NEWS
Eat Cake, Talk Death
FOOD
IN THIS ISSUE
Tin Cup Creamery
UCSF’s Shelley Adler leads the If it weren’t so far away, we’d Death Café movement » be enormous! » PAGE 6 PAGE 5
News Briefs » PAGE 3 Medical Mythbusters »
Synapse PAGE 5
Puzzles » PAGE 7
The UCSF Student Newspaper
Thursday, January 23, 2014
synapse.ucsf.edu
Volume 58, Number 16
NEWS
NEWS
Students to Vote on New Government Structure A New Mr. Pharmacy Is Crowned By Michael Le Contributing Writer
By Steffie Tu Staff Writer
C
hanting. Hooting. Hollering and clapping. Words of encouragement echoed throughout every crevice of Cole Hall, as the usually staid lecture hall was transformed into a rambunctious theater last Thursday night. Pharmacy students from all four years gathered for the exciting Mr. Pharmacy Competition, cheering on their respected representative for each class. This much anticipated event occurs only once every academic year, and the camaraderie and pride that runs through each student’s veins for their class’ representative was evident. The competition started with the MCs, second-year pharmacy students Shannon McCabe and Patrick Halmer, opening the competition with laughs and jokes and welcoming the contestants as they were led onstage one by one, by second-year student Carly Bliss. This year’s Mr. Pharmacy contestants were: Daryush Tabatabai (P1), Daniel Polchinski (P2), Ruzly Mantara (P3) and Jeff Moss (P4). Judging was based on four categories: hobbies, talent, pill counting and lastly, an interview conducted in formal wear. Kicking off the hobby competition, Tabatabai’s entry was a video compilation of what his first-year pharmacy classmates thought of him, and ended with him strutting around the stage with just half of his wet suit on, causing the crowd to go wild. Meanwhile, Polchinski’s jiu jitsu skills and amazing level of fitness awed the audience, convincing them that he, indeed, was an athletic god. Mantara’s gift of braiding was absolutely incredible; making braids the trendiest hairstyle in the 21st century. Jeff Moss’ hilarious slideshow showing him standing upright on rafts in giant rapids had the crowd keeling over in laughter. After showcasing their hobbies, the contestants displayed their talents. The spectators sat in silence, as Daryush Tabatabai’s beautiful piano playing took their breath away. The audience swooned as they watched Polchinski’s magic show, and Mantara’s creative and beautiful song dedicated to the support he had received from his classmates brought tears to the eyes of many of those listening. Lastly, Moss’ witty and deep poem of his passions had the audience pondering over every word.
MR. PHARMACY » PAGE 3
On January 21, all registered students at UCSF received an online ballot in their UCSF emails asking them to vote on a referendum to approve a new student government structure, starting in the 2014 fall quarter. The proposal would merge the two campus-wide student governments, the Associated Students of UCSF (ASUC) and the Graduate Student Association (GSA), unifying the student body under a single entity to be called the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA). Currently, ASUC represents dental, medicine and pharmacy students, while GSA represents graduate, nursing and physical therapy students. The idea to form GPSA developed out of discussions in previous years by student representatives of ASUC, GSA and the Nursing Student Council. As they noted, the current student government structure suffers from the following disadvantages: •• c on f l i c t s w it h t he u n ive rs it y ' s interprofessional values and goals of translational research, •• does not provide a single voice that can represent all students, •• lacks a consistent student government for students pursuing multiple degrees at UCSF, •• results in a duplication of efforts in planning campus-wide initiatives and events, •• is a source of confusion for Registered Clubs & Organizations (RCOs) as they determine where to seek funding, and results in redundant and inefficient administrative support and costs.
The current and proposed student government structure for UCSF students. Approval of the proposed government structure will enable all students to be represented by a single entity.
Both ASUC and GSA feel that the new structure of GPSA will better represent and support all students by: •• e n h a n c i n g i n t e r p r o f e s s i o n a l collaboration, •• facilitating campus-wide initiatives and events, •• supporting cross-program alliances, •• providing a stronger voice to advocate for students, and •• reducing administrative redundancies, inefficiencies and costs. If the referendum passes, ASUC and GSA would be formally dissolved, and all UCSF
Photo by Steffi Tu/P1 Surrounded by his first-year pharmacy classmates, Daryush Tabatabai (center) displays his new Mr. Pharmacy crown.
