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The trajectory for doctoral students is no longer a straight path to a faculty research career. » PAGE 4
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Graduate Education Let’s Get Physical... Study Therapy
IN THIS ISSUE
Events » PAGE 2 Features » PAGE 3 Puzzles » PAGE 6 Columns » PAGE 7
SynapseNewspaper
The UCSF Student
synapse.ucsf.edu | Thursday, October 23, 2014 | Volume 59, Number 2
Diversity & Outreach Mental Health Matters Angela Castanieto Associate Editor
T he theme of Chancellor Sam Hawgood’s inspiring State of the University
address last month could not have been more timely for the debut of this column. During his speech Hawgood placed emphasis on the importance of making connections with the community, as well as on the necessity of increasing diversity at UCSF. This happens to be the focus of our Diversity and Outreach column, in which we highlight the impressive efforts that UCSF organizations are putting forth in both community and educational outreach,
and in promoting diversity on campus. In our inaugural article, which fittingly coincides with Diversity month, we feature dental students giving free health screenings in Oakland, as well as multiple Diversity Month celebrations including National Coming Out Day, several movie screenings, and a symposium on health disparities research. We also announce upcoming diversity and outreach-focused events to look forward to in the month to come.
DIVERSITY » PAGE 10
Chancellor, Deans, & Faculty Partner with Student Health in Stigma Reduction Campaign Student Health & Counseling Staff Report
Ias nUCSF, an academically rigorous setting such it is not uncommon to encounter
highly talented, focused, and dedicated students, staff, and faculty members. While this environment allows the institution to be identified as a leading health sciences university and facilitates the UCSF mission of advancing health worldwide™, the high-achieving atmosphere can contribute to challenges in managing one’s mental health. Advocacy for routine and preventative primary health care has continued to garner support, yet there still remains a considerable stigma around acknowledging mental health needs. One 4th year PhD student who wished to remain anonymous shared:
Courtesy of UCSF Student
Student Volunteers. Third-year dental student volunteers and their supervisors
at the 37th Annual Health Fair: Jessica Baisley, Ryan Blatchley, Dr. Daniel Ramos, Eric Brown, Mia Arreola, Maricela Salcedo-Prado, Ivy Fua, Lilly Padilla, Erika Martinez, Dr. Pamela Alston.
Letter from the Chancellor
Ebola Crisis D ear Members of the UCSF Community: We all have been deeply saddened by the events transpiring in West Africa, which is experiencing the worst Ebola outbreak in history. The disease has killed several thousand people, and without a massive international effort, it could kill tens or even hundreds of thousands more. President Obama has issued a call for experienced U.S. health workers to travel
to the area, and I expect UC San Francisco doctors, nurses, lab technicians and other clinical health workers will want to join the effort, as, indeed, some already have. I have charged a task force to advise me on the campus response to the crisis, and I want to assure the UCSF community that I am thinking of the safety of everyone
EBOLA » PAGE 10
“Very early in my graduate career, a close family member died under tragic and traumatic circumstances. The months that followed were really rough, and several months after I was still struggling. There came a point in time when I recognized that I wasn’t where I wanted to be mentally, and I didn’t think I could pick myself up and progress any further on my own. That’s when I decided to go see a therapist. Therapy was incredibly valuable for me to have a space where I could process my grief. I want to share my story because I doubt that I’m the only UCSF student to struggle with grief, depression, or other unexpected life challenges and I agree that de-stigmatizing mental health and even talking about mental health issues is
MENTAL HEALTH » PAGE 11
Interview with Dr. Dan Kelly UCSF Infectious Disease Fellow Working in Sierra Leone Yi Lu Staff Writer
W ith the Ebola crisis showing no signs of abating in western Africa, one of UCSF’s
infectious disease fellows recently returned to Sierra Leone to assist the government as well as local health care workers in their efforts to stem the epidemic. On October 1, 2014, before he left again for Sierra Leone, Synapse’s Yi Lu sat down with Dr. Daniel Kelly to discuss his trajectory in global health, his experiences in Sierra Leone before and during the current epidemic, and his goals upon his return to the country. Synapse: Can you talk about how you got started working in Sierra Leone?
DAN KELLY » PAGE 12
Courtesy of Susan Merrell
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Events » OPEN ACCESS: IT’S UP TO ALL OF US
Thursday, October 23, 6-8:30 p.m., SkyDeck, 2150 Shattuck Avenue, Penthouse, Berkeley Come find out about the latest publishing and research collaboration tools, and submit an idea of your own! The UCSF Library is partnering with several Bay Area publishers and scholarly networks for Open Access – It’s Up to All of Us. All are invited to attend and to submit lightning talks, which will be presented in an informal, unconference atmosphere with plenty of opportunity to discuss ideas and projects. Snacks and refreshments will be provided. http://bit.ly/Event-10-23-14
VA ENROLLMENT DAY AT PARNASSUS: ENROLL IN VA HEALTH CARE & TAKE PHOTO FOR VA IDS
Friday, October 24, from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Medical Sciences, 174, Parnassus Staff from the San Francisco VA Medical Center’s student Veterans Outreach Program (VOP) will be on-site at Parnassus to answer any questions you have, assist you in enrolling in VA health care and/or take your photo for your new VA ID card. Services are free and open to all UCSF student and staff military Veterans. If you are looking to enroll in VA health care, please bring a copy of your DD 214. If you are looking to take a photo for a VA ID card (you must be enrolled in VA health care to obtain a VA ID card), please bring 2 forms of ID with you.
PET THE PUP AT DOG DAY AFTERNOON Friday, October 24, noon-2 p.m., Millberry Union, 111W, Parnassus There will be a pup every Friday in October so don’t miss out! Take time to destress with Lady Jenna, a Cockapoo, from Animal Assisted Therapy of SPCA. Enjoy some tea or hot chocolate, and leave your stress at the door! Sponsor: Student Life.
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK KICK OFF
Monday, October 27, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Byers Hall, 2nd Floor Lobby, Mission Bay Medical Sciences Lobby, Parnassus Enjoy some cookies & learn more about mental health wellness and resources.
HOW TO CHOOSE, USE AND NOT ABUSE HEALTH TECHNOLOGY
Tuesday, October 28, noon-1 p.m., Health Sciences West, 300, Parnassus Patricia Areán, Ph.D., Professor, UCSF Dept of Psychiatry, will give a presentation on the impact technology has had on our lives and how digital health tools can be used to better manage stress and mood. Dr. Areán will talk about the evidence behind mobile apps, devices and brain games, ongoing studies being conducted. Free lunch for students with RSVP. Part of Mental Health Awareness Week.
ASEXUAL AWARENESS DAY BROWN BAG DISCUSSION Wednesday, October 29, noon-1 p.m., Medical Sciences, 174, Parnassus The UCSF LGBT Resource Center is hosting a brown bag lunch event to learn about Asexuality. This 45 minute talk will discuss the theories behind asexuality, patient intake, how to talk about asexuality with patients who may identify as such, and how it differs from abstinence and celibacy.
THREE MINUTE COMPETITION
THESIS
(3MT)
Wednesday, October 29, 4-6 p.m., Genentech Hall Auditorium, Mission Bay
The 3MT finalists will present a compelling presentation of their dissertation research in just three minutes, using language appropriate for a non-specialist audience.
FOOD AND STRESS
Wednesday, October 29, noon-1 p.m., Genentech Hall, N114, Mission Bay Understand how your stress and emotions impact your food choices by joining Alison Boden, MPH, RD for this discussion of stress eating. Learn how to reduce stress with food, boost brain power and understand your cravings while discovering the practice of intuitive eating. Free lunch with RSVP. Part of Mental Health Awareness Week.
CHANCELLOR’S CONCERT SERIES
Thursday, October 30, noon-12:45 p.m., Cole Hall, Parnassus Looking for a place to study or relax between classes? CLS Arts & Events has got just what you need. The Chancellor’s Concert Series on Thursdays is a great place to set up your laptop and study or just take a break from classes while listening to classical music. Seating begins at noon.
WILS COFFEE TALK WITH LAUREN WEISS
Thursday, October 30, noon-1 p.m., Medical Sciences, 176, Parnassus Looking for tips and suggestions for your own career? Join WILS for an excellent opportunity to meet with Dr. Lauren Weiss and hear about her experience as a woman in science, to ask questions and share your own thoughts, and to meet your peers!
QUESTION, PERSUADE, REFER (QPR) SUICIDE PREVENTION GATEKEEPER TRAINING
Thursday, October 30, noon-1 p.m., Health Sciences West, 300, Parnassus James Lyda, Ph.D., will provide training and practice in suicide prevention and intervention stills, utilizing the nationally recognized QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper approach. Free lunch with RSVP. Part of Mental Health Awareness Week.
MISSION BAY HALLOWEEN EVENT
Friday, October 31, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Genentech Hall Atrium, Mission Bay The Slow Poisoner returns to MC the Halloween festivities at Mission Bay! Come enjoy treats and a few songs by the Slow Poisoner. Costume contests with prizes for best individual, sustainability, and group. Sponsors: CLS Arts & Events, International Students and Scholars Office, and CLS Housing.
PARNASSUS HALLOWEEN EVENT
Friday, October 31, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Millberry Union Gym, Parnassus Come enjoy the nacho bar and agua fresca, while supplies last. DJ Jay Bee will be providing entertainment. Costume contests with prizes for best individual student or staff and best school or department. Sponsors: CLS Arts & Events, Outdoor Programs and Recreational Sports, and the Multicultural Resource Center.
A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM UCSB REGARDING HALLOWEEN
As you may be aware, Isla Vista is annually the site of an un-hosted, unsponsored street party. Because approximately ninety percent of those cited and arrested are from out of the area each year, it is important that you are fairly warned about the possible outcome of a visit to Isla Vista during the Halloween weekend.
GPSA MEETING
Monday, November 3, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Genentech Hall, N114, Mission Bay Meet your executive board members at the monthly GPSA meeting and be a part of the discussion on topics relating to student priorities.
