NEWS
FOOD
Celebrate the Year of the Horse with CHPSA » PAGE 3
We highlight the notable events for the 2014 festival » PAGE 6
Chinese Culture Night
IN THIS ISSUE
SF Beer Week
News Briefs » PAGE 3 Journal Club » PAGE 5 Puzzles » PAGE 7
Synapse The UCSF Student Newspaper
Thursday, January 30, 2014
synapse.ucsf.edu
All School Formal
Volume 58, Number 17
NEWS
Bridges Curriculum: Building the 21st-Century Physician Redesign of medical training to help prepare students for today’s clinical settings By Yi Lu Editor
T Photo by Sam Lee/MEPN1 About 1,100 students and friends turned out for the annual Formal, held on Saturday, January 25, at the Westin St. Francis. They enjoyed a night of dancing, desserts and photo booths.
HUMOR
Musical Malfunction in the Operating Room By Akshay Govind Associate Editor
G
ood surgery has a certain flow to it. The setup of the room has its feng shui. All the necessary materials are already prepared. The anesthesia team has a smooth intubation. The surgical assistants and scrub techs anticipate the surgeon’s moves, handing off instruments and aiding visualization without so much as a word. An elegant dance ensues, as a person who has agreed to be cut open on purpose, is dissected, repaired and sewn back together. There is a groove coming from the speakers in the corner — just loud enough so everyone can hear, but never where people would need to raise their voices to communicate. Energetic and forward-moving. Never frantic. Accessible but interesting. U2, The Beatles, Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Paul Simon. And then there’s last Thursday. As a mid-level resident, I am slowly being entrusted to operate, albeit under massive amounts of supervision. I had read the textbook on the mandibular sagittal split osteotomies three times, and I walked through the dissection in my head in the shower on the day the knife would be in my hand. At least on our service, it is important for the residents to know the music preferences and hardware of each attending surgeon. Thursday’s attending would come with his
iPhone 4, and he would choose a Pandora station — often Wes Montgomery or some other 1960s West Coast Cool Jazz player. Because we have yet to buy a new speaker set to fit everyone’s iPhone 5 (I’m an Android user myself), I was asked a few weeks ago to dig up my iPod and make a couple of mixes for the operating room.
OPERATING ROOM » PAGE 5
he staff at teaching hospitals such as UCSF Medical Center are accustomed to seeing third- and fourth-year medical students — with their bulging short white coats and unique air of eager ignorance — on the wards. But in two years, it might be common to see first-year medical students actively engaging in clinical experiences as well. That’s when the School of Medicine’s new Bridges curriculum will be implemented, as part of an ongoing effort to keep medical training effective and relevant in light of changing clinical environments. The development of the Bridges curriculum comes at the heels of another major curriculum redesign in 2000, which resulted in the Essential Core. At that time, medical educators broke away from the traditional separation of the basic and clinical sciences, with separate courses in biochemistry, anatomy and pathophysiology. Instead, courses were designed around topics such as the brain or metabolism, so that students could learn about normal and abnormal responses to disease at the same time, recapitulating how they would apply this knowledge in the clinics.
According to Catherine Lucey, Vice Dean for Medical Education, the Bridges curriculum seeks to build on the foundation laid by the Essential Core. “Because the [Essential Core] was so successful, I thought it was possible that UCSF — with its history of solving great problems — could now turn its lens outward,” she said, “and ask how it could produce the type of physician that is going to survive, thrive and lead in a dynamic health care environment.” Lucey’s vision has been guided by the 2010 report “Educating Physicians,” authored by UCSF faculty members Molly Cooke, David Irby and Bridget O’Brien. “Educating Physicians” has been called the 21st century successor to the Flexner Report of 1910. That original report, spearheaded by the educator Abraham Flexner, was born out of recognition of the inconsistent and often substandard education offered by medical schools at the turn of the 20th century. After visiting all 155 of the medical schools in the United States and Canada, Flexner proposed a series of standards that came to define medical education in the United States, such as a focus on scientific inquiry and two years of supervised clinical experience.