registered students would become members of the GPSA. Students would be represented in GPSA by the GPSA Executive Board, which is comprised of two bodies: 1. An executive council, formed by the president and several other supporting officers (e.g. treasurer, external affairs, internal affairs) to serve as executive representatives of the student body to UCSF and the rest of the University of California system. 2. An academic council, formed from student representatives from each of the individual student governments, that will serve as the liaison between GPSA and those governments. As part of the referendum, graduate and physical therapy students will also be asked to vote for the creation of official student governments that will address their academicspecific concerns and needs, giving them the representation and support that their peers in dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy enjoy today. Formation of each of these student governments is contingent on the formation of GPSA and acceptance of new fees associated with these new entities. However, if the referendum fails to pass, tough budget decisions will need to be made in the next academic year by both ASUC and GSA. Inflationary costs in the past decade and a lack of increases in student government fees have depleted financial reserves and made the current levels of funding for RCOs and other services provided by ASUC and GSA unsustainable. The
VOTE » PAGE 3
2 | January 23, 2014 | synapse.ucsf.edu
EVENTS MISSION BAY EVENTS SYNAPSE NEWSPAPER
Friday, Jan. 24, noon-1 p.m., Graduate Division. CC-310, Mission Bay 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. RSVP to synapse@ucsf.edu.
MUSLIM FRIDAY PRAYER SERVICES
singing and fellowship.
UCSF-PARNASSUS BLOOD DRIVE
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., in front of Millberry Union, Parnassus Want a pair of free movie tickets or a free Target gift card? Donate at UCSF Parnassus and receive 1,000 additional Hero Points redeemable for a variety of rewards. To schedule your life-saving appointment, please go to bloodheroes.com, select “Donate Blood” and enter sponsor code: UCSFparnassus.
Friday, Jan. 24, 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. Join your fellow brothers and sisters for prayer, lunch and socializing. All are welcome.
PARNASSUS FARMERS’ MARKET
MISSION BAY RIPS
SYNAPSE NEWSPAPER
Friday, Jan. 24, 4-5 p.m., Genentech Hall Auditorium, Mission Bay Research In Progress Seminar is a seminar series at which one student and one postdoc present their current research. Talks are 15 minutes in length and are preceded by a 20-minute social. Snacks and beverages are provided.
ISSO DUMPLING-MAKING PARTY
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 6-7:30 p.m., MB Community Room, Mission Bay Celebrate Chinese New Year with the International Students and Scholars Office. Ever wonder how to make delicious Chinese dumplings from scratch? Come learn how to make dumplings with ISSO Adviser Jing Yang and other ISSO members. You’ll help with wrapping the dumplings, and ISSO will fry them up. This is a very popular event and space is limited. RSVP by Jan. 24 at 5 p.m. at http://tinyurl.com/ISSODumpling.
PARNASSUS EVENTS UCSF STUDENT MENTORS ORIENTATION
Thursday, Jan. 23, noon-1 p.m., Medical Sciences, 157, Parnassus The Center for Science Education and Opportunity is seeking 20 UCSF students to serve as mentors to small groups of 10thgraders from Burton High School. The Burton students will be doing the research on health topics with your guidance, developing an interactive activity/discussion that will be presented to the school community and families. The students will also design an educational brochure and create a large informational poster. Please contact Anthea Lim for more information. mailto:anthea. lim@ucsf.edu.
MUSLIM FRIDAY PRAYER SERVICES
Friday, Jan. 24, 1-2 p.m. , Medical Sciences, 163, 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.
CAMPUS EVANGELISTIC FELLOWSHIP
Friday, Jan. 24, 7-10:30 p.m., Nursing, 517, Parnassus Join the Campus Evangelistic Fellowship for their weekly meeting with Bible study, hymn
Wednesday, Jan 29, 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.
Wednesday, Jan. 29, noon-1 p.m., Millbery Union 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. Email for more information and to RSVP: synapse@ucsf.edu.
CHANCELLOR’S HEALTH POLICY LECTURE: “BUILDING THE ORGANIZATION OF A CULTURE IN TEN STEPS”
Wednesday, Jan. 29, noon-1 p.m., Cole Hall, Parnassus The Chancellor’s Health Policy Lecture will feature George Halvorson, former Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente. Mr. Halvorson was recently honored with the 2013 HISTalk Health Care IT Lifetime Achievement Award as well as America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. He has received the Modern Healthcare/Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) CEO IT Achievement Award. ucsf.edu/newsevents/events.
FIRST GENERATION TO COLLEGE COMMUNITY RECEPTION
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 5- 6:30 p.m., Millberry Union, City Lights, Parnassus Are you of the first generation in your family to attend college? You are not alone! Please join fellow UCSF first-generation-to-college students, residents, postdocs, fellows, faculty and alumni at this community reception. Refreshments and opportunities to connect with first-generation role models included. Registration: http://bit.ly/1cEEbNc.