BAGEL TUESDAY
Tuesday, November 4, 9 a.m., Student Lounge, Genentech Hall 2nd Floor, Mission Bay Come enjoy some free bagels and coffee each month and learn about campus services and events.
SYNAPSE MEETING
Wednesday, November 5, noon-1 p.m., Multicultural Resource Center, MU123W, Parnassus Gain valuable experience while improving your writing skills! Synapse is looking for student writers, bloggers, photographers, and designers. Come to a meeting and share your story ideas and meet students from other schools. No experience needed! Minimal time commitment.
PRE-HEALTH DREAMERS
Wednesday, November 5, noon-1 p.m., Health Sciences West, 301, Parnassus Come to a free screening of Dreamers to Doctors, a short film that focuses on four undocumented youth who are aspiring to become health professionals. The film shares their immigration stories, their motivations for pursuing a career in the health profession, the barriers they have faced along their journeys, and the opportunities that exists. Panel discussion to follow screening. RSVP by Monday, November 3 at bit.ly/UCSF2014PHDscreening
LGBT SPEED MENTORING EVENT
Thursday, November 6, 6-8 p.m., Lange Reading Room, Library, Parnassus The LGBT FAST Mentoring Program creates a bridge between UCSF students, faculty, staff, alumni, and trainees. At the LGBT Speed Mentoring Event, attendees will have an opportunity to meet potential mentors/mentees. Learn more about the FAST Mentoring Program. http://lgbt. ucsf.edu/fast-mentoring-program. RSVP required.
CHANCELLOR’S CONCERT SERIES
Thursday, November 11, noon-12:45 p.m., Cole Hall, Parnassus Looking for a place to study or relax between classes? CLS Arts & Events has got just what you need. The Chancellor’s Concert Series on Thursdays is a great place to set up your laptop and study or just take a break from classes while listening to classical music. Seating begins at noon.
Announcements » SCIENCE & HEALTH EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP: NOW RECRUITING FOR 2014-2015 CLASSROOM PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS
The Science and Health Education Partnership (SEP) offers opportunities for UCSF volunteers to work with San Francisco K-12 teachers to co-plan and coteach a series of four investigative science lessons in the teachers’ classrooms during the spring semester. The commitment is only 20 hours, flexibly scheduled from January to May. Professional students, graduate students, post-docs, research scientists and faculty are all eligible to
GLOBAL HEALTH SCIENCES (GHS) MASTERS DEGREE INFORMATION SESSION
Wednesday, November 12, noon-1 p.m., Mission Hall, 1109, Mission Bay Are you interested in incorporating global health into your career? Program directors, alumni and staff will present information and answer all your questions about the program. Light refreshments will be served. The application deadline for the Fall 2015 class is February 15, 2015. For more program information and how to apply online, please see our website: http://www.globalhealthsciences.ucsf.edu/ education/graduate/
VETERAN’S DAY CELEBRATION
Wednesday, November 12, noon-1 p.m., Nursing, 217, Parnassus Join the UCSF community in celebrating the dedication and service of our nation’s veteran and military service members with musical performances by the Vocal Chords & Chamber Music Society and a presentation on military medical advancements over the past century. Reception to follow.
CHANCELLOR’S CONCERT SERIES: IN HONOR OF UCSF VETERANS
Thursday, November 13, noon-1 p.m., Cole Hall, Parnassus Take a break from your busy workday and listen to classical music in honor of our UCSF veterans.
TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
Thursday, November 20, noon-1 p.m., Lange Reading Room, Library, Parnassus Transgender Day of Remembrance will include a panel discussion as well as a reading of names memorializing lives we have lost as a result of transphobia. Friends, family members, and allies of transgender people who have experienced lost and/or violence are invited. Learn more: lgbt.ucsf. edu
PARENTING AND A SCIENCE CAREER
Monday, November 24, noon- 1 p.m., Genentech Hall, N114, Mission Bay Please join WILS at a panel discussion on combining the roles of parent and scientist. Faculty, postdocs, and grad students will share their experiences and advice from having children at different stages of their careers. Bring your questions! We’ll also hear from Family Services about UCSF resources to help parents. Lunch provided. Have an event that you would like to submit? Please email to synapse@ucsf.edu.
apply! More information and applications available online: ucsf.edu/sep
UCSF GLOBAL HEALTH SCIENCES IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE FALL 2015 MASTERS DEGREE
This 11 month, full-time program provides students in the health sciences and allied fields with the knowledge and skills necessary for leadership roles in global health through a multi-disciplinary curriculum and an applied global health capstone project. More than 70 faculty from UCSF, as well as from other UC universities, teach and mentor students. Graduates are prepared for careers in research, policy, organizational leadership, program management and evaluation, and academia. February 15, 2015 is the application deadline.
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Features »
Chancellor Hawgood UC President Janet Emphasizes Community Napolitano Spreads the Gospel of Basic Research Partnerships in his Jenny Qi State of the University Editor in Chief “I Address Angela Castanieto Associate Editor
“U niversities in America are at a hinge of history – while connected to the past,
they are swinging in new directions,” said newly appointed UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood, MBBS, to a packed Cole Hall, quoting Clark Kerr, the first chancellor of UC Berkeley in the 1960s. This was true of UCSF in the sixties, and this is still true today. We must be “receptive to change and willing to swing in new directions” while remaining true to our core values. These new directions, said Hawgood, would focus on creating partnerships with the community and developing new technologies in teaching and in patient care, to “more directly and rapidly translate new knowledge into the human good.” UCSF’s solid foundation UCSF already has “a remarkable foundation upon which to build,” Hawgood remarked.
UCSF was the top public recipient of NIH funding in the country, and the university continues to expand its programs, by opening the Global Health and Clinical Sciences building and in February the UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay. Additionally, while more than 20,000 donors donated 445 million dollars to UCSF in the last fiscal year, a record for the University of California system, he named as a high priority his plans to grow the university’s endowment in the years to come. A leader in the community Hawgood emphasized that UCSF must be a “leader and convener for the many elements that make the Bay Area so special,” stressing that partnerships across all of UCSF’s missions will be executed
promised that I would get up every day and serve as the best advocate I could be for UC… The fundamental responsibility of the President of the University of California is to make the connection between the institution and the people it serves—not just students, not just professors or staff members, but all of society,” wrote UC President Janet Napolitano in an essay published in Inside Higher Ed on September 30, exactly one year after she began leading the UC system. That same afternoon, President Napolitano held a press conference with student journalists from across the UCs to discuss
her plans for her second year at the helm. She addressed concerns about everything from tuition to chancellor salary to the plight of first generation students to fossil fuel divestment and carbon neutrality. Importantly for UCSF trainees, she allayed fears about graduate students and postdoctoral scholars getting lost in the sea of undergraduates and reaffirmed her outspoken advocacy for basic research. When asked how the UC Office of the President (UCOP) plans to help UCSF, unique among the UCs in scope and demographics, in its mission of
NAPOLITANO » PAGE 11
Reproductive Health Conference Notes
New Findings in Long-acting Reversible Contraception
HAWGOOD » PAGE 10 Prisila Gonzalez
Staff Writer
A couple of weeks ago, I attended the Association of Reproductive Health
Professionals (ARHP) annual conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, as a conference ambassador. In this article, I’ll share a few points that I found interesting and relevant for clinical practice and research.
State of the University. September 30.
Courtesy of Sam Lee
Chancellor Sam Hawgood delivering his speech on
Synapse
Jenny Qi | EDITOR IN CHIEF Angela Castanieto | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Sam Lee | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Taylor LaFlam | SCIENCE EDITOR Ilka Fensen | STAFF WRITER Chris Foo | STAFF WRITER Akshay Govind | STAFF WRITER Yi Lu | STAFF WRITER Yarrow Madrona | STAFF WRITER Hannah Patzke | STAFF WRITER Theresa Poulos | STAFF WRITER Hanna Starobinets | STAFF WRITER
A hot topic during the conference was research regarding extended use of
REPRODUCTION » PAGE 11
500 Parnassus Avenue, Millberry Union 108W, San Francisco, CA 94143 tel: 476-2211 | fax: 502-4537 synapse@ucsf.edu | synapse.ucsf.edu
The UCSF Student Newspaper Staff
Several sessions discussed long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) birth control methods, such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants. As those of us rotating through clinics can attest, starting and maintaining women and teens on LARC methods can be challenging, and the efficacy of LARC methods is often clouded by myths or side effects.
So, my attention was caught by the CHOICE project, which succeeded in getting 75% of its participants to choose a LARC method by eliminating three main barriers: cost, education and access. Based in St. Louis, the project enrolled 9,256 women, provided education regarding all birth control methods, and offered the methods at no cost. Moreover, 86% of those who chose a LARC method were still using the method after one year, at which point they were 20 times less likely to have an unintended pregnancy than participants who opted for the pill, patch or ring.
About
Synapse is the UCSF student-run biweekly newspaper which runs on Thursdays during the academic year and publishes online in between print issues. 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.
Advertising
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 Submissions Announcements and letters should be submitted with a disclaimer. seven days before publication. All submissions must be emailed to synapse@ucsf.edu. All material is Visit synapse.ucsf.edu to view the publication schedule and to submit an ad. subjected to editing.
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Features »
Dean Watkins Reveals New Study Seeks Recent UCSF Postdoc BRIDGE To Improved Career Outcomes Graduate Experiences and Outcomes Bryne Ulmschneider Staff Writer
Robyn Gershon & Philip Lee Contributing Writers
T he trajectory for doctoral students in the biomedical and social sciences is no
longer a straight path to a faculty research career. Earning a doctoral degree in these demanding fields takes many years and is arduous. The pathway is made doubly difficult when the endpoint is unclear.
N owhere are the systemic problems in academia more apparent than in the lives of postdocs. Almost all current postdocs received their PhD in a time where the NIH budget stagnated, leaving an excess of PhDs entering the workforce.