BRIDGES » PAGE 3
NEWS
Pay It Forward at Maitri By Jenny Qi Executive Editor “Serving the community [is] ingrained in the ethos of UC San Francisco,” proudly proclaims the university website. Indeed, as members of a health sciences university, UCSF students and staff are devoted to improving the lives of people throughout the world. For many, this passion for public service extends beyond their career aspirations. This column highlights these altruistic individuals as well as the organizations they serve.Please email synapse@ucsf.edu if you would like your organization to be featured. Volunteer: Ed Roberts, Postdoctoral Scholar Organization: Maitri (Residential Care for
People Living with AIDS)
S
ynapse: Why did you get involved with Maitri, and why would you recommend this organization to others? I have always volunteered in organizations where I am working face to face with service users, and have found this hugely rewarding. Each person you interact with has a story, and getting to share it is a huge honor. I found Maitri, a residential hospice that provides end-of-life or respite care to people with AIDS, who often don’t have the means to support themselves. I liked the ethos of the charity, giving priority to those with not only the most med-
PAYING IT FORWARD » PAGE 7
Photo courtesy of Ed Roberts/Postdoc Postdoc Ed Roberts volunteers at Maitri, a residential hospice. "Maitri," pronounced "MY-tree," is a Sanskrit word that means "compassionate friendship."
2 | January 30, 2014 | synapse.ucsf.edu
EVENTS MISSION BAY EVENTS SYNAPSE NEWSPAPER
Friday, Jan. 31, 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
Friday, Jan. 31, 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.
MISSION BAY RIPS
Friday, Jan. 31, 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.
SATURDAY SNACKTIME: PET THE PUP AND VALENTINE CARD MAKING
Saturday, Feb. 1, 9 a.m.-noon, Student Resource Center, Mission Bay February Saturday Snacktime includes breakfast, a visit from the SFSPCA Animal Assisted Therapy dog, Yosemite, and an opportunity to make a Valentine's Day card for the homebound seniors of San Francisco’s Meals on Wheels program.
BAGEL TUESDAY
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 8:30 a.m., Student Lounge, Genentech Hall, second floor, Mission Bay Come enjoy some free bagels, pastries and coffee. Learn about campus services and events and build a community at Mission Bay. Open to students and postdocs.
A CAREER IN PATENT LAW
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 6-7:30 p.m., Byers Hall, 215, Mission Bay Join the Business Club, as we hear from UCSF alum Cara Coburn about her career in patent law. Cara Coburn holds a PhD from UCSF and a JD from UC Berkeley. She worked at the law firm of Morrison & Foerster in Palo Alto and served as a judicial law clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. She is now a patent attorney at Genentech. Find out what brought her to her current position. Snacks and refreshments provided.
PARNASSUS EVENTS CHPSA CHINESE CULTURE NIGHT: CELEBRATING THE YEAR OF THE HORSE
Thursday, Jan. 30, 6-8 p.m., Nursing, 225, Parnassus The Chinese Health Professional Student Association presents Chinese Culture Night, featuring an entertaining and educational evening of celebration. Enjoy exciting student performances, delicious Chinese food and boba. Check out the special booths, where you can take your photo with authentic Chinese garments, learn Chinese calligraphy and try out the ancient art of lantern-making.
MUSLIM FRIDAY PRAYER SERVICES
Friday, Jan. 31, 1-2 p.m. , Medical Sciences, 168, 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. 31, 7-10:30 p.m., Nursing, 517, Parnassus Join the Campus Evangelistic Fellowship for their weekly meeting, with Bible study, hymn 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.
YALDA NIGHT
Friday, Jan. 31, 7:30-10 p.m., Millberry Union, Parnassus Yalda night (shab e yalda or shab e chelle in Farsi) is the longest night of the year, which has been celebrated by Iranians for thousands of years. Join the Iranian Cultural Organization at UCSF for a night of Persian food, music and cultural activities. Beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages will also be served. RSVP to https://docs.google.com/ forms/d/1cPwIsscoIMEOqJQYvEvUHXbQw B6yVgmSynK0BHaiejQ/viewform.
ASUC MEETING: DENTISTRY, MEDICINE AND PHARMACY STUDENTS
Monday, Feb. 3, 5:30 p.m., Library, CL-221, Parnassus Meet your executive board members at the monthly ASUC meeting, and become a part of the discussion on topics relating to student priorities. Visit the ASUC website for more details and to RSVP. http://bit.ly/ ASUCwebsite
UCSF CAMPUS STORE ONSITE SALE
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Medical Sciences Lobby, Parnassus Take advantage of the convenience of shopping in person at the pop-up stores. The UCSF Online Campus Store comes to Parnassus and Mission Bay. Get your hands on clothing, accessories, mugs and other UCSF collectible items. See more at: campuslifeservices.ucsf.edu/retail/21/ the_campus_store_comes_to_you#sthash. u6edV8pg.dpuf
BAGEL WEDNESDAY
Wednesday, Feb. 5, 9:45 a.m., Nursing Mezzanine, Parnassus Come enjoy some free bagels, pastries and coffee. Learn about campus services and events and build a community at Parnassus.