UCSF RUN CLUB
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Millberry Union Central Desk, Parnassus Please drop by and join UCSF Fit & Rec for a run. Each Wednesday night, the Run Club runs various distances (from 3-6 miles) at 9 to 11 minutes per mile.
ENGLISH CORNER
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 6-8:30 p.m., Clinical Sciences, 130, Parnassus English Corner is an informal conversational English class given as a free community service and provided on a voluntary basis by both people born and raised in the United States as well as many people who have, at one time in their lives, experienced life as a new immigrant to the United States.
OFF-CAMPUS OFF THE GRID: UPPER HAIGHT
Thursday, Jan. 23, 5-9 p.m., Stanyan and Waller Streets, 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.
CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: MIND & BODY NIGHTLIFE
Thursday, Jan. 23, 6-10 p.m., Cal Academy, Golden Gate Park This week, the Academy transforms into a pop-up art museum, featuring microgalleries and maker stations curated by the aesthetically inclined team at Gallery Daily. Bet you didn’t know the Academy houses a rare collection of animal-inspired Andy Warhol prints —check them out upstairs. http://bit.ly/NightLifeTickets, http://bit.ly/ CLSDiscounts.
ALL SCHOOL FORMAL
Saturday, Jan. 25, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., Westin St. Francis, SF Join ASUC and GSA for the annual semiformal All School Gala and enjoy a night filled with dancing, desserts and photobooths. http://bit.ly/1fP97KX.
UC PRESIDENT NAPOLITANO TO CONDUCT WEB CHAT
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2-3 p.m. Google Hangout UC President Janet Napolitano will conduct a web chat with UC students, during which she and student panelists will discuss topics of interest, including tuition, undocumented students, diversity, climate change and student veterans. In this web chat, she wants to let students know what her priorities are and to hear directly from them about their concerns, hopes and challenges. The student online audience will also be able to submit questions. The url is ucal.us/ hangoutwithjanet.
SAY CHEESE! SYNAPSE WANTS YOUR BEST PHOTOS FOR OUR PHOTOGRAPHY ISSUE! Submit photos and captions to Synapse by February 7. synapse@ucsf.edu
sponsoring a juried exhibition of student artwork. Students from all University of California campuses are invited to submit their works to be considered for the exhibition, addressing critical human rights issues. callforentry.org/festivals_unique_ info.php?ID=1671
ARE YOU A FIRST GENERATION TO COLLEGE STUDENT (FG2C)?
Register with the First Generation Support Services Office to give you access to all of the First Generation Support Services and helps the office advocate for you. bit.ly/ firstgenregister.
DIRECTING CHANGE STUDENT VIDEO CONTEST: DEADLINE MARCH 1
Submit a 60-second video addressing Suicide Prevention or Ending the Silence of Mental Illness. Winner will receive $500. This contest is part of statewide efforts to prevent suicide, reduce stigma and discrimination related to mental illness, and to promote the mental health and wellness of students. For more info, go here: DirectingChange.org.
APPLY TO BE THE 2015-16 UC STUDENT REGENT
ASUC & GSA STUDENT GOVERNMENT MERGER: VOTING DEADLINE JAN. 28
The Student Regent is a voting member of the Regents of the University of California, attends all meetings of the Board and its Committees and serves for two years (one year as a designate and one year as a voting member) commencing July 1. All mandatory University fees and tuition are waived for the Student Regent during the academic years in which he or she serves as a Regent-designate and as a member of the Board. Submit applications by Feb. 20 at 5 p.m. regents. universityofcalifornia.edu/about/membersand-advisors/student-regent.html
ENVISIONING HUMAN RIGHTS CALL FOR ENTRY: DEADLINE JAN. 28
FREE SYNAPSE CLASSIFIEDS
ANNOUNCEMENTS Each student has received an email asking to vote on the merger of ASUC & GSA. Please take a moment to read the information about the proposed merger and vote. http:// gpsa.ucsf.edu.
The Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley and the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAM/PFA) are
UCSF students and staff can now post online classified ads for free on the Synapse website. All you need is an @ucsf.edu email account. Try it out! synapse.ucsf.edu/classifieds.
synapse.ucsf.edu | January 23, 2014 | 3
Vote
OPINION
Vote for a United Student Government
» FROM HOME PAGE
D
ear Students,
Total student government fees will remain unchanged for the majority of UCSF students under the new proposed government structure.
referendum was developed during discussions that took place during the 2013 Fall Quarter by the GPSA Planning Committee. This committee was supported by ASUC, GSA and the Office of Student Life throughout the discussions, and aimed to provide value for student participation to serve on GPSA, grant equal representation to each individual student government at the campus level, maintain the autonomy of the individual student governments and keep total student
government fees unchanged as far as possible. ASUC and GSA urge all UCSF registered students to take this opportunity to voice their opinions on the referendum, by casting their vote by January 28. More information about the referendum can be found at gpsa. ucsf.edu.