If you ask postdocs how they feel about their situation and career prospects, many will answer that they are unhappy, disillusioned and disgruntled. “I don’t think the administration really understands how upset we postdocs are,” said Stephanie Vlachos, a postdoc entering her third year in the Center for Reproductive Science. “We don’t feel like our voices are being heard, even though we are the ones who are most affected by the postdoc situation.”
Data on postdocs are notoriously difficult to come by, as institutions typically have very little infrastructure in place to track them. Until recently this was the case for UCSF. However, on Sept. 23, Graduate Dean Elizabeth Watkins unveiled the first institution-wide retrospective study on where postdocs end up after leaving UCSF, covering postdocs who left UCSF from 2000 to 2013. The study found that 53 percent of postdocs are still in academia but only 27 percent of the total are tenure-track faculty. These figures only encompass postdocs holding only a PhD who are still residing in the United States, which most closely
POSTDOCS » PAGE 13
To help smooth the way towards a fulfilling career, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has funded a UCSF study, the BRIDGE (Biomedical Research Career Identification in Graduate Education) Project, to determine the effectiveness of a theory-driven, multi-modal intervention on doctoral students’ research self-efficacy leading to persistence. Using a participatory action research (PAR) framework, theorydriven interventions will be developed, implemented and tested at UCSF, with the aim help all students reach their career aspirations and to improve the doctoral experience, including quality of life, scientific values, outcome expectation, identity integration and health. Underrepresentation in the biomedical workforce pipeline The NIH has a particular interest in assuring that the current deficit in the research funding climate, coupled with a lack of job security in academia, does not disproportionately impact minority students. Researchers from diverse racial and ethnic groups, disadvantaged backgrounds, and those with disabilities
are underrepresented in the biomedical workforce. Increasing their participation in scientific research is an important NIH objective, and it is very valuable. For example, the experiences of underrepresented minority (URM) researchers in a study may help gauge the degree of sensitivity to topics for certain study participants. This sensitivity may then be taken into account in a range of research-related processes, such as the roles of families and culture in consent, issues of transparency and mistrust in research, and the socio-political and economic context of minority communities. Contributions of researchers from diverse backgrounds have increased our understanding of the root causes of health disparities and the role of race and racism in contributing to these disparities and the conceptual challenges associated with disentangling the range of predictors of disparities. Research by URM scientists has also led to the development and implementation of many effective interventions that are culturally specific and highly acceptable to participants. Finally, some URM researchers have championed community-based participatory research and have brought community ownership to research, thereby bridging academics and communities and helping to build trust.
BRIDGE » PAGE 12
The Bay Area Science November Project, San Festival: the Science Francisco: a UCSF Carnival of Your Dreams Friendly Tribe Hanna Starobinets Staff Writer
C ancel all your plans, because today marks the beginning of the 10-day-long
fourth annual Bay Area Science Festival! Toss your preconceptions of science festivals aside; this is truly an epic week of events. “Let’s put more scientists in front of an audience and just let them interact!” declared Kishore Hari, the Bay Area Science Festival (BASF) Director, radiating an infectious excitement as he described the BASF during our interview. A string of events ranging from science storytelling in bars to big hands-on expos, live competitions, facility tours and guided hikes, the 10-day festival “blurs the lines between science and culture” and turns science accessibility into a social experience. The goal is to “strip away the
slides, lecterns, and mics,” and make each event not just fun and memorable, but also very personal. Surveys from the festival’s first three years indicate that meeting a scientist or engineer plays an enormous role in positive outcomes of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education, even more so than hands-on activities alone. This makes the BASF a vehicle of change for STEM education in areas with less exposure to scientists; for example, 30% of attendees at the North Bay Discovery Day are underrepresented minorities. On the flip side, the festival provides opportunities for scientists to have a broader impact. “Until I volunteered at the AT&T
SCIENCE FESTIVAL » PAGE 13
Madeline Ragan Staff Writer
H ave you heard about November Project? If you have, you have probably
heard it is a free-fitness movement started in Boston, MA by two friends, Bojan and Brogan. Their movement now has 17 tribes scattered throughout the United States. Every tribe follows the same belief system: we should hold each other accountable for our fitness, and we should all have a whole lot of fun doing it. While any story about November Project must begin in Boston, the story I want to share is about our very own local band of yahoos that takes to the hilly streets of San Francisco three times a week, affectionately known as November Project, San Francisco (NPSF). The group has three scheduled workouts each week,
rain or shine, just like the other 17 tribes, and fosters fitness and friendship of equal proportion. This SF group, which recently increased attendance to as many as 200 people at a single workout, boasts an undeniable and rarely reproducible sense of community. As a long-time runner, I have spent many years running before dawn, usually alone. When I joined November Project over a year ago, and my silent morning runs became joyous gatherings of likeminded individuals. As a physical therapy student, I chose to study at UCSF because its curriculum included numerous interprofessional opportunities, unlike other DPT programs. At NPSF, I found myself
NOVEMBER PROJECT » PAGE 13
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Features »
FAS Customer Satisfaction Survey to Launch October 27 Staff Report
S tudents, faculty and staff will be invited to participate in a bi-annual Customer
Survey starting on Monday, October 27 to provide feedback on the services provided by UCSF’s Financial and Administrative Services (FAS).
FAS provides a broad range of campus life, administrative and operational services to support the clinical, research and education missions at UCSF. Previous Customer Satisfaction Surveys have resulted in real service additions and improvements.
Your Feedback Counts + WIN. $50 Amazon Card!
Is UCSF Thinking Creatively About Postdocs? A Report on the Roundtable Discussion Bryne Ulmschneider Staff Writer
T he much-publicized “Thinking Creatively about Postdocs: A roundtable
discussion with Keith Yamamoto and Gregory Pestko” featured two wellrespected scientists who have devoted time, energy and attention to addressing institutional problems affecting graduate and postdoctoral training, and both have been extremely vocal advocates of reforming scientific training at both the institutional and national level. However, the October 3rd event at Genentech Hall left many postdocs wondering if the school administration has a cohesive plan for improving postdoctoral training here at UCSF. During the discussion, which was moderated by Vice Chancellor and Provost Jeff Bluestone, Yamamoto and Pestko both agreed that the excess of postdocs created by the doubling of the NIH budget, which stagnated in 2003, is a huge problem. “We are in an era of scarcity – the likes of which I have not seen in my scientific career,” said Pestko during the presentation. They both thought that at some indeterminate time in the distant future, we should have fewer postdocs and that we should incentivize graduate students to enter other career tracks when they get their PhDs. “If we give graduate students and postdocs the right information, and in sufficient depth, they will choose other options,”
said Yamamoto. He cited the success of GSICE (Graduate Student Internship for Career Exploration) in placing students in “alternative” career pathways, arguing that giving information alone would be sufficient to correct the current crisis situation. Pestko, on the other hand, has a radical proposition – double postdoc salaries to halve the number of postdocs. This would give labs an economic incentive to hire fewer postdocs, and only hire the best postdocs available. He further admitted that in his own experience, he probably could have accomplished about the same science with fewer people. Yamamoto disagrees with this idea, arguing that a postdoc should be a “training period” for scientists who want to run their own independent laboratories, and that if salaries were high enough people would choose to do a postdoc “as a career.” It is unclear why Yamamoto believes that being a postdoc is not already a career, as postdocs are highly trained specialists who do much of the actual research at UCSF. At a surface level, it would appear that UCSF is taking the postdoc crisis seriously. If you ask Graduate Dean Elizabeth Watkins or other administrators, they will cite the recently released study on
THINKING CREATIVELY » PAGE 11
Just a few of the changes that came from survey feedback and collaboration with the UCSF community over the past 18 months include: •• Environmental Sustainability Enhancements: Expanded bicycle parking; installed Energy Star refrigerators in many campus housing units; implemented sustainable meeting practices in our conference centers; partnered with retailers to offer Smart Choice menu items; and implemented new delivery program to reduce vendor truck traffic: and Certified offices and labs through LivingGreen Programs to save $300,000 in energy, water, and waste costs. •• New or Enhanced Systems and Services: Launched numerous business applications including MyReports, UPlan, eProposal, Spend Analytics and Docusign; implemented one common VoIP (voice over internet) telephone system to lower costs; created a data security compliance program; expanded audience for the Chancellor’s Concert Series through web streaming; opened a mini fitness center at Mission Center Building; and launched a new UCSF Step It Up Challenge to encourage employee wellness. •• Enhanced Operations, Risk Management and Safety Programs: Improved Facilities Services work order efficiency and job status communication; achieved construction risk savings approaching $2 million through the University
Controlled Insurance Programs; collaborated with Medical Center and Campus customers for transportation, public safety and delivery/pickup readiness for Mission Bay expansion; installed 72 “WarnMe” electronic display boards to enhance emergency communications; and provided medical and event-driven assistance to growing numbers of registered Global Health travelers. Visit the FAS Website at http://fas.ucsf. edu/ for more examples of Service Improvements inspired by customer feedback. A survey email invitation will be sent on October 27 to students, faculty and staff, as well as stakeholders from the UCSF Medical Center, UC Office of the President, and the community. The survey should take between 10 and 20 minutes, depending on the number of services used. As a token of appreciation for completing the survey, participants may choose to enter in a raffle for one of 15 Amazon Gift Cards valued at $50 each. The survey will be open for feedback until Friday, November 14. FAS departments include: Audit Services, Budget and Resource Management, Campus Life Services, Campus Planning, Capital Programs, Controller’s Office, Office of Sustainability, Real Estate Services, Supply Chain Management, UCSF IT, UCSF Police Service, UCSF Program Management Office and UCSF Risk Management and Insurance Services.
