | 9
PUZZLES
Piled Higher and Deeper by Jorge Cham
The Weekly Crossword 1
ACROSS 1 Reef explorer's gear 6 Farm unit 10 Wear out the carpet 14 Suez waterway 15 Thunder sound 16 Landfill emanation 17 Mosey along 18 Plays for a sucker 19 High-protein bean 20 Camelot, to Arthur 21 Charge with a crime 23 Portend 25 Biblical plague insect 29 Makeshift swing 30 Julie Garwood genre 31 Ballet step 34 100-year-old 36 Object of devotion 38 Luggage attachment 39 1996 presidential hopeful 40 An eco-friendly home might use them 45 Surfing spot 46 Inconsequential 47 1964 Oscar winner Patricia 49 Ultimate goal 50 They get you nowhere 54 Front-runner 56 Nose-in-the-air sort
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www.phdcomics.com
Copyright 2013 by The Puzzle Syndicate
57 Spreadsheet filler 60 Bounty rival 61 Positive terminal 62 Molecule part 63 Touch up, as text 64 Cuban dance 65 Microwave sound 66 Thespian's goal 67 Prepare to propose
6 Book and movie, "The _______ Tourist" 7 Genetic double 8 Ayn of fiction 9 Greek vowel 10 Traveler's mailing 11 Without further ___.... 12 Playfully shy 13 MLB stat 22 Deep sleep 24 Prospector's - 9/8/13 DOWNWeek of 9/2/13find 1 Winter wear 26 Part of ACLU 2 Short film role 27 Postal device 3 Open, as a cage 28 Guiding principle 4 "Giselle", for 30 Produce anew, one as tissue 5 Distilling appa31 Downhill ski run 32 Embellish ratus of old
33 Well-built 35 Sun shade? 37 Retro light source 41 Rouse to anger 42 Idle chatter 43 Grazing ground 44 Comic book soldier of old 48 "I am the Walrus" singer 50 Old Scratch 51 Nary a soul 52 Avenger maker 53 Quite a bargain 55 Singer of the 1999 pop hit "Thank You" 57 Little bit 58 Polished off 59 Stocking stuffer?
ARTS&CULTURE
title: "Search Results" - originally published 8/28/2013
‘Carrier’ Benefits from The Dodos’ New Songwriting Approach
Edited by Margie E. Burke
Difficulty : Easy
Copyright 2013 by The Puzzle Syndicate
Grad School Illustrated
Solution to Sudoku
HOW TO SOLVE: (Answer appears elsewhere in this issue)
Photo by Chloe Aftel
The Dodos' singer/guitarist Meric Long (left) and percussionist Logan Kroeber.
By Angela Castanieto Associate Editor
S
ince 2005, the Dodos have been known for the experimental style of their music, and this is reflected in their earlier albums, such as 2008’s Visiter, an appealing and slightly eclectic showcase of the band’s various musical interests, such as progressive rock and West African Ewe drumming. They have since worked to more narrowly focus their sound, and this is embodied in the albums that followed Visiter, reflecting the same originality but developed with a more calculated tactic.
by Jillian Varonin
Jillian Varonin is a fourth-year BMS student.
With their latest release Carrier, however, the trajectory of this San Francisco group’s music has suddenly changed. Following the passing of guitarist Chris Reimer, singer/guitarist Meric Long and percussionist Long Kroeber set aside their unorthodox approach to songwriting previously characterized by the use of alternative instruments, and instead produced an entire album of guitar-driven, lyrics-inspired tracks. Just like their earlier releases, Carrier is still full of experimental percussion and delightfully creative instrumentals, but now it is even more distinguished by an underlying earnestness reminiscent of such bands as the Shins. More so than the latter, however, the Dodos allow each song’s musical elements to set the mood of the album, blending lyrics seamlessly with melody through flowing harmonies. The result is a stunning LP with many standouts ranging from the beautifully simple “Family” to the entrancing and powerful “Confidence.” All of the tracks on Carrier offer a solid listen, however, and while the Dodos’ approach to songwriting has recently changed, the creative focus this band has achieved throughout the years is still apparent, and the sound of their latest album greatly benefits from this.
Angela Castanieto is a fifth-year Tetrad student.
10 | September 5, 2013 | synapse.ucsf.edu
OPINION
Mama M.’s Soul Advice: Lonely Medical Student
W Dear Mama M.,
ill I be alone for the rest of my life? I am 33 years old and I still haven’t found The One. I am an older medical student, in second year now, and I look around at everyone else in the world, and all I see are couples. Everyone seems to be paired or coupled, and they all seem so happy. But I am still alone. And I don’t feel happy being alone. And, to make things worse, since I’m older than most of my classmates, there seems to be an expectation (which I failed to meet) that I should be the one who is already married. But I haven’t been so lucky in love. It’s not that I haven’t been putting myself out there. Before moving here for school, I worked as a teacher, and I dated a lot of guys and even a handful of women. But, since I am a giver, I always seem to end up with takers. The people I have dated always expect me to take care of their needs. And, really I don’t mind that, but at some point I decided that I would like to be given to, once in a while, too. Well, destiny seems to be telling me that I don’t deserve that. I guess I have to accept my fate. And sometimes I do that pretty well. But these days I am feeling very lonely and alone, and I wish I had someone who would hold me. Is there hope for me to find real love, ever? What am I doing wrong? Please help. Sincerely, Alone Forever ______________________________________________________________________
M
THE STRENGTH TO HEAL
starts with our scholarship.