Michael Le is a seventh-year DDS-PhD student in Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, and a member of the GPSA Planning Committee.
Mr. Pharmacy » FROM HOME PAGE
To be awarded the title of Mr. Pharmacy, the winner must not only possess incredible talent and have unique hobbies, but must also be skilled in the art of counting pills. Each contestant was timed to quickly count 50 M&Ms, place them in a pill bottle and label it. It was a close match, but Polchinski came in first. In the final event, the contestants were grilled in an interview. Each was dressed handsomely: Tabatabai sported a tuxedo vest with his chest bare; Polchinski dressed on point in a classic suit and tie; Mantara was elegant in a leopard-print cape that flowed across the stage. Moss was simply dressed in scrubs, carefully detailed with dress shoes and a bow tie. In the end, Daryush Tabatabai (P1) was declared Mr. Pharmacy of 2014, bringing pride and joy to his first-year class.
Even with the sparkle and fame that comes with the title of Mr. Pharmacy, Tabatabai remained humble. “I am grateful to my wonderful classmates for helping me with my introduction video,” he said. “They inspired me to be more outgoing and to try things outside of my comfort zone. “I was super-nervous, to the point I inadvertently starved myself that day,” Tabatabai joked. This may have helped give his abdominal muscles that extra boost. He also said he had doubts that what he had planned “wasn’t going to be good enough.” Judging from his comfort level and charisma on stage, it’s difficult to imagine that doubt ever crossed his mind.
Steffi Tu is a first-year pharmacy student.
Synapse
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 STAFF
Yi Lu | EDITOR Jenny Qi | EXECUTIVE EDITOR Alexandra Greer | SCIENCE EDITOR Angela Castanieto | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Akshay Govind | ASSOCIATE 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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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.
You are being asked to vote on an initiative to merge our divided student governments into a new system. I urge you to read an excellent summary of the issue in Michael Le’s Synapse article this week and to find out more about the streamlining of resources on the website GPSA.ucsf.edu. In addition to the information you will find there, I want to share a back story and a personal view. You may not pay much to attention to student government, because often the work we do is behind the scenes. However, student government affects your time as a UCSF student. You all automatically pay a small amount of money each quarter to be represented. With those funds, student government supports student groups, encourages conference attendance, arranges social or relevant educational events and, importantly, advocates on your behalf for issues such as child care, student health care, transportation and diversity concerns. Unlike many other universities, our student governments are divided in two. In addition to creating confusion and redundancies, this division is bizarre because UCSF is unique in that we are all joined together in a common goal of furthering health sciences. Though students from all walks of life come to UCSF to pursue objectives that range from clinical practice, scientific discovery, policy change, sociological understanding and academic advancement, we are all aiming to contribute to a shared pool of knowledge and expertise. UCSF strives to be a leader in interprofessionalism and translational research, but this is not reflected in this current student governmental structure. If you view our student government as an allegory or as a model for our professional lives beyond school, uniting all UCSF students aligns with an ideal of a health improvement system based on collaboration, evidence and understanding. UCSF is your community while you are students and will continue to be your community as alumni. Having the chance to interact with the best and brightest from all across campus — from programs you may not have even known existed — can greatly build future professional networks and inspire innovation. As the Nursing Student Council (ASSN) president, I have been involved in the process of this change since the spring of 2012, along with many of your dedicated classmates. It struck me that coming together with the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) planning committee was perhaps the only time I have been in a room with students representing all programs in almost three years at UCSF, and the experience was impressive. The collaborative and creative spirit, quality of teamwork, brainstorming and devotion apparent in that room is a taste of what is to come with a united government in the GPSA. This vote is your chance to make a change for current and future UCSF students and bring about a unity that can follow us beyond school in our professional and social lives. I strongly encourage you to familiarize yourself with the gpsa.ucsf.edu website, consider what GPSA means for you and the future of UCSF students, and vote. Arielle Bivas, RN UCSF School of Nursing MS Candidate 2014, Adult/Gerontology arielle.bivas@ucsf.edu
NEWS BRIEFS Two Faculty Members Win NAS Awards
Two UCSF faculty members have been honored by the National Academy of Sciences for their “extraordinary scientific achievements." Joseph DeRisi, PhD, who won the Carty Award, and Allison Doupe, MD, PhD, who won the Pradel Research Award, join 13 others in the fields of physical, biological and social sciences. DeRisi, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator, and professor and vice chair at the UCSF Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, is recognized for developing new genomic technologies and using these technologies to make discoveries in virology of fundamental and practical importance. Doupe, professor and vice chair of basic science research at the UCSF Department of Psychiatry, is recognized for her groundbreaking work using songbirds to reveal important features of how neural circuits process information and are shaped by experience. DeRisi’s award comes with a $25,000 prize. Doupe’s award is presented with $50,000 to support her research.