Proposal: Postdoc Debate Do-Over Matthew Cook Contributing Writer
Hope springs eternal. Even for postdocs. As a second-time postdoc whose first postdoc experience at UCSF was littered with negative training experiences, I was anxious to attend “Thinking Creatively about Postdocs: A Roundtable Discussion with Gregory Petsko and Keith Yamamoto” on October 3rd, and I was happy to learn that the discussion was also being attended by such high-level administration members as Elizabeth Watkins and Bruce Alberts. Although I showed up at the event with high hopes, like many of my fellow postdocs who attended, I left the event disappointed. Based on the way the event was advertised, I had thought we were going to hear creative ideas from administration and fellow postdocs about what UCSF could do to improve the postdoc training and mentoring experience. Instead, the two panelists focused almost entirely on graduate training and on science funding at the national level. I have attended a number of roundtable discussions in my life, but none where there were a grand total of only two participants. This small number was apparently due to the fact that there were so many people, especially postdocs, who wanted to attend the original event that its format morphed into an ill-planned pseudo-debate between Yamamoto and Petsko. Besides the presence of an appointed moderator, there was very little in the way of structure or differing perspectives that would indicate
a debate. In fact, I noted that the two panelists agreed on the vast majority of issues discussed. One of the few differences between the panelists, however, turned out to be quite significant. Of particular note was Yamamoto’s rebuttal to Petsko’s revolutionary idea to double postdoc salary in a five-year period. Part of Yamamoto’s response was to lament the fact that more grant money would have to be spent on “labor” instead of “equipment needed to do the experiments.” Yamamoto’s assertion could easily be interpreted to mean that a substantial increase in valuation of labor over equipment and reagents is not a good idea. Here I’ve always thought that skilled labor was the key ingredient in carrying out well-controlled experiments. In addition to an insufficiently framed debate, no explicit goals or expectations were maintained. This left attendees in the dark about where this discussion fit in the broader context of the movement to improve the postdoc experience other than to “continue the conversation.” And much to my dismay, not a single question was allowed from the over 100 postdocs in attendance, and no formal feedback was sought, without which this event seemed to me like a mere attempt to give the appearance of an administration working towards a solution, albeit a vague, circuitous, and unilateral one.
POSTDOC PROPOSAL » PAGE 14
6 | October 23, 2014
| synapse.ucsf.edu
Puzzles » The Crossword
by Margie E. Burke
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 ACROSS 1 Meter reading 15 16 14 5 Flu symptom 18 19 17 9 Month of showers 22 20 21 14 Desktop symbol 23 24 15 Cafeteria item 16 Bouquet tosser 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 17 Flip out 34 35 33 18 Flooring material 32 19 Hosiery thread 38 39 36 37 20 Doggedness 41 42 43 22 One who takes 40 down the 45 46 47 44 quarterback 48 49 23 Mix and mingle 25 Dance or dip 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 28 Mourning band 58 59 57 29 Brand of jeans 32 Bring to life 61 62 60 34 Tango move 64 65 63 35 Indian royal 36 Radioactive Copyright 2014 by The Puzzle Syndicate element 38 Pro or con, in a 62 Grove growth 12 Not moving 37 Dole out 63 Fragrant oil 13 Unwelcome look 39 Sermon source contest 40 Cord material 64 Blood 21 Raccoon's kin 42 Risk calculator 41 Meadow 22 Nursed, as a 45 Like some classification 43 Call the shots? 65 Grazing group drink regions 44 Sailor's assent 24 Put down, as 46 Emotional 45 V-shaped cut DOWN tiles obstacle 47 Sailor's bed 1 Solidarity symbol 25 Diver's gear 48 Scenic outlook 48 Garden growth 2 Teen affliction 26 Collection 49 Point a finger at October272014 50 Form of 3 Reddish horse 50 One of a bear Tenant's 4 Pawn capture government contract trio 53 Decaf, 5 Storage spot 29 Procrastinator's 51 Final words? 6 Movie rater 52 Bringing up the facetiously word 57 Put to shame 7 Flag raiser 30 VCR button rear 58 Pop music 8 Check out 31 Terra firma 54 Take a chance 9 All lit up 33 Memorial tribute 55 At any time "Lady" 59 Great review 10 Sticker figure 35 "Get Ready" 56 Monopoly card 60 Downhill ski run 11 Classic game 58 Gangster's gun singer of the 61 Calla lily played on a map 70's
Edited by Margie E. Burke
Difficulty : Easy
Copyright 2014 by The Puzzle Syndicate
HOW TO SOLVE: (Answer appears elsewhere in this issue)
SOLUTIONS » PAGE 14
Think your vote doesn’t count? Think again! Solution to Bruister Sudoku Caroline Vance Contributing Writer ast June the statewide contest for controller was decided by fewer voters than it takes to fill a large lecture hall (481). Inthe2012 general election, Californians ages 18 to 24 made up 14 percent of but onlyone-third ofthose voters eligible actually cast a vote. Organizations like CALPIRG and Rock the Vote have been millennials to #CareLikeCrazy reminding
L
and #TurnUpTheVote with Lil Jon and friends this November.
I know some things that young Californians should care about, including statewide measures that affect long-term spending and saving in our state. I am pretty sure that our parents won’t be the ones required to pay off the debts if today’s lawmakers don’t do a better job. Prop 1 would finance sustainable water infrastructure–an urgent issue given the drought and climate change. Prop 2 would
ELECTIONS » PAGE 10
Courtesy of Andrew Jang
Nike Women’s Marathon.
Members of Sonrise Christian Fellowship, comprised of students from the schools of Dental, Medical, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Physical Therapy, after running the 13.1-mile Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Francisco on Sunday, October. 19. Visit synapse.ucsf.edu for the full article.
UC Student Regent Welcome Sadia Saifuddin & Avi Oved Contributing Writers
A s classes resume and we return to campus, reminders of the diversity of
our student body are all around us. Some students have arrived freshly inspired by the beauty and culture of foreign countries, and some emerge from the depths of backbreaking jobs and seemingly endless hours of internships; still others sit in the very same classrooms they frequented during long days of summer school, while some just soaked in the sun and enjoyed the peaceful bliss of doing absolutely nothing. But while many of its students wandered far from their campuses during the summer months, the wheels of activity continued to turn at the University of California. The governing body of the University, the Board of Regents, continued to hold its bi-monthly meetings at the University of California San Francisco. And in July, we were privileged to take our seats at the table as Student Regent Saifuddin and Student Regent-designate Oved. Allow us to introduce ourselves. The UC Board of Regents can be a distant, removed body of authority; few students on our campuses across the state have any direct interaction with the Board of Regents. Meanwhile, the influence and impact of the Regents, while tangible and omnipresent, is often misunderstood. It is our goal to change that. As the Student Regent and Student Regent-designate, we are privileged to represent students across the University of California. As representatives to the Board, we advocate for the student agenda on the Board of Regents. Regardless of your
major, age, race, gender, sex, nationality, religion, disability, identity or expression, we are here to listen, and we are here to amplify your voice. The Student Regent derives his or her power from the people that he or she represents. We are not here to advocate for our personal beliefs; our advocacy agenda is shaped by the general opinion of the UC student community. We are here for you. Each of us has a responsibility to ourselves, and to one another, to ensure that the UC is the best institution that it can possibly be. Together, we want to encourage all students to embrace our diversity, set aside our differences, and come together to bring positive change to our university. As the Student Regents, we have one purpose in mind: to serve the students of the University of California. Reach out to us. Email us. Come see us during campus visits. Contact us with your concerns, your questions, your vision for a better University of California. We are the UC Student Regents. How can we represent you? Sincerely yours, Sadia Saifuddin UC Student Regent saif.sadia10@gmail.com Avi Oved UC Student Regent-designate ucregentoved@gmail.com
Read Synapse Online at synapse.ucsf.edu
synapse.ucsf.edu
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October 23, 2014 | 7
Columns »
Senior faculty member asks new faculty, “Do October 17, 1974 Synapse Vol. 19, No. 6 you even grant, Bro?” This Date in UCSF History
Taylor LaFlam Science Editor
“T echnology and science, once worshipped as the gods of our secular society, have lately been found wanting. People are wondering how the human qualities can be restored to a field which is now dominated by technology.”
So reported the Synapse forty years ago in the article “Two-Day Seminar Explores Traditional Medicine” by Chris Jacobson. The program it highlighted covered a variety of non-Western approaches, including “American Indian medicine and medicine men, traditional and contemporary Chinese medicine, acupuncture, ancient techniques, and contemporary research into biofeedback.” “There is a growing conviction, held by people who work in health related professions and by those who receive health care,” the reporter wrote, “that while contemporary Western medicine has made impressive technological progress in the treatment of disease, the humanistic aspect of medical care has declined greatly over the past three decades.” Today, science and technology has become ever more advanced, but debates continue over whether they have left us informationally rich but socially poor. Tension remains between believers in conventional medicine, allopathic medicine
Staff Humorist
and other approaches to healing. We are not precisely where we were then--for example, medicine is not as paternalistic as it once was--but as this article shows, the more things change... Also from 40 years ago:
N ew UCSF faculty members gathered together for the 27th annual faculty
welcome reception last Friday. This year’s key speaker, Chad R. Yang, surprised viewers by forgoing the usual speech on advancing the frontiers of human medicine and instead gave incoming faculty advice on lab finance by posing the question, “Do you even grant, Bro?” “You think you’re hot stuff because you got a seed grant from the University? Um, excuse me. Do you even grant Bro? You think your R21 will get you high fives after you’ve been here a month? Do you. Even grant. Bro? You better be granting all day, er’ry day if you want to survive,” said a shameless Yang in between selfies on the podium. “All you wannabes better rep my model like it’s pure money… Because it basically is. Assistant professors be
admiring me. Full professors be hatin’ me. All of them wanna be like Chad R. Yang. hashtag GRANTLIFE, hashtag theverybest, hashtag humblebrag,” he added, while proudly holding up several of his most recent R01s for swooning assistant and adjunct faculty--and jealous senior faculty--to see. New faculty member Jordan Himmel was inspired by the talk. “I can’t wait to get my mad grant gainz just like him so I can go ‘round flaunting my lab wallet to all the grad students and post docs. I’m stalk-following him on facebook, Instagram, twitter, myspace, google+, academia.edu and Tinder so I never miss any of his posts, grant pics or personal life developments.” Staff Humorist is a contributor to the Humor column.