PARNASSUS FARMERS’ MARKET
Wednesday, Feb. 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.
SYNAPSE NEWSPAPER
Wednesday, Feb. 5, 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.
PAT-BING-SU NIGHT
Wednesday, Feb. 5, 4-9 p.m., Nursing Mezzanine, Parnassus KAHPSA will be preparing ingredients needed to make pat-bing-su. The participants will get to grind their own ice and customize their toppings, which include red bean, condensed milk, grain powder, fruits, rice cake and jellies.
UCSF RUN CLUB
Wednesday, Feb. 5, 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, Feb. 5, 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. 30, 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: SKETCHFEST NIGHTLIFE
Thursday, Jan. 30, 6-10 p.m., Cal Academy, Golden Gate Park There’ll be no rotten tomatoes here, as SF Sketchfest makes its triumphant return to NightLife with an impressive lineup of comedic talent in tow. Feeling sketchy? Get immortalized and take home a custom drawing by cartoonists Michael Capozzola, Gwen Perry and Jonathan Lemon. http:// bit.ly/NightLifeTickets, http://bit.ly/ CLSDiscounts.
GIANTS FANFEST
Saturday, Feb. 1, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., AT&T Park, SF KNBR’s 21th Giants FanFest includes live KNBR broadcasts on the field, player Q&A, player autographs and photos, a kids’ zone and more. Expect a chance to roam the field and meet the players.
ASIAN ART MUSEUM FREE DAY
Sunday, Feb. 2, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Asian Art Museum, SF The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is one of the largest museums in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian Art, with a collection of over 17,000 artworks spanning 6,000 years of history. http://bit.ly/1a1TX3E
EXPLORATORIUM FREE DAY
Sunday, Feb. 2, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Pier 15, SF The Exploratorium is a 21st-century learning laboratory, an eye-opening, always changing, playful place to explore and tinker, featuring hundreds of science, art and human perception exhibits.http://bit.ly/1dJtq8w.
ANNOUNCEMENTS UCSF DIVERSITY NIGHT CALL FOR PERFORMERS: DEADLINE FEB. 3
Tuesday, Feb. 18, 6-8 p.m., Millberry Union Gym, Parnassus The cultural and ethnic RCOs at UCSF invite you to participate in UCSF Diversity Night, an occasion to come together to express and embrace our differences and similarities. Share your culture by making your national dish, participate in the “Around the World” fashion show, or showcase your talents through a musical or dance performance. Sign up at: https://docs.google.com/ forms/d/1TWqyedSm4jU0UhJ2nYypk_ dHleZqG9tUNfAS_XpHN-M/viewform
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: GSA INTERIM PRESIDENT
The Graduate Students’ Association is seeking an interim president from March to June. Any graduate, nursing or physical therapy student interested in running for interim president of GSA, please attend the next GSA Meeting on Feb. 11.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH RECEPTION: REGISTRATION DEADLINE FEB. 11
Thursday, Feb. 13, 3-5 p.m., Lange Reading Room, Parnassus The UCSF Office of Diversity and Outreach cordially invites you to a Black History Month Celebration and Reception, with special recognition and appreciation to the Physicians Medical Forum and Michael A. LeNoir, President, National Medical Association.
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, visit DirectingChange.org.
BRIDGE PROJECT — FOCUS GROUP ON DOCTORAL GRADUATE STUDENT EXPERIENCE: PARTICIPANTS NEEDED
Focus groups are being conducted as part of a larger study, the BRIDGE Project (Biomedical Research Career Identification in Graduate Education), which will develop and test interventions designed to improve the overall experience of doctoral graduate students and build a diverse biomedical and behavioral research workforce. We seek students in different phases of their programs, with a particular interest in students who are near PhD candidacy, as well as recent PhD graduates. Contact: Kiersten Robertson, kiersten.robertson@ucsf.edu
APPLY TO BE THE 2015-16 UC STUDENT REGENT
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
FREE SYNAPSE CLASSIFIEDS
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 30, 2014 | 3
NEWS
Chinese Culture Night: Celebrating the Year of the Horse By Tiffany Hsu Contributing Writer
T
he Chinese Health Professional Student Association (CHPSA) is excited to celebrate the Year of the Horse with the UCSF community. Its annual Chinese Culture Night on Thursday, January 30 will offer a special evening of performances, fun activities, Chinese cuisine and boba. This event, thanks to the generous support of the ASUC Culture Enrichment Fund, has been a long-standing tradition at UCSF that adds to the richness and diversity of the campus. It is also one of the largest cultural events on campus. Last year’s celebration drew hundreds of UCSF students, faculty and staff from all pro-
fessional schools. Don’t miss out on this exciting event, which will be even bigger and better! This year’s event will take place from 6-8 p.m., in N-225, Parnassus. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. CHPSA is an interprofessional ASUCsponsored registered club and organization (RCO) that aims to promote understanding of Chinese culture and its diversity to students at UCSF. More importantly, CHPSA emphasizes Chinese culture relevant to medical and dental treatments and facilitates c ulturally sensitive patient-centered care at UCSF. Your zodiac sign is a Horse if you were born in the years 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002 or 2014.