UCSF to Host 2014 TEDMED In a nod to UCSF’s role as a health sciences innovator, TEDMED has chosen UCSF as its “natural” first global partner, with plans for an initial event to take place simultaneously in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., on September 10-12. This will be the first step in an international roll-out of the annual gathering, with the goal of holding simultaneous events across seven locations in the future, including China, Japan, the Middle East and Western Europe. Each of those permanent sites, which TEDMED will begin announcing next year, will be hosted by a city and leading medical research institution, and will be digitally linked to the other sites. “There has never been a greater need for an inclusive worldwide gathering that showcases, supports and sparks innovative thinking and imaginative new approaches to health and medicine,” TEDMED curator Jay Walker said in announcing the expansion and UCSF’s role as a permanent institutional partner for the event. “Soon, the whole world will come together for one week every year at TEDMED, where all will be invited to experience and share the best of what humankind can achieve in service of health and medicine.”
Chancellor’s Lecture to Feature Former Chairman of Kaiser Permanente George C. Halvorson, former chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, is the featured speaker of the Chancellor’s Health Policy Lecture on Wednesday, January 29. Halvorson will speak at noon in Cole Hall Auditorium on the UCSF Parnassus campus. The lecture series began in 2006 as a way to bring outstanding health policy leaders to UCSF to highlight the important role health policy plays within the UCSF community. Halvorson served as chairman and chief executive officer of Kaiser Permanente from 2002-2013. Headquartered in Oakland, Kaiser Permanente is the nation’s largest nonprofit health plan and hospital system, serving more than 9 million members and generating about $50 billion in annual revenue. Halvorson was appointed in May as new chair of the First 5 California Commission by Governor Jerry Brown. Kaiser Permanente is building one of the world’s largest DNA data sets for health care research, with nearly 200,000 patient DNA samples collected and added so far.
4 | January 23, 2014 | synapse.ucsf.edu
Come and see the results of biomedical research 1-2 February 2014
1-2 February 2014
The Moscone Center · San Francisco, California, USA
BiOS EXPO
Technical Conference
EXHIBITION IS FREE
REGISTRATION FEES VARY
BiOS Expo, 1 - 2 February 2014, is the world’s largest biomedical optics and biophotonics exhibition. Come walk the floor and see the latest technologies for your lab, clinic, or research project. The future of healthcare is on the floor at BiOS Expo.
Attend BiOS 2014, the world’s largest biomedical optics conference, and learn the latest results in bioscience, diagnostics and therapeutics, biophotonics, new imaging modalities, optical coherence tomography, neurophotonics, optogenetics, tissue optics, biomedical optics, biomedicine, and translational research. More than 2,000 presentation on the results of biomedical research.
Financing Life Sciences and Healthcare Ventures
Saturday Hot Topics · 7:00 to 9:00 pm
The Moscone Center, Room 130, Exhibit Level Saturday 1 February 2014 · 3:30 to 5:00 pm Panel Moderator Linda Smith Ceres Tech Advisors
Symposium Chairs James Fujimoto Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA)
R. Rox Anderson, M.D. Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard School of Medicine (USA)
Part of
SPIE Photonics West 2014 1–2 February 2014 SPIE Photonics West is the most influential conference for biophotonics and biomedical optics, highpower laser manufacturing, optoelectronics, and microfabrication.