Capt. Ana Morgan, M.D., HPSP Medical Recipient Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas
You can begin training for the career you’ve always dreamed of with financial assistance from the U.S. Army. Through the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP)*, you could be eligible to receive a full tuition scholarship for an accredited medical program. The HPSP provides reimbursement for books, laboratory equipment and academic fees. You’ll also receive a sign-on bonus of $20,000 and a monthly stipend of $2,157. During breaks, you’ll have the opportunity to train alongside other members of our health care organization. To learn more, call (650)347-3967 or visit San Mateo Medical Recruiting Center 400 S. El Camino Real, STE 450 San Mateo, CA 94402 Email: usarmy.knox.usarec.list.9e3j@mail.mil www.goarmy.com/amedd.html
y Precious Alone,
It is hard to be alone when you don’t want to be. It’s probably not helpful to think that you are doing something “wrong.” Still, there might be some ways you can think differently and put yourself into the flow of love. Sometimes we have to rearrange the way we are thinking to unblock stubborn, unconscious patterns. First, one of the great sadnesses of life is that we are all alone. It is also true that many people do not look like they are alone. And that sucks. It fools us into thinking we are missing something. That we are deficient, and will be alone forever. Looking at people from the outside in fools us into thinking that they did something right and we did not. Despite our uniqueness as humans, there is a curious and powerful pull to be alike. To move through life on the same time lines. It is part of our tribal survival instinct to stick together and act, like the rest of our tribe, according to expected and accepted rituals. But the truth is, it is only recently that we have evolved into conscious mating. Historically, our mates were chosen for us and were procreative in nature. We were chosen. And now we must choose. And we wonder if we are doing it right. But, Sweet Alone One, modern love gives us the luxury and the burden to find our own timing and rituals around love and mating. It can be lonely and confusing when we don’t fall into an easy rhythm with it all. Life is asking you, for now, to be bold enough to trust being with “you.” Is it a permanent condition? No, Sugar. Perhaps you are solo at present for a deeper reason. Perhaps you will need a divine partner instead of boyfriend (or girlfriend), and that just takes longer to find. I am curious about your pattern of being a “giver.” That has to be addressed. Try this thought. Perhaps your inner wisdom is guiding you toward more mutual and balanced relationships. Perhaps this desire is in fact larger than your desired to be coupled. And that, My Dear, is awesome. Be patient and loving with your process. Believing that you deserve a divine partner, connected by reciprocity and deep love, is where your work is. Keep reflecting on your stories about love and togetherness, and you will see where your blocks to love are. Most of us have them. Some folks just don’t want to go there. They settle. You have to ask yourself if you are willing to settle. Our personal obstacles can be deep and hard to find. In your quiet moments, mentally remove the blocks. Make the unconscious conscious and clean your inner house. Somewhere in there is a belief that you do not deserve love. Get to that belief, talk to it, make peace with it, and say goodbye to it. In the meantime, love yourself as you are and trust the process. “Happiness is a journey, not a destination. “For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin — real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. “Happiness is the way. “So treasure every moment you have, and remember that time waits for no one.” Father Alfred D’ Souza Mama M.
Mama M. and her editor are health professionals at UCSF/San Francisco General Hospital, who understand the challenges that health professional students are confronted with. This column is a place where students can get honest, compassionate, humorous advice, wisdom and love. Send letters to MamaM.synapse@gmail.com.
*Certain requirements and eligibility criteria apply. ©2013. Paid for by the United States Army. All rights reserved. Information subject to change.
Solutions
synapse.ucsf.edu | September 5, 2013 | 11
Solution to Sudoku
Write for Synapse synapse@ucsf.edu UCSF’s Vendor Showcases 2013 ALL UCSF Lab Managers, PIs, Postdocs, Students, Researchers & Faculty are welcome to attend!!!!
Career.ucsf.edu/vendor
Get Out of The Lab For This Fun Event!!!
Tasty Treats! Visitors can get a scoop of Fenton’s Famous Ice Cream! Great Giveaways! A Mountain Bike, Kindle, Ipad and Safeway Gift Cards! Learn About New Products! A number of vendors are coming to show you their best products to make your lab more productive and your job easier!
Thursday, October 3 11am-2pm Parnassus Campus, Saunders Court
Thursday, September 19 11am-2pm Mission Bay Campus, Koret Quad
Vendor registration fees fund OCPD career & professional development programs for UCSF students & postdocs and professional development for Lab Managers
Open at Parnassus & Mission Bay Campuses
for your convenience we accept: All major Credit Cards • Recharge for catering Bear Hugs • UCSF Resident Meal Card
breakfast, lunch, or dinner…
Parnassus: Millberry Union I Level, Parnassus, 415.661.0199 Open Daily 7:00 am-10:00 pm Mission Bay: 550-B Gene Friend Way, Mission Bay, 415.865.0423 Mon-Fri 7:00 am-9:30 pm / Sat-Sun 8:00 am-9:00 pm
You’re Funding Fun! A portion of every dollar you spend at campus retail vendors helps support Arts & Events at UCSF
Get a gourmet taste of Italy. panini, insalate, zuppa, hot pasta, gelato, dolci We offer student discounts. Millberry Union, Plaza Level 415.681.9925
Mon-Thu, 6:30 am-6:00 pm Fri, 6:30 am-4:00 pm Closed Sat & Sun
You’re Funding Fun! A portion of every dollar you spend at campus retail vendors helps support Arts & Events at UCSF
Vision Optical Look sharper. See better. Find us easier, too. Contemporary prescription glasses, sunglasses, and contact lens fitting Millberry Union, B1 For appointment & information 415.476.3100 Hours: M-F 8:30 am-5:00 pm
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12 | September 5, 2013 | synapse.ucsf.edu
B AY A REA’ S #1 EATING DIS ORDER PROGRAM
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