Tiffany Hsu is a third-year dental student.
NEWS
KAHPSA to Host a New Year Celebration By Sarah Gim Contributing Writer
T
he Korean American Health Professional Student Association (KAHPSA) will hold a Korean New Year Celebration on Wednesday, February 2. The event will be held at 5:30 p.m. (Nursing Building, third floor, mezzanine) and everyone is welcome. The event is intended to highlight the diversity, flexibility and caring in Korean culture and to celebrate Korean New Year. Students will be treated to pat-bing-su, Korean shaved ice, which originated in a 15th-century battle between Korea and China. The battle took place in the summer, and all the soldiers were exhausted from fighting in the intense heat and humidity.
A Korean general ordered the Korean housewives to bring ice from the mountains and mix it with honey and milk and serve it to the Korean soldiers to refresh them. This is symbolic of Korea's culture of caring. Pat-bing-su also recalls other Korean cultural characteristics: flexibility and diversity. This is represented in one of the dish’s main ingredients, red beans, which has its origins in Japanese red bean porridge. Red beans were only incorporated as a main ingredient of pat-bing-su during World War II, when Korea was colonized by Japan. This shows how Korean culture is accepting of foreign culture and how open Koreans are to the diversity of other cultures.
Sarah Gim is a fourth-year dental student.
Synapse
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The UCSF Student Newspaper synapse.ucsf.edu STAFF
Yi Lu | EDITOR Jenny Qi | EXECUTIVE 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.
BRIDGES
» FROM HOME PAGE
The 2010 report, released on the Flexner Report’s centennial, was a culmination of a four-year study of 11 accredited medical schools and teaching hospitals, and found examples of remarkable pedagogy as well as significant shortcomings in the training of future physicians. One particularly important challenge was the integration of knowledge with clinical practice. “In the course of our fieldwork, we saw many instances of foundational knowledge poorly linked to experience; well-thoughtout, integrated teaching subverted by inappropriate assessments; and missed opportunities for learners to participate in the important nonclinical roles physicians play within health care and more broadly in society,” the authors wrote. Building an innovative curriculum that can address these shortcomings is one of the driving forces behind the new Bridges curriculum. Take, for example, the question of how to bring first-year students to the wards and clinics — settings where most physicians will spend the bulk of their professional lives. While the current curriculum at UCSF provides several opportunities for first-year students to participate in clinical settings, much of these experiences focus on solidifying learning, rather than contributing to patient care. “We don’t think medical students at the very beginning are going to do that as junior physicians, because they don’t have any skills yet,” said Lucey. “But all of them come in with incredible abilities and a track record of tackling problems as members of teams, so we thought ‘What if we allowed them to work as members of teams to improve the care in the systems where we work?’ ” This approach was adopted in the pilot project in the fall of 2013, embedding firstyear medical students in a cardiology clinic not just to learn about cardiology, but also to learn about the system in which the care is delivered. In addition, these students were trained in health coaching and encouraged to apply these principles with real patients. Members of the new curriculum’s working groups are currently in the process of studying the results of the pilot project. Michael Davies, a second-year medical student on the Bridges’ Foundational Sciences Steering Committee, said one of the new curriculum’s biggest strengths is its emphasis on integrating not only clinical knowledge, but also the skills and experiences that students will need to be successful in their clinical rotations and beyond. “Thus far, one of the new concepts is this idea of giving students an introduction to the tools that they would need to be immediately helpful to the patients, and for medical students to be leveraged to improve health care,” Davies said. The Bridges curriculum is not scheduled to launch until 2016. Until then, the foundations of health care in the United States are likely to continue to run up against what Cooke and her coauthors have recognized as profound changes in society, subverting longheld truisms of what it means to be a doctor. The 21st-century physician will need to adapt to a terrain different from the one Abraham Flexner encountered in 1910. This too, will be a guiding principle in developing the Bridges curriculum. “I think a big mindset change that needs to happen is getting people to understand that in this day and age, the physician can’t do everything,” said Lucey. “The physician can’t know everything. The physician can’t be all for everyone. One of the most important things we have to teach people is how to work with other people in the health care environment.”