RCO of the Week Alas, where can a UCSF student go today to get the best American West attire? And where can he or she get the advice needed to make sure that belt buckle does not clash with that bolo tie.
Journal Club
Taylor LaFlam is a sixth-year MSTP and fourth-year BMS student.
SACNAS at UCSF Receives National Award Angela Castanieto Associate Editor
Taylor LaFlam Science Editor
M ICROBIOLOGY: A systematic analysis of biosynthetic gene clusters in the human microbiome reveals a common family of antibiotics. Donia, M.S., et al. (Fischbach). Cell. 2014. 158:1402-1414.
Scientists increasingly appreciate that the huge number of microorganisms living on the human body do not merely exist passively, but rather interact heavily with the cells of the body, each influencing the other. These interactions often rely on small molecules produced by the microbiota. The Fischbach group made a systematic investigation of this phenomenon, as reported in this recent paper. They analyzed more than 2,000 reference genomes of human microbiota and identified a few thousand likely biosynthetic gene clusters. They observed that genes encoding proteins to synthesize thiopeptides are present in many microbiota. They studied one particular thiopeptide, lactocillin, and found that it had powerful activity against Gram-positive bacteria. They anticipate further study of these biosynthetic gene clusters will reveal many additional molecules with drug-like activities. CANCER BIOLOGY: Loss of oncogenic Notch1 with resistance to a PI3K inhibitor
in T-cell leukaemia. Dail, M. et al. (Shannon). Nature. 2014. 513:512-516. Today, new anti-cancer drugs are usually targeted therapies that seek to exploit particular mutations of the tumor, thereby causing fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy. One such drug under development for the treatment of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) inhibits the protein PI3K. PI3K signaling is aberrantly high in a majority of T-ALL cases, as is Notch1. In this paper, Dail and colleagues studied resistant clones that emerged eventually after treatment with the PI3K inhibitor and found that they generally showed loss of excessive Notch1 activity. They further found that decreased Notch1 led to increased PI3K signaling pathway activity. Since both pathways are frequently mutated in T-ALL, one might imagine that going after both at once, by giving two targeted therapies, would be more effective than either alone. Given the above results, however, the authors suggest that such treatment might unexpectedly promote the development of drug resistance.
JOURNAL CLUB » PAGE 14
SACNAS.
Courtesy of Anael Rizzo
Members of SACNAS at UCSF pose with their award at the SACNAS National Conference. Front row, left to right: Richard Parenteau, Joselyn Del Cid, Carlos Rojo, Raul Torres, Kelly Chavez, Melissa Sandoval; back row: Galo Garcia, Rose Citron, Fernando Meza Gutierrez, Flora Rutaganira.
T he UCSF chapter of SACNAS (Society for Advancement of Hispanics/Chicanos
and Native Americans in Science) has only been around since 2012, but it is already receiving national recognition. At the SACNAS National Conference last Thursday in Los Angeles, the chapter received the SACNAS 2014 Outstanding New Chapter Award. This was quite an accomplishment given that the year for which they were evaluated saw a large increase from sixty to over ninety SACNAS chapters nationwide. SACNAS at UCSF members were thrilled. “Receiving the award was a huge honor. Everyone in the chapter shares a common goal of encouraging and celebrating participation in science amongst individuals from a wide array of backgrounds. A lot of the success
we have experienced thus far stems from that shared mission,” said Raul Torres, fourth year Biomedical Sciences student and SACNAS at UCSF President. The fact that SACNAS at UCSF received this award, however, is not surprising. Since its founding by Maria Mouchess, then a postdoc at UCSF, its members have thrown themselves into pursuing the mission of the national organization to promote education and scientific training within historically underrepresented groups. For example, in collaboration with UCSF’s Center for Educational Partnerships, members of UCSF at SACNAS mentored ninth graders at Mission High School through a program
SACNAS » PAGE 14
8 | October 23, 2014
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Columns »
[Exit, Pursued by Science] Advice Column
Dear Mama M
Hanna Starobinets Staff Writer
Hello world.
I don’t know about you, but I love that friend who reads tons of random stuff on the internet. The slightest trigger inevitably sends him or her into an excited retelling of some interesting (and often obscure) fact or news article; conversation with them is never dull, and it’s sometimes all you can do to keep up. Do you need such a friend? Or want another? [Enter Messenger] In this column, I’ll be sharing the latest science/ tech/health news that catches my eye. Or, if you want to be that friend, let this serve as a source of fun facts to throw around during your next happy hour. In gadget news: Oxford Nanopore’s MinION device, a handheld USB-powered DNA sequencer, has finally made it into beta testers’ hands. The device feeds continuous strands of DNA up to 10 kilobases long through a nanopore, measures electrical conductivity of each base, and determines if it’s A, T, G, or C. In contrast, traditional sequencers analyze DNA fragments and
use algorithms to stitch the reads back together. The idea apparently popped into the creator’s head as he was driving down I-5 almost twenty years ago. Some of its specs are downright impressive (its size and $1000 price tag), but others need great improvement (60-85 accuracy when it comes to actual sequencing), leaving beta testers with mixed feelings. If we believe the promise for future improvements, this paints a totally new picture of DNA analysis in research and the clinic. Even if this particular gadget doesn’t make it in the end, one day someone is going to sequence a complete genome in a cell phone-sized device with the words: “Back in my day, sequencers were the size of refrigerators.” References: Technology Review, Nature, enGadget, Oxford Nanopore. In 3D printing news: Harvard professor of material science and biologically inspired engineering Jennifer Lewis spoke at this month’s EmTech conference on her team’s research and development of 3D printed
EXIT » PAGE 14
The Five Mentors Every Student Needs Naledi Saul Contributing Writer
T he first thing you should know is that you don’t need a mentor – you need five
of them. It’s almost impossible for students to find in a single person the full range of academic and professional mentorship that they typically need. Instead, students do well when they find multiple mentors who embody different aspects of the five types of support that define well-rounded mentorship. Here’s what you need: 1. A field mentor: someone who knows your area of work This mentor is a content expert who helps you learn the information and skills required to develop as a clinician or researcher in your field of study. The biggest mistake students make in choosing a field mentor is picking someone who is well regarded but unavailable. So if you have a big-name but too-busy mentor, consider rounding them out with a second, more accessible field mentor. These can be people just a few years ahead of you in their own training. For example, if you’re in the lab, your mentor could be the postdoc who gives great feedback when you get stuck. Or, if you’re a medical student, ask 4th years about the best study resource for your shelf exam. Mentors are defined not by their seniority, but by their willingness to give you their time, attention and advice to help you achieve your personal and professional goals. Often, field mentorships have short life spans. Your relationship might be a micromentorship of a few weeks, limited to the length of a particular project, clinical preceptorship or work experience. 2. A career mentor: someone who knows your career path
This mentor offers guidance on how to position yourself to pursue a particular career path. In a perfect world, your field mentor and career mentor would be the same person. But unless you’ve chosen the same career path as your field mentor, they probably won’t have the background or knowledge required to offer you sufficient direction, opportunities and contacts. Students can find career mentors by networking at conferences and professional association meetings. You can initiate these mentorship relationships with informational interviews, which are conversations with people about their career paths. LinkedIn is also a useful tool for students seeking career mentors, because you can find professionals by using keyword searches that pair your current field and future career path, such as, “sociology/consulting,” “global health/ health outcomes research,” and “pharmacy/ biotech.” 3. A guide mentor: someone who knows “how things work here” This mentor is a person shows you the ropes when you join a community. As a student, you’ll need guide mentors because every new school, program, course, internship, clinical rotation, lab or job has a new, steep learning curve, and you won’t have the time or bandwidth to figure it out yourself. To engage a guide mentor, just ask for advice. What is the best way to approach particular clinical instructor if you made a mistake, or the etiquette at a specific PI’s lab meetings? How can you find a research or work opportunity on campus? What’s the quickest way to get something done? Where’s the best place for lunch? This
MENTORS » PAGE 15
Imedicalshouldn’t admit this, but I started school mainly because I wasn’t
sure what else to do. What I really wanted was to be a writer, but I knew it was hard and impractical, and I figured I could just do it on the side while making a living as a physician. I’ve been doing a bit of freelance and having some success. It’s getting harder and harder to convince myself to stick with medicine in light of that. What do you think? Should I stay or should I go? - Torn Between Two Worlds Dearest Torn, I have been thinking about you for a while now. Your question conjures up both despair and hilarity in me. The dilemma between art and practicality is an ancient one. Michelangelo’s father only allowed his son to study with Ghirlandaio because the great Master broke precedent and allowed Michelangelo to be a paid apprentice. Art, by its very nature, may seem impractical. Zora Neale Hurston, Edgar Allen Poe,
Herman Melville, Oscar Wilde, and Emily Dickenson are a few of the great writers who lived impractically and died penniless. And yet, there is this internal pull, this life force, this writer/painter/singer/dancer inside us that does not seem to care. Our spirits crave art. It is said that art calls the artist, not the other way around. You are quite possibly a writer. An artist. An impractical, nonsense-making, who-givesa-crap type of person who forms words in their head spontaneously. It is possible that the writer in you is writing anyway... in your mind…on napkins and tiny slips of paper. Stories and ideas might just appear, magically, from inside your awesome self. And that, sweetheart, is a gift. The thing that cracks me up (just a little...I am not making light of your struggle) is that it is just so damn hard to get into Medical School and the fact that you went because you “were not sure what else to do” is funny to me. Lots of people wait
MAMA M » PAGE 14
Let’s Get Physical...Therapy!