www.spie.org/biosexpo
· · · · · · ·
20,000 attendees 2 free exhibitions 1,225 exhibiting companies 4,600 technical sessions 17 plenary presentations 40 technical and networking events 70 courses, and more
synapse.ucsf.edu | January 23, 2014 | 5
NEWS
Let’s Eat Cake and Talk About Death
Medical Mythbusters
by Jenny Qi
UCSF anthropologist leads the Death Café movement
By Jenny Qi Executive Editor
C
ake and death are the foundation of “Death Cafés,” according to UCSF anthropologist Dr. Shelley Adler, PhD. At these gatherings, diverse strangers come together in small groups, eat cake and talk about death and dying. Although it may sound like a macabre coffeehouse inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, the recent rise of the Death Café is actually part of a revolt against the taboo of death. “Death is such an equalizing aspect of life,” Adler says. I t’s a fundamental experience for everyone, regardless of gender, race or class. Yet most people seem afraid to mention it, as if by naming it, we will hasten its arrival. As a result, end-of-life decisions can become traumatic, and quality of life is reduced, she adds. Adler and other proponents of the Death Café movement hope to remove the taboo. By talking more openly about death, perhaps we can improve not only the experience of dying but also that of living. Director of Education at both the Osher Center and Zen Hospice, Adler hosted the first Death Café in San Francisco at UCSF. “It was such a powerful experience that we wanted to do it again.” To that end, she teaches an integrative
A Death Cafe January 29, 6-8 p.m. Zen Hospice 273 Page St., SF zenhospice.org/education/calendar Admission: Free with RSVP medicine elective, “Integrative Approaches to End-of-Life Care,” in which students participate in a Death Café. Alder also facilitates a Death Café as part of the Zen Hospice’s Salon Series, which is open to the public. The next Death Café will be held January 29 from 6-8 p.m. (zenhospice.org/education/calendar). Synapse had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Adler, to learn more about what happens in a Death Café and how she became a leader of the movement. Synapse: What prompted your interest in the Death Café movement? Death is such an equalizing aspect of life, and I find it fascinating to look at all the different approaches to it. In my own research, I’m interested in the end-of-life experience for
under-served people who are not connected to any medical system, and how they try to make meaning out of their experience. And I thought, “Actually, I don’t know many people from any walk of life who are comfortable talking about death.” The idea is not meant to be a morbid one of focusing on death. It’s to try to make death more familiar, so you can enhance the quality of your life — not only focusing on a good way to die but also figuring out what’s important to you, so you can live a good life. Synapse: How are Death Cafés structured to get at these issues? It’s so new to people, so there is often an open-ended question to get people talking. For example, “What do you wish were different about the way death and dying are handled in our society?” Or “How do you live
DEATH CAFE » PAGE 7
Jenny Qi is a third-year BMS student.
SPORTS
Will Run for Chocolate By Chris Foo Staff Writer
O
n Sunday, January 11, thousands of runners spent a morning feeding their sweet tooth. No, I’m not talking about the latest edible Gatorade product; I’m talking about the Hot Chocolate Run. Established by RAM Racing in 2008, the annual 5/15K run started out in Chicago and gained enough momentum to become a national event. The run is now held in 13 cities across the United States, including San Francisco. Runners sweat through a casual 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) or a more intense 15 kilometers (9.3 miles), and at the end of the race enjoy a “Finisher’s Mug” filled with chocolate fondue, bananas and, of course, hot cocoa. But it’s not all just fun and games: The race has a charitable aspect as well. RAM Racing has officially partnered with the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RHMC) to raise money for families with children with serious medical conditions. The RMHC provides a home away from
home for families and children burdened by serious medical conditions, so that they can stay, at little or no cost, close to the hospital where they are being treated. In fact, the race allows participants to sign up online to “Go the extra mile” and further fund-raise for the charity through donations from family and friends. Around 8 a.m., runners lined up in Golden Gate Park for either the 5K or 15K. I opted to do the 15K, to really push myself. The course extended from the serene forests of Golden Gate Park down onto the breezy streets of Ocean Beach, and then snaked back
up into the park for the final three-mile leg of the race. People from all backgrounds participated in the race: from hard-core, Spandex-wearing fitness freaks to stroller-pushing moms and dads. The organizers of the race had even laid on bounce houses and music for the younger folks participating. But my favorite part of the event was the swag. Runners received a bag with an official Hot Chocolate Run athletic sweater and the Finisher’s Mug. After running more than nine miles, I definitely appreciated the sugar. I ended up running at a pace of about 8 minutes a mile. Not bad, considering I did little to no training, but hopefully, next year I’ll push for 7 (with the emphasis on “hopefully”). In all, the Hot Chocolate Run was a great way to spend my Sunday morning. Fresh air, an enjoyable course and free chocolate! And it was all for a good cause. To learn more about the run, visit hotchocolate15k.com.
Chris Foo is a first-year pharmacy student.