Yi Lu is a second-year medical student.
NEWS BRIEFS
UC Board of Regents Approves Interim Chancellor The University of California’s Board of Regents has unanimously approved the appointment of Sam Hawgood, MBBS, renowned pediatrician and Dean of the School of Medicine, to serve as interim chancellor of UC San Francisco. The appointment, which the Regents approved on January 23, will take effect April 1. Hawgood has been dean of the UCSF School of Medicine and Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs since September 2009, after serving as interim dean since December 2007. As dean, he has been a core member of the Chancellor’s Executive Council, playing a central role in the university’s leadership and guidance during a time of profound growth. “Sam is a highly respected physician, scientist and leader, and been integral to the leadership of the university over the past four years,” said UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH, who will become chief executive officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on May 1.
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital Oakland Finalize Ties UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland have completed their affiliation, building on the hospitals’ mutual commitment to provide outstanding care to children in local communities, and advance medical discovery and treatment for the world. The affiliation, effective January 1, brings together two leading Bay Area children’s hospitals, strengthening their ability to meet marketplace expectations, including the Affordable Care Act. The affiliation has the potential to provide better health care value to consumers through higher quality care, lower costs and more coordinated access to services at hospital locations on both sides of the Bay, as well as medical facilities throughout Northern California. “This partnership between two worldclass children’s hospitals promises to elevate the health of all children, especially our most vulnerable patients,” said Mark Laret, CEO of UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. “Both institutions have a longstanding commitment to public service, and by working together, we are better able to deliver on that commitment.” The affiliation allows children and their families access to what is now the largest network of children’s medical providers in Northern California.
Clinical Chairs Rally to Support Basic Science Research Students In an outpouring of support for basic science education, all 20 clinical chairs at UC San Francisco’s School of Medicine have banded together to provide $1.5 million to an endowment intended to ensure that UCSF’s PhD research program can thrive in the face of an increasingly constricted scientific funding environment. The gift came as a surprise, since the chairs had not originally been asked to dip into their departmental funds to contribute toward a new endowment — the UCSF Discovery Fellows Program — set up to ensure the stability of the University’s basic science program. The Discovery Fellows Program, established last year with $60 million, is the largest endowed program for PhDs in the history of the University of California system. A total of 45 students were named to the inaugural cohort of Discovery Fellows this month.
4 | January 30, 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 30, 2014 | 5
Operating Room » FROM HOME PAGE
The mixes I had made had gone over fairly well this month. Gipsy Kings, The Doors, Gotan Project, Radiohead, to name a few. When Pandora wasn’t giving us a satisfactory set of tunes on Thursday, someone asked the circulating nurse to switch over to my iPod. Focused on my very first sagittal split, I only spent half a moment trying to tell her which playlist to select. I cringed a little after I realized that she had clicked on the “Play All Songs” button, but I figured people wouldn’t pay that much attention. Mind you, I have a lot of garbage on my iPod. In a past life, I also played a fair amount of music, and it’s something in which I actually take a bit of pride. Unfortunately, the creative process isn’t always beautiful, and sometimes we record these things for our own self-improvement. And then there’s the fact my name starts with an A. One by one, poorly recorded demos of songs I had written or arranged over the past 15 years came up. In 2006, I had a crush on a girl who had placed me firmly in the friend box, and I had decided to write a 5-minutelong crooner about it — and record it twice with slightly different balances to decide which one made me feel the most depressed. After nine shame-encrusted minutes, the circulating nurse actually got up just to switch the song, and exclaimed, after hitting the button, “Oh no! The next one is by him, too!” The surgery stopped. “Akshay, who is this singing?” the attending asked.