Serving Our Men & Women
The honor, the glory, and not so glorious aspects of surviving 16 weeks on an Air Force base in Biloxi, Mississippi Ilka Felsen Staff Writer
T he arrival of Fall also marks the return of 41 third-year physical therapy students
back to campus for our final year. We have five more months of academic coursework before we will be ushered back into the clinic (some of us needing more nudging than others, such as yours truly), and then it’s on to graduation in May and boards in July. For the past four months, we have been practicing physical therapy in hospitals and clinics around the country, some staying at UCSF and others flying all the way to Hawaii. Somewhere in the middle, four of us ventured to Biloxi, Mississippi to complete our rotation with the Air Force. According to The Atlantic, Mississippi ranks as America’s worst state for healthcare. As an optimistic physical enthusiast, one may choose instead to look at that as inspiration for change! Our patients at the Air Force, however, did not fit the picture we Westerners may have of obese, fried chicken-loving Southerners (disclaimer: stereotypes are not mine). Our military patients were some of America’s fittest, and reining them in from their injury-inducing activities was actually a bigger challenge. With that in mind, here are the top seven culture shocks (professionally and personally) that I experienced during my rotation.
Courtesy of Ilka Felsen
The author mobilizing another intern’s cervical spine.
1. Physical therapists in the military have the privilege of ordering imaging, prescribing medications, and writing “profiles” for patients to exclude them from participating in required physical fitness. We also provide direct access in special cases—this involved waking up before the sunrise and treating Combat Controllers (the Air Force version of the Navy Seals). 2. Active duty personnel are America’s athletes, minus the spectators sitting in a stadium to watch them work out. Physical fitness is a strong component of performance rating in the military. The Combat Controllers, for instance, are young
PHYSICAL THERAPY » PAGE 15
synapse.ucsf.edu
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October 23, 2014 | 9
Columns »
Low Back Pain: Doc, Startups Speak to Synapse NurseMind App Keeps Make It Step Off! Busy Nurses On Target Theresa Poulos Staff Writer
T he Patient: A 25-year old G1P1 woman presented to primary care clinic with
chronic back pain that had worsened in the past 18 months since she gave birth. Growing up, she had hopes of becoming a dancer and practiced diligently until she began having back pain in her teens that kept her from rehearsal. The pain was tolerable until she became pregnant, when she spent weeks in bed because of sharp lower back pain that radiated bilaterally down her legs. Since delivery, she has continued to have similar pain, so severe that she needs to break from activities. She notes that twisting motions are particularly aggravating, as is lifting her child. She also finds that the pain is almost intolerable when she has sex with her husband. X-ray imagery confirmed the diagnosis. The Diagnosis: Spondylolisthesis is an anterior or posterior displacement of a vertebra or the vertebral column in relation to the vertebra below. It often results from a spondylosis (a defect or fracture of the vertebral arch) earlier in life. Because of the structural damage to the vertebral arch, on x-ray spondylolisthesis looks like a “step-off” of the vertebra. Severity of disease is graded by analysis of the extent of the observed “step-off,” or how much misalignment is seen. Spondylolisthesis is 4-6 times more common in women than men, and is thought to be related to estrogen’s loosening effects on ligaments. Like our patient who was training as a dancer, young teenage girls who participate in sports such
as gymnastics and cheerleading are at higher risk for spondylolisthesis because of the combination of hormonal shifts and physical demands on the spine. Additional problems related to spondylolisthesis are often seen during pregnancy as a result of loosening ligaments and changes in pelvic structure. This patient was diagnosed with a low-grade (<50 percent slip) isthmic spondylolisthesis. Initial treatment plan is conservative, with recommendations for physical therapy and spine strengthening exercises that target the deep spine stabilizers, as well as NSAIDs to help control the pain. She was also counseled on sexual positions that might be less painful for her. If symptoms are still intolerable after 6-12 months of conservative therapy, she may consider a surgical decompression and fusion. Welcome to UCaSeFiles, a weekly column in which short case vignettes are submitted by UCSF medical students, residents and attendings based on the stories of real patients seen on the wards, with each vignette followed by a brief discussion of salient learning points. Some cases are rare diagnoses; others are common ailments that might have had a unique or puzzling presentation. All are welcome to submit your medical mysteries to Theresa Poulos (theresa.poulos@ucsf.edu) for editing and final submission. Theresa Poulos is a fourth-year medical student.
CAMPUS LIFE SERVICES ARTS & EVENTS PRESENTS
HALLOWEEN PARTY October 31, 2014 ✖ 12noon-1pm
PARNASSUS
Millberry Union Gymnasium 500 Parnassus Ave. UCSF Campus Life Services - Arts & Events, Outdoor Programs and Recreational Sports and the Multicutural Resource Center presents the offical UCSF Halloween Party & Costume Contest. Categories: • Best Individual - UCSF Student and Staff • Best Group - UCSF School and Department
FREE event. Featuring entertainment by DJ Jay Bee and Nacho Bar & Agua Fresca - while supplies last
For more information: www.campuslifeservices.ucsf.edu/artsevents Love your vendor! Buy on campus, support Arts & Events. Partial proceeds from Retail partnerships fund Arts & Events for the UCSF community. Find out more at: bit.ly/loveyourvendor
Yarrow Madrona Staff Writer
A nurse’s day can be a whirlwind. It is challenging to keep track of all that needs
to be done for each patient and when it must be done. But now, there’s an app for that.
enough subscriptions to support a viable business. Keller is pursuing a partnership with a major publishing house that would
The app, NurseMind, is produced by the startup Nurse Tech, and uses a proprietary algorithm to dynamically track a nurse’s myriad tasks. “The app knows what you need to get done on your shift. If you are running late, it turns red,” said Dan Keller, founder of Nurse Tech. “The needs of your patients are changing all the time. New patients are coming, others are getting discharged or handed off to other people, and everything changes.” Keller, who is a registered nurse and has a master’s in medical informatics from UCSF, has been working on NurseMind for four years. He believes that his experience as a nurse has enabled him to make an app better than its competitors.
Dan Keller. Founder of Nurse Tech.
sell the app with textbooks and clinical materials to nursing schools. Nursing students have been among the most enthusiastic users of the app, according to Keller. He is also considering licensing his algorithm.
“I think my algorithm is better,” he said. “The process it uses to construct the Approximately $100,000 has been invested CAMPUS LIFE SERVICES ARTS & EVENTS PRESENTS checklist and how it knows what your to- in Nurse Tech, mostly from outside sources. do items are is more nurse-centric than NurseMind has been tested at three other software products.” hospitals so far with mixed results, Keller stated that most competing products said Keller. Nurses mostly like it but are extensions of electronic medical management has yet to grasp its value. records and are centered around the orders PARNASSUS provided by a physician. “Yet much of what UCSF, a world leader in health care, has an Millberry Union Gymnasium nurses do is not 500 Parnassus Ave.orders-driven. They get opportunity to position itself as a pioneer surprisingly little support for their complex in nursing time management, with several UCSF Campus Life Services - Arts & Events, Outdoor Programs groups considering piloting NurseMind, workflows. We’re that.” and Recreational Sports andchanging the Multicutural Resource Center presents the offical UCSF Halloween Party & Costume Contest. noted Keller. This would get it in the hands of nurses more quickly. “If they pilot this, NurseMind is particularly good for the Categories: it will give good evidence of utility and • Best Individual - UCSF Student and are Staff important but many nursing tasks that • Best Group - UCSF School and Department not urgent, Keller said. “You are okay as prove its appeal to potential customers.” long as you get itentertainment done. But by theDJproblem FREE event. Featuring Jay Bee is and Nacho & Agua Fresca supplies last often youBarforget to do- while something. Nurses Keller previously ran another successful are juggling so much information. For technology-driven business. Thirty years example, after a surgical procedure you ago, he founded a technology training need to get the patient out of bed and company, Dan Keller Technical Services. ambulatory as soon as possible. So every It started by providing trainings for Unix, hour you have to remember to come back then moved on to HTML, Perl, and XML, each for an increasingly short period of and walk them around.” time. Keller said that the challenge in building the app was to have an algorithm that keeps “Each technology’s lifetime decreased by up with a changing work schedule without half with each cycle. I had Fortune 500 clients and worked like a dog,” said Keller. slowing the nurse down. “But by 2000 I was burned out at 46 years Another important but not urgent task cited old.” by Keller is moving bedbound patients to He laughed and said, “So I retired. But then prevent bedsores. Bedsores For are not only www.campuslifeservices.ucsf.edu/artsevents more information: painful and dangerous to the patient but I got bored. Be careful what you wish for!” Love your vendor! Buy on campus, support Arts & Events. Partial proceeds from Retail partnerships fund expensive, typically costing $20,000 toEvents for the UCSF community. Find out more at: bit.ly/loveyourvendor Arts & treat. Hospitals are not reimbursed for this “Timing is everything in business,” Keller treatment because bedsores are considered said when reflecting on the success of his first business. Perhaps the time is right for the result of poor nursing care. NurseMind. The app is available through iTunes. It is Yarrow Madrona is a post-doctoral fellow. free for the first month, after which there is a four dollar monthly fee. Since it was released in February 2013, the app has Editor Note. The Bay Area is teeming with been downloaded more than 10,000 times. startups, many of which have a UCSF The app has received a couple of hundred connection. Each month, Synapse will sit down with one such startup to hear about payments, most for a single month’s fee. what they’re working on and how they got Currently, NurseMind does not have there.