FOOD 6 | January 23, 2014 | synapse.ucsf.edu
THE SCOOP
Tin Pot Creamery: If It Weren’t So Far Away, I’d Be Enormous By Theresa Poulos Staff Writer
F
ellow Scooper Dawn Maxey and I were feeling adventurous over the holiday break, and decided to make a trip to the burgeoning metropolis of Palo Alto for some ice cream at a local creamery named Tin Pot. Given the distance, Tin Pot Creamery hadn’t been on my radar until Dawn, whose hometown is nearby Mountain View, mentioned it. Because it is a bit far away, I was not anticipating writing it up for The Scoop; but when a scoop of ice cream lingers on your mind and tempts you to drive 45 minutes again the next day just for a second indulgence, it most definitely merits a five-star review. Tin Pot sits in an unassuming strip mall in Palo Alto, just across the street from the Stanford campus. Its owner, Becky Sunseri, is a Midwest native and graduate of the pastry school at Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco. She worked in a number of professional kitchens before opening up her own craft ice cream shop in Palo Alto in 2013, and boy, did she nail it. We found the modest storefront in the Town and Country Village, and stepped into a homey yet efficiently designed ice cream shop. A welcoming chalkboard sign explained that the ice cream is handcrafted in small batches, using natural and wholesome ingredients, including Straus Family Creamery organic dairy products. It also noted that kids’ ice cream scoops can come decorated with candy eyeballs, an accessory inspired by a scoop
Photo by Dawn Maxey/MS3
shop in Sunseri’s hometown of Bloomington, Illinois. As for the ice cream itself, most flavors tend toward the traditional, with an elegant twist. Although the sign said that we were limited to three samples each, Dawn and I were able to squeak a fourth out of our friendly scooper. The moment my tongue made contact with that miniature spoonful of the Four Barrel Coffee with Cocoa Nib Toffee, I was in pure, unadulterated ice cream love. It captured everything that is perfect about the taste of a fine coffee, with a strong but not overpowering presence. The toffee nibs were sweet and crunchy, a divine complement to the ice cream itself. You can bet that I ordered a full scoop of that flavor. I also tried the Egg Nog with Boozy Caramel Swirl and Pumpkin Spice with Graham Cracker Crumble — both were seasonal specials and absolutely excellent, again with perfectly pure flavors that were strong in the most soft-spoken of ways. The scooper also insisted I try the Earl Gray Tea, which, if I were more of a tea fan, would have been just the cup I’d be looking for. I ended up going with the Brown Butter Pecan as my second scoop, trusting that it
would be as delicious as the rest of my samplings. It was. When the cashier handed me my scoops with two candy eyeballs sitting on top — they are usually reserved for kids, but Dawn and I must have exuded a childlike excitement — the joy of meeting this delicious ice cream monster was akin to the feeling of walking into a toy store filled with adorable stuffed animals that you just want to hug and love to pieces. And then gobble up. Dawn ordered scoops of the Vanilla Bean and Peppermint, drizzled with the most perfect chocolate fudge imaginable. Both the Vanilla and Peppermint were notable for their purity of flavor and thick creaminess. The chocolate fudge was light in texture, with a dark chocolate taste that does wonderful justice to the TCHO chocolate it is made from. Dawn’s scoops also came with candy eyeballs, and her fudge-covered monster reminded me of Gloppy, that friendly character from Candyland’s Chocolate Swamp. As we sat outside enjoying our ice cream in the Palo Alto sunshine, I found myself lost in one of the most memorable gustatory experiences of my 29 years on this planet. Dawn even caught me mumbling, “Wow, I hope this never ends.” She felt the same way about her choices, and when I snuck a few bites, I was simply blown away by the peppermint. It was like a candy cane, but better, because it was an ice cream candy cane. I chose to have my two scoops in one of Tin Pot’s homemade cones, which have a dollop of dark chocolate in the bottom (to avoid drippy cone syndrome). I was a bit weary, given the unpleasant Scoop experience I’d recently had with a similarly designed cone at Ici, but decided it would make for a good comparison. Around the time I reached the level of the cone, we ran into one of Dawn’s old diving coaches. As I was attempting to have a normal conversation with him, I became lost again in tastebud Wonderland, and found myself saying, “Oh my, oh my! This is amazing! The surprise chocolate — I almost forgot — it’s so good!” Dawn’s diving coach gave me a great big smile, with a nod of understanding, and said, “Oh, is this your first? It’s a big moment!” Clearly, he knew what I was talking about. From start to finish, Tin Pot simply blew me away. So much so, that as soon as I got home, I started looking for potential OkCupid dates in the Palo Alto area, so that I’d have an excuse to go back for more Tin Pot.
Theresa Poulos is a third-year medical student.