“That would be … yours truly.” Awkward silence. “Can you please just click ‘Shuffle All Songs’?” I asked the circulator. I went back to my osteotomy and mandibular split. “Anyone ever tell you that you kinda sound like Chet Baker?” the attending tried. “I didn’t know that was you, man,” said the chief resident. “You guys wouldn’t want to hear me sing.” A few songs came and went without much incident, but it was only a matter of time before the circulator asked if someone’s cel l phone had started playing a song, since she thought it sounded like there were two songs playing with discordant beats. “No, that’s the Robert Glasper Experiment. It’s just one song,” I assured her. “Oh, well it kinda sounds like there’s two different beats.” “It’s Robert Glasper,” said the attending. “It’s art.” Eventually, people stopped commenting on the music, but one terrible thing after another came up. Old hobo songs by Woody Guthrie, some 11-minute-long group improvisation from the mid-1970s, a random chase scene from the West Side Story soundtrack. Eventually, the case ended, and the music was shut off. I returned to breathing. Future surgeons: Plan your music carefully — now, while you have time.
“One by one, poorly recorded demos of songs I had written or arranged over the past 15 years came up. ”
Akshay Govind is a third-year resident in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
UCSF JOURNAL CLUB Recent research by UCSF scientists By Taylor LaFlam Staff Writer IMMUNOLOGY: Costimulatory molecule DNAM-1 is essential for optimal differentiation of memory natural killer cells during mouse cytomegalovirus infection. Nabekura, T., et al. (Lanier). Immunity. 2014 Jan 14. Epub ahead of print. A pathogen that doesn’t kill us often makes our immune system stronger, with subsequent responses to the pathogen being more rapid and efficacious. This immune memory has traditionally been thought to reside only in T-cells and B-cells. In recent years, however, it has become apparent that under certain conditions, NK cellassociated memory is also possible. Although it is clear that mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection can produce memory natural killer (NK) cells, the signaling mechanisms necessary for this protocol remain incompletely defined. In this paper, researchers demonstrated that the extracellular protein DNAM-1 is critical to this process. They showed that blocking this protein prevents NK expansion and memory formation in response to MCMV and identified two important downstream signaling cascades, setting the stage for further research into NK cell memory. CANCER BIOLOGY: BRAFV600E cooperates with PI3'-kinase signaling, independent of AKT, to regulate melanoma cell proliferation. Silva, J.M., Bulman, C., McMahon, M. Mol. Cancer Res. 2014 Jan. 14. Epub ahead of print. Activating mutations of BRAF are present in the majority of cases of melanoma, the most deadly skin cancer. Recently, targeted therapies for one such mutation, V600E, have entered clinical use. BRAF mutations are often complemented by disabling mutations in PTEN, which leads to increased PI3'-kinase signaling. In this study, the authors investigated the mechanism of this cooperation. They showed using both BRAF and PI3'-kinase inhibitors on melanoma cell lines blocked proliferation and decreased protein synthesis better than either alone, even when there were no mutations in the PI3'-kinase pathway, suggesting that combination therapy may be broadly beneficial. Unexpectedly, they found that inhibition of AKT, which is downstream PI3'-kinase, does not have an anti-proliferative effect, implying that the BRAF and PI3'-kinase cooperation is AKT independent. FETAL SURGERY & IMMUNOLOGY: Fetal intervention increases maternal T-cell awareness of the foreign conceptus and can lead to immune-mediated fetal demise. Wegorzewska, M., et al. (Mackenzie). J. Immunol. 2014 Jan 15. Epub ahead of print. Surgery performed before birth has been shown to be an effective treatment for select congenital disorders, such as spina bifida. The benefits of fetal surgery, however, are offset by an increase in the associated risk of preterm labor. These researchers and others have hypothesized that the trauma of surgery may disrupt the tolerance of the maternal immune system for the fetus and provoke the immune rejection of this genetically distinct individual. Here, the researchers reported a series of experiments in mice that demonstrated that fetal surgery promotes the accumulation of activated, pro-inflammatory maternal T-cells that recognize the fetus. Although further research, for example confirming a similar effect in humans, remains to be done, these findings suggest that immune-dampening therapy may be a useful adjunct to fetal surgery. INFECTIOUS DISEASE: Strong relationship between oral dose and tenofovir hair levels in a randomized trial: hair as a potential adherence measure for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Liu, A.Y., et al. (Gandhi). PLoS One. 2014. 9(1):e83736. In recent years, a series of studies have shown that daily oral antiretroviral therapy including tenofovir can significantly decrease the risk of HIV infection in individuals at high risk, a practice known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). At the same time, these studies have demonstrated that high levels of regimen adherence are necessary to accurately evaluate PrEP trials. Individuals with poor adherence cannot be relied on to acknowledge this, and blood testing, while accurate, is invasive and difficult in resource-poor settings. In this phase I study, HIV-negative adults followed one of three dosing frequencies of tenofovir for six weeks, followed by collection and analysis of hair samples. Tenofovir levels in hair were found to vary in proportion to dosing frequency, suggesting that this may be an effective means of PrEP adherence monitoring.