HALLOWEEN PARTY
October 31, 2014 ✖ 12noon-1pm
10 | October 23, 2014
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Articles continued » Diversity » FROM FRONT PAGE SNDA and HSDA volunteer at 37th Annual Health Fair By Ivy Avanessian Fua Since the economic downturn many people, especially those living in East Oakland, have suffered disproportionately from cancer, diabetes and hypertension. In service to these individuals the Student National Dental Association (SNDA), in collaboration with the Hispanic Student Dental Association (HSDA), volunteered on August 14th at Allen Temple Baptist Church’s 37th Annual Health Fair themed “Healthy Actions For A Healthy You”. The goals of the fair were to provide free health screenings, and to educate the community about positive health maintenance behaviors including ways to decrease stress. Over ninety community organizations participated at the fair to provide: adult physicals; back-to-school physicals; blood pressure screenings; breast exams; cholesterol and diabetes screenings; eye exams; foot exams; hearing exams and oral health exams. With supervision by Dr. Daniel Ramos, Director of UCSF’s Oral Medicine Clinical Center, and Dr. Pamela Alston, Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSF and Dental Director of the Alameda Health System, 2nd through 4th year dental students volunteering with SNDA and
Ebola
» FROM FRONT PAGE involved. We are taking every precaution to ensure that those who go receive as much training and support as possible, both for their own personal protection and to avoid spreading the disease to others. George Rutherford, MD, professor of Epidemiology and director of the Prevention and Public Health Group in UCSF Global Health Sciences, and Theresa O’Brien, PhD, Associate Chancellor, have agreed to serve as campus liaisons for this effort, and I deeply appreciate their leadership. We have prepared guidelines, which we will update as the situation evolves, and all UCSF personnel seeking institutionally approved leave will be required to follow them. Volunteers must be licensed clinical care providers and must take the special Ebola training offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) before departing for West Africa. They also must work under the auspices of a recognized governmental or nongovernmental organization with the experience and resources to ensure the safety of its staff. For those who would like to contribute in other ways, we are setting up a vacation bank to donate paid time to those who are travelling to West Africa to respond to the
Elections » FROM PAGE 6 require lawmakers to be more careful with state money and avoid the deficits that contribute to tuition increases. Find out more on these all everything on your ballot at the google of election information: www.votersedge.org.
HSDA provided oral cancer screenings, dental screenings, and fluoride varnish application to over one hundred patients. “We had so many people come by our booth that we ran out of consent forms. We had to go make more copies,” said one student volunteer. The patients seen were quite diverse, with 63% being African American and 34% being Hispanic, and 74% of those being children. The severity of the cases also varied, with 69% advised to continue with regular checkups, 20% given dental treatment on-the-spot and 10% advised to see a dentist as soon as possible due to the severity of their dental problems. A dental care referral resource list was given to all patients along with a toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss, and patients were also taught how to properly brush and floss. All supplies used by the UCSF volunteers were donated by the UCSF Graduate & Professional Student Association. SNDA and HSDA plan on continuing to provide more dental screening events throughout the school year. Ivy Avanessian Fua is a third-year dental student.
UPCOMING EVENTS
UCSF/SFSU First Annual Community Partnerships Celebration October 23, 5-8 p.m. SF County Fair Building, 1199 9th Avenue crisis. In response to questions from alumni and friends, we have gathered information on how to donate to Ebola outbreak efforts. UCSF Medical Center also has been preparing to ensure the safety of our health care workers and patients, in case a patient with Ebola arrives at one of our hospitals. A communicable disease management and exposure response policy has been in place and tested for many years. A separate task force comprising many different hospital departments has been meeting since August and is coordinating with the CDC and other public health agencies. A town hall to discuss our preparations is being planned. Information will be communicated in the next few days. UCSF has posted an Ebola resource page, with links to the guidelines, the vacation banking policy, how to donate and other general information. If you have other questions about UCSF’s response to this crisis, please feel free to email them to ebola@ucsf.edu. I believe that UCSF has a great deal to offer in the global effort to contain the outbreak, through direct service, as well as through discovery, clinical epidemiological and implementation research. We know that many in the UCSF community are passionate about the need to respond directly to this crisis. We honor this desire to serve and know that it must be balanced with the need to ensure everyone’s safety. California Forward, a non-profit government reform organization, is proud to partner with Maplight and the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund to make it easy to share your voting preferences on social media and email on Voter’s Edge. Once you are armed with information on your ballot, make sure your vote counts! A spooky non-Halloween-related fact from
UC San Francisco’s University Community Partnerships (UCP) and SF State’s Community Service Learning Program (CSL) will be holding a First Annual Community Partnerships Celebration. The celebration will highlight the work that both institutions do within the San Francisco community. This year UCP will honor the outstanding achievements of our 2014 Excellence in Partnerships Awardees. RSVP required at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ SFSUUCSFpartnerships. Multicultural Resource Center Open House October 24, Noon-2 p.m. Multicultural Resource Center Millberry Union, MU123W Stop by the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) from noon-2pm on Friday, October 24 to meet the new Director of the Multicultural Resource Center, LaMisha Hill, PhD. There will be light refreshments, raffle prizes, and a special performance by UCSF Vocal Chords! RSVP Required. Asexual Awareness Day Brown Bag Discussion October 29, Noon-1 p.m. Medical Sciences 174 The UCSF LGBT Resource Center is hosting a brown bag lunch event to learn about Asexuality. This 45 minute talk with discuss the theories behind asexuality, patient intake, how to talk about asexuality with patients who may identify as such, & how it differs from abstinence and celibacy.
Hawgood » FROM PAGE 3
during his chancellorship, giving as examples UCSF’s partnership with Google to create a platform to predict where malaria is transmitted, as well as a partnership with Children’s Hospital Oakland. To maintain its status as a leader, UCSF must also continue to address its missions in research, education, and patient care. Regarding research, Hawgood said that he plans to “devote all necessary personal time and attention” to keep UCSF “eminent in all the basic sciences.” He prioritized the building of UCSF’s “precision medicine platform,” citing as an example partnerships with Syapse and DNAnexus to integrate next generation genomic profiling and cancer care. He also stressed the importance of becoming leaders in the “merging of technologic and biologic sciences,” mentioning his plans to solidify such UCSF programs as the Center for Digital Health Innovation and the Institute for Computational Health Sciences. In order to remain a leader in health sciences, UCSF must also continue to develop its educational programs. “Our students are digitally savvy and very open to new ways to learn,” he said. Hawgood desires for UCSF to lead in convening a summit focusing on health science education, the goal being to move from “traditional to transformational educational models.” the June election is that OVER 90,000 Vote-by-Mail ballots were not counted. The number one reason: the ballots arrived late. So, if you Vote by Mail, mail in your ballot early (at least one week before the election). You can drop off your ballot in person at a polling place, in the county where you are registered to vote if you
LGBT FAST Mentoring November 6, 6-8 p.m. Lange Room, UCSF Parnassus Library The LGBT FAST Mentoring Program is sponsored by the UCSF LGBT Resource Center. At this Speed Mentoring Event, attendees will have an opportunity to meet potential mentors/mentees through the evening. RSVP required. Contact larry. lariosa@ucsf.edu Guest Speaker Sylvia Mendez, RN November 12, 5:30-7 p.m. Health Sciences West 300 In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the Office of Diversity and Outreach, the UCSF School of Nursing and Voces Latinas proudly invite you to meet Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Sylvia Mendez, RN. Ms. Mendez is principal catalyst for the case that made California the first state in the country to desegregate their public school system. As this program will draw high interest from the community, we kindly ask that you RSVP at http://sylviamendez.eventbrite.com on or before Wednesday, November 5. If you are part of a UCSF organization that does outreach or diversity-focused events, you can showcase past events or announce upcoming events in this column. Please e-mail a write-up (200 words or fewer per event) to synapse@ucsf.edu with the subject line Diversity & Outreach by November 12th to be featured in the November 20th issue. Angela Castanieto is a sixth-year Tetrad student.
Hawgood also discussed UCSF’s exciting plans for change in patient care, resulting in a “transformation of our clinical programs” in the form of UCSF Health, which he said would “unite our physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, and other allied health staff with our leaders and management of our hospitals and clinics and, importantly, with multiple community partners” in an aligned organization to deliver health care to large populations at reduced costs. The strategies to pursue this were threefold: to increase patient access to “destination programs” such as cancer care and organ transplants; to train all faculty, staff, and students in skills of “process improvement” to reduce the cost of health care; and to partner with other like-minded health care organizations to form an “Accountable Care Organization.” Increasing diversity at UCSF Awarded the 2014 Higher Education Award of Excellence in Diversity, UCSF has been recognized for its diverse student body, but Hawgood aims to increase the diversity of UCSF’s postgraduates, faculty, and leadership. To stress the importance of this, he again quoted Kerr, declaring that “it is the social alchemy that gives special character to an institution.” He closed his speech with this sentiment: “After three decades at UCSF, I believe our social alchemy of inclusion, collaboration, excellence, and dedication to our public mission is very special, and something I will work to preserve at all costs. “ Angela Castanieto is a sixth-year Tetrad student.