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*Certain requirements and eligibility criteria apply. ©2013. Paid for by the United States Army. All rights reserved. Information subject to change.
synapse.ucsf.edu | January 23, 2014 | 7
PUZZLES The Weekly Crossword
by Margie E. Burke
10 11 12 13 ACROSS 1 Puppet maker? 14 15 16 5 Mouse catchers 18 19 17 10 Rope material 14 Privy to 22 23 20 21 15 Hair-raising 24 25 26 16 Medicinal herb 17 Sub station? 30 31 27 28 29 18 Cook's wear 32 33 34 35 36 37 19 Actor's quest 20 Major mess 39 38 22 Give for a bit 42 40 41 23 Goatee site 24 Cover 43 44 45 completely 49 50 46 47 48 26 Disreputable 27 Plath novel, 51 52 53 54 55 56 "The Bell ___" 58 59 60 57 30 Some germs 32 Food lover 62 63 61 34 Take back 65 66 64 38 Posh property 39 Tomorrow, e.g. Copyright 2014 by The Puzzle Syndicate 40 Come in again 42 Mideast money 64 Fabled fast 11 Hilo greeting 37 Coastal flier starter 43 Big nothing 12 Unwavering 41 A dish best 45 Part of MYOB 65 Suit material 13 Pint-sized served cold? 46 Dorm furnishing 66 Rudder's place 21 Open, as a shirt 42 Undecided 49 Wood overlay 25 Swerve wildly 44 Street fair figure 51 Roulette play DOWN 26 Located 46 Canine 52 River's turn 1 Stout topper 27 Rude gibe command 53 Porky's pal 2 Window sign 28 Cathedral 47 Tonsil neighbor recess 57 Casserole fish 3 Fountain order 48 Quartet member Week of 1/20/14 - 1/26/14 58 Low-budget 4 Cutlery piece 29 Confirmation, 50 Clerk of the film, often e.g. 4077th 5 Herbal brew 60 Parcel (out) 6 Substitute for 31 Make 52 Skewed view 61 Clumsy one 7 Make a collar improvements 54 Fairway call 62 Serious 8 Trailblazer 33 Battle barrage 55 Pooch's pest suffering 9 Email command 35 Modern camera 56 Calendar setting coverage 63 Kind of rug 10 Graphs with rectangles 36 Work group 59 Storm center 1
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Physically Inactive Women Needed! UCSF mPED research study is comparing pedometers and mobile applications in motivating women to increase daily physical activity
You may qualify if you: Are between 25 and 69 yrs of age Are physically inactive Would like to be more physically active Have access to a home or mobile phone
Commitment: 12 Months 7 Office Visits & 2 Blood Draws
Phone: 415-322-0520
Edited by Margie E. Burke
Difficulty : Easy
HOW TO SOLVE: (Answer appears elsewhere in this issue)
Copyright 2014 by The Puzzle Syndicate
Death Café » FROM PAGE 5
your life differently, knowing that you’re going to die?” The questions are broad enough that everyone can have something to say. Synapse: How would you answer that first question? What do you wish were different about how death and dying are handled in our society? I wish that death wasn’t so hidden. And I don’t mean that I wish people would experience trauma or pain or difficulty, but rather normalizing death so that it seems part of the life cycle. The way it used to be in the U.S. was that you saw people as they were dying and sometimes after they died, and it was a normal part of life. Now, as you get close to the end of life, people act as if you’ve already died. And the end-of-life transition for many illnesses is very long — months and years. You can still have purpose during that time.
Piled Higher and Deeper by Jorge Cham
Solution to Sudoku
email: mpedstudy@ucsf.edu
www.phdcomics.com
Synapse: It sounds like this would also be helpful for the people left behind. Right. Are you familiar with ethical wills? [The idea is] what’s really of value to you isn’t just what you own. It should be what your values are, what you’ve learned and what’s important to you, what you wish for other people. That’s what was passed on. When I did my interviews with the under-served, I found that talking to strangers [about these subjects] allowed them to find meaning. Victor Frankl talked to people in concentration camps and came up with this idea that if you find some kind of meaning in your suffering, you’re still suffering, but you change the quality of your suffering. Giving your life meaning decreases your stress. Why should we wait until the end of life to do that? That’s the idea of the Death Café — it’s that opportunity to make something of it while you can.
Jenny Qi is a third-year BMS student.
Parnassus Poets
Lessons from Cell Culture I. Cells need touch— too-isolated cells wither, float away in a blood-red sea. II. Too much touch stifles. Even the toughest cells have limits, die for want of space. ~ Anonymous title: "Looking forward" - originally published 12/18/2013
8 | January 23, 2014 | synapse.ucsf.edu
Solutions
Solution to Sudoku
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You’re Funding Fun! A portion of every dollar you spend at campus retail vendors helps support Arts & Events at UCSF
You’re Funding Fun! A portion of every dollar you spend at campus retail vendors helps support Arts & Events at UCSF