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Taylor LaFlam is a fifth-year MSTP student. For comments or paper suggestions, email Taylor. LaFlam@ucsf.edu.
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FOOD 6 | January 30, 2014 | synapse.ucsf.edu
SF Beer Week 2014: When It Rains, It Pours By Eric M. Pietras Contributing Writer
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t’s winter in the Bay Area again, which means two things: rain and SF Beer Week. Despite the unfortunate lack of the former, the latter appears on the calendar with clockwork regularity, this year from February 7-16. It’s the usual expansive deal with hundreds of events: beerfood pairings, brewery tap takeovers, brewer meet-and-greets and the like. For beer fans in San Francisco and beyond, this is annual heaven on earth. And like every year, there are always events worth highlighting. Here are a few notable dates for the 2014 event, so you can start planning any days off (and your excuse for taking them) early: SF Beer Week Opening Gala (February 7, 6-10 p.m., $65): The Beer Week opening party, at the Concourse Exhibition Center at 635 Eighth St., is worth the rather high cost. You will find the Bay Area beer industry providing unlimited pours of their wares, including much of the interesting stuff you’ll see during the rest of the week. Get tickets very soon, and yes, Pliny the Younger gets poured here, attracts a big line and runs out early. The smart attendee is conscious that there are many other excellent beers to sample and will treat the four-hour event as a marathon, not a sprint. This year, the gala will be made richer by the presence of Cellarmaker Brewing Co., the SF Brewers Guild’s newest member. People who are really into the beer in-
dustry or galas in general will also want to show up at Trumer for the Celebrator 26th Anniversary Party, which marks the end of Beer Week on February 16. United Sours of America (February 8, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.): Monk’s Kettle gets into the ever-expanding sour ale game, with midday palate-benders featuring sours from 20 different American breweries. Expect a good representation of California breweries here. Admission is free (beer is not), but Monk’s Kettle is small, and even with its new patio, I suspect it may not be able to accommodate all comers before the most interesting bottles and kegs are emptied. Fear not, as the venerable Sour Sunday at Triple Rock (imports) and Jupiter (mostly California stuff) on February 9 is a roomier affair. Sycamore, Whole Foods and The Abbot’s Cellar are also doing sour events during the week. Beer Talks 2014 (February 8, 2:30-5 p.m.; $25): This is a beer-themed lecture series loosely modeled on TED talks, held at the Fairmont Hotel (I don’t anticipate too many black turtlenecks, though). Science folks will feel at home in a seminar-like setting, except that each talk is accompanied by a beer, which will make future conferences seem like much less fun. Subjects to be covered include technical stuff like brewing with Brettanomyces and Bourbon barrel aging, presented by Crooked Stave’s Chad Yakobson and Fiftyfifty’s Todd Ashman, respectively. Other topics of interest include starting a brewery (spoiler: find lots of money) and, predictably for a Bay Area event, IPAs. British-style beer and cheese with Magnolia (February 13, 6-9 p.m.; $35): The ability to make beer and cheese is what separates Homo sapiens from other organisms, so why not enjoy both at the same time?
This event at Mission Cheese features five Magnolia beers paired with an equal number of artisan cheeses. Given the fastidious care with which Dave McLean and company produce their beer, the cheeses are no doubt very well chosen to complement their companion beverages. For those looking well outside England, Belgian beer/dim sum pairings will be featured at Mama Ji’s in San Francisco on February 11. NorCal vs. SoCal IPA Smackdown (February 14, 6:308:30 p.m.; $25): I suspect the Jug Shop is a bit overlooked as a stop for beer folks in The City. It shouldn’t be. Its SF Beer Week events are always worthwhile. This year will feature a blind tasting of six IPAs from the north and six from the southern half of California. It’s an elimination contest, with one winner of the 12 based on attendees’ opinions. I imagine the lineup of beers will include many of the usual suspects: stuff from Lagunitas, Green Flash, Russian River, Stone, Drakes, etc. — although I could be wrong — so it probably wouldn’t be something you’ve never had before. In any case, the fun will be in the tasting and result of the contest. The admission fee is cut to $15 if you bring a Valentine’s Day companion, so you might as well make it part of a romantic night out. See you at Beer Week!