miss that window. Vote-by-Mail ballot envelopes also must be signed, whether mailed or dropped off -- so make sure you sign (just like you did when you registered). UCSB Alum, Caroline Vance Bruister is California Forward’s Partnership for Public Accountability Director
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Articles continued » Mental Health » FROM FRONT PAGE really important. Talking to a therapist is a great place to have a safe, protected space to talk to an objective party that wants to help you. Based on my experiences with mental health services at UCSF, I’d strongly encourage anyone to go talk to a therapist, even if you haven’t experienced life-altering tragedies.” In an effort to address the stigma related to mental health, UCSF Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS) will launch the “Mental Health Matters” campaign on October 20th. The campaign features a poster campaign and social media highlighting our faculty and our Chancellor
Act) and the California Mental Health Services Authority, was created to support student mental health programs including the development of marketing and social media campaigns, such as “Mental Health Matters”, to reduce stigma and discrimination regarding mental health. The “Mental Health Matters” Campaign will also be featured as part of the UCSF campus’ first day of Mental Health Awareness Week activities on October 27th, 2014. The week of events is a collaboration between SHCS, Student Life, Medical School Well Being Program, and the UCSF Department of Psychiatry. On that day, a tabling event will occur at both Parnassus (in the Med Science Lobby), and Mission Bay (2nd Floor Byers Hall Atrium), that will include an opportunity
Napolitano » FROM PAGE 3 advancing health worldwide, President Napolitano noted the UCSF mug on her desk and said, “You can’t beat UCSF’s reputation.” Specifically, she talked about the university’s already-stellar reputation in basic research and the applications that are sure to come of it, citing in particular the multi-campus brain mapping project and UC Ventures, an independent fund that invests in projects stemming from UC research in order to “complement and supplement…and spread the gospel of basic research.” Despite initially “fac[ing] a steep learning curve,” President Napolitano may become the advocate for public research universities and basic research in general that academics wish all policy makers could be. “While there are lots of veins and capillaries in higher education, public research universities are the aorta,” she said during her keynote address at the NYT Schools for Tomorrow conference earlier in September. “They pump the blood of innovation, transformation, and knowledge creation in the modern day American society.” She cited basic research in particular as “the lifeblood of any institution engaged in the creation of new knowledge.” While applied research may directly lead to
Reproduction » FROM PAGE 3 LARC methods. One of the sub-studies that emerged from the CHOICE project is EPIC, which stands for “Effectiveness of Prolonged Use of IUD/Implant for Contraception.” Preliminary data suggests that Nexplanon, an etonogestrel implant, has sustained efficacy beyond three years. This could have important implications, especially if the patient is concerned about the cost of getting the implant replaced. Another session was dedicated to reviewing the data regarding extended use of IUDs. A literature review published earlier this year in Contraception found good evidence to support the extended use of the Paragard to 12 years (currently approved for 10 years) and Mirena to seven years (currently approved for five years) among women who have borne children and were 25 years or older at the time of IUD insertion. The
Thinking Creatively answering the question, “How do you take care of your mental health?” The specific aims are: 1) to reduce stigma regarding mental health, 2) to normalize help seeking and self-care, and 3) to demonstrate to students that even their role models and mentors need to manage their emotional health, and value doing so as a key to their success. The University of California (UC) has long recognized student mental health as an ongoing and urgent issue in higher education. National mental health trends also present a challenge at all UC campuses and their efforts to maintain healthy learning environments. UCSF is no exception. The Student Mental Health Initiative grant (SMHI), which was funded by Proposition 63 (Mental Health Services
for students to participate in an art project where they will get a chance to share their own mental health management strategies by answering the same question, “How do you take care of your mental health?”. Students will also be invited to comment on the SHCS Mental Health Awareness Campaign website (https://studenthealth. ucsf.edu/MentalHealthAwareness2014), and the SHCS Facebook page (https:// www.facebook.com/studenthealth). SHCS hopes these images and statements will resonate with UCSF students and emphasize the importance of mental health as a normal, valuable component of everyday life. For more information about the Mental Health Awareness Campaign, visit: https://studenthealth.ucsf.edu/ MentalHealthAwareness2014.
» FROM PAGE 5
postdoc outcomes, and the piloting of the Motivating INformed Decisions (MIND) Program. If you ask postdocs themselves, big questions still remain about whether or not UCSF is truly making large scale reforms to tackle what is, according to Pestko, “an urgent problem,” and these questions were not addressed during the roundtable. “It’s infuriating that at an event specifically billed to help postdocs, we weren’t included in the conversation. We want our voices to be heard, and this event didn’t convince me that we’re being taken seriously,” said Stephanie Vlachos, a postdoc entering her third year. Certainly the people who work in the Office of Career and Professional Development,
cures for diseases or solutions to world hunger, none of these things would be possible without basic research to set the foundations. Equally important are the trainees who conduct this research. In her first year, President Napolitano worked on two initiatives directed towards graduate students ($5 million added to existing and new fellowships to increase underrepresented minority students pursuing PhDs at UC) as well as postdoctoral scholars (President’s postdoctoral fellowship program to support new faculty). Much of the current discussion at graduate schools throughout the country, however, focuses on the shortage of careers in academia after training and the difficult choices PhD students and postdoctoral fellows must make about their future careers. Synapse asked President Napolitano for her thoughts on how trainees should approach the next phase of our lives. In response, she noted the “need for career training” for trainees to pursue non-academic careers. “There are large employers in the Bay Area looking for smart people… We need to increase the aperture for graduate students and support the ones who want to stay in academia as well as the ones who do not.” Jenny Qi is a fourth-year BMS student.
authors of the study, Justine Wu and Sarah Pickle, emphasized that clinicians must consider the patient’s age, parity, access to contraception and pregnancy desire before making a decision. Data did not support the extended use of Skyla (currently approved for three years), which is slightly smaller and has a lower dose than the Mirena IUD. While in the exhibit hall I found a great online resource for patients. Bedsider does a terrific job of explaining and illustrating all the various contraception choices in a fun and simple manner. It is especially suited for teens and young adults, and there is also a section for providers. The representatives told me that there is a Spanish version in development, so keep an eye out! To learn more about the CHOICE project, go to http://www.choiceproject.wustl.edu. To learn more about Bedsider, go to http:// bedsider.org. Prisila Gonzalez RN, MPH is an FNP student.
who have created and piloted all of the currently available programs and resources for professional development at UCSF, care about improving the postdoc experience. Dean Watkins publicly stated at an event where she unveiled recent UCSF postdoc outcomes that UCSF has “a real opportunity to be national leaders in thinking creatively about the postdoc experience and the best kind of cocurricular training and programming we can give in addition to research training.” While there are clearly some important and well-respected scientists at UCSF highly invested in changing what it means to succeed in academia, from this event alone it is unclear that UCSF is truly in a position to profoundly restructure postdoctoral training. Allowing postdocs to participate in the conversation might be a good first step. Bryne Ulmschneider is a fourth-year Tetrad student.
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Articles continued » Dan Kelly » FROM FRONT PAGE When I was a medical student at Albert Einstein in the Bronx, I hit this roadblock of wanting to take that year off between my third and fourth year to do a Masters of Public Health, but I also badly wanted to serve people on the ground. I remember my mentor Paul Farmer [a Harvard physician and medical anthropologist] telling me that spending one year on the ground is like spending five years in school, which resonated with me and inspired me to reach out to one of my colleagues in medical school named Issa Toure, who was from Sierra Leone. He offered the opportunity for me to go to Sierra Leone and work with some of his medical colleagues. As a medical student in Sierra Leone, I was very overwhelmed by the need but was also inspired to act. I started Wellbody Alliance with Dr. Mohamed Bailor Barrie, a Sierra Leonean physician who came out of poverty and become an incredibly passionate advocate of the poor. We started our clinic at Wellbody Alliance at a time when Sierra Leone was coming out of a ten-year civil war, and we wanted to make sure that amputated civilians were receiving the direct medical services that the government was promising them. We also saw the greater need of a country with a fragile health system that was unable to deliver basic care to people in remote villages, which was the inspiration for a number of subsequent projects such as a community-based HIV treatment and prevention program, as well as a program to reduce maternal mortality. In some ways, what we were doing was building the infrastructure that would help us respond to the Ebola crisis. Synapse: Can you tell us about your latest trip to Sierra Leone? I was doing my second year of clinical fellowship in infectious disease at UCSF and an MPH at Berkeley when I decided to put things on hold and go to Sierra Leone, which was about six weeks ago, I went on a shoestring with the advice and support of the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Health as well as the support of people at UCSF. When I got over there, I saw Sierra Leone like I had never seen it before, and I felt like I was entering this vacuum where there was so much help needed—the hospitals were closed, the isolation wards were abandoned and the health care workers were straining and putting their lives at risk because there was just not support for them. Synapse: It sounds like your own clinic was closed when you went back to Sierra Leone. I think that what hit me really hard at the time that my friend got sick was the fact that I really wanted to make sure that I understood what was going on the ground and what kind of risk people were putting themselves in. At that point, I didn’t know anything about Ebola and frankly, I didn’t feel comfortable making decisions. As I started reading more and more, and when I understood what our health care workers were doing, I became scared for their safety and we, as a leadership team, discussed what was going on and made the decision that it was in the best interest of our own nonprofit not to put the lives of our friends and colleagues at risk. We made a decision to close the clinic until I could be there, I could train people and we could redesign the system as a model for the district.
Synapse: How long was Wellbody Alliance closed? The clinic was closed for about a week and a half. We had a training, we redesigned the way we screened, triaged and referred patients from our clinic to hospitals, and then we reopened the clinic on a Monday. I can remember that there were four people identified as suspected of having Ebola, and all of those patients ended up fleeing the clinic. I went out into the community to figure out why they left and found one woman and her sick child. I videotaped this woman’s perceptions of Ebola’s prognosis and the way it was cared for in the isolation wards, and then I took this video and played it back for our own staff as an educational purview into the psychology of people they were taking care of. There was one patient who came in that first day, an amputated civilian that I’d been taking care of for the past eight years, who had Ebola. He ultimately died. Synapse: I’m so sorry to hear that. What do you make of the international response thus far? The bottom line is that we have a long way to go. I just want people to understand that the things that President Obama and other governments have promised, particularly the establishment of Ebola treatment units, is not enough. It’s one thing to have an Ebola treatment unit, it’s another thing to have an Ebola treatment unit that people want to go to, not to mention having a system in place that can help people to go from their homes and huts to where they can receive care. I think in a perfect world, we have organizations that are working on a continuum of care to make sure that nobody’s left behind—those with Ebola symptoms are being accompanied all the way to Ebola units that people are proud to go to and where the patients are seeing good outcomes. They’re seeing patients get IVs and being touched by providers, which has been an issue. They’re getting high quality supportive care with good diagnostics, and they’re receiving potential treatments like ZMapp, the monoclonal antibody, which can hopefully inspire people to see treatment facilities as not just a place to die. Synapse: Is that why you think patients are not going to these treatment facilities? The natural palliative care response is to go home. It’s to find a comforting environment, and if I were dying, I would want to go home too. I really want to make it clear that this is not an issue of education or socioeconomic status. This issue of fear is the crux of why people are staying at home. My example is my friend, a Sierra Leonean doctor who was actually running an isolation ward at the major tertiary hospital at Freetown. When he got sick and he thought that he had Ebola, he decided to stay home. This was a highly educated, wealthy individual who knew the right thing to do was to go to the isolation ward, and even he had this stigma against it. I just want