Eric M. Pietras is a postdoc who studies hematopoietic stem cell biology and beer, but not at the same time.
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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
*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 30, 2014 | 7
PUZZLES
The Weekly Crossword
ACROSS 1 Indian garment 5 Back and ____ 10 Sitter's challenge 14 Jacob, to Esau 15 Met offering 16 Apiece 17 Wipes out, mob-style 18 Mythical strongman 19 Italian coin of old 20 Drug smuggler 21 Air show stunt 22 Choice beef cut 23 Ask in earnest 25 Georgia's bulldog, e.g. 27 Segway alternative 29 Ballpark snack 33 Bikini half 36 Singer Stevens 37 Rope-ladder rung 38 Party hearty 40 Intrinsic nature 41 On in years 42 Ready-go link 43 Comic strip cry 44 Destructive beetle 45 Tornado alert 47 Tooth substance 49 Word before trail or chase 53 Type of drum 56 Diva's rendition 58 Prod along 59 Top-notch 60 Kitchen gadget
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Copyright 2014 by The Puzzle Syndicate
61 Spreadsheet function 62 Fan favorite 63 UV stopper 64 Washstand item 65 Rebut 66 Gossipy sort 67 Voice below soprano
7 Change magazines, e.g. 8 Golf hazards 9 Possesses 10 Put down 11 Pool table part 12 Chunk of land 13 Yonder object 22 Stairway sound 24 School of DOWN thought of 1/27/14 - 2/2/14 jazz dance after a 1 OldWeek 26 Beer, 2 Worse than bad shot 3 Hunter's 28 Saffron rice weapon recipe 4 Trousers 30 Wine's partner measurement 31 Back then 5 Farm newborn 32 Nerd's kin 6 Eye doctor's 33 Cauldron field contents
34 Lady Macbeth, e.g. 35 White House staffer 37 Able to bounce back 39 To the extreme 45 Sunday delivery 46 Queasy feeling 48 Mayan harvest 50 Search for prey 51 Shore bird 52 Fashionably dated 53 Put into words 54 Stem swelling 55 Ever and ____ 57 Locale 60 Diminutive dog
Edited by Margie E. Burke
Difficulty : Medium
Paying It Forward » FROM HOME PAGE
HOW TO SOLVE: (Answer appears elsewhere in this issue)
Copyright 2014 by The Puzzle Syndicate
ical need, but also to those with the fewest options. The stories you hear in hospice can be heartbreaking but also, at times, side-splittingly hilarious. A homeless guy who had been in prison, etc., said to me that he didn’t know why people would volunteer to come in and spend time with them, but he was really glad we did, and it made him realize there was more good in people. Synapse: What does the role entail? The basic role is that of being an emotional support to residents. This can involve sitting and chatting with someone who can’t leave their bed, or it can mean sitting on the smoking patio with a few residents, having a laugh. There are only 15 residents, so you build relationships with all of them and spend your time with whoever wants company. Of-
Piled Higher and Deeper by Jorge Cham
Solution to Sudoku
www.phdcomics.com
ten volunteers will accompany residents to the hospital or for doctors’ appointments. Synapse: What is the training like? The initial training was two weekends, where we covered various topics from boundaries, grief and inclusivity; I felt the main thing we took away from training was the chance to build a support network with other new volunteers. Once you have finished that training, you have a buddy shift where you shadow an existing volunteer. This was the most useful part of training, as it gave you an idea of what you actually do while at hospice, from helping to serve dinner, to aiding residents playing Bingo to just sitting with someone who can’t communicate but may like the company. Synapse: What’s the time commitment afterwards? Once you finish training, they ask you to commit to one shift a week. They ask that you make the shift four hours, but this is pretty flexible and works around your schedule. This can be during the day or in the evening. I do one evening a week — mainly because on Wednesdays you can help with Bingo, which is always interesting. For the trips out or for doctors’ appointments, there is an email list where requests are sent. There are also occasional emails to the list(Serv) asking for volunteers to simply sit with residents who are actively dying. Synapse: How would someone else get involved if interested? Contact Stan Stone at Maitri (maitrisf.org/ care/), and he will guide you. There is a training every six months for new volunteers.
title: "Happy New Year" - originally published 1/8/2013
Jenny Qi is a third-year BMS student.
8 | January 30, 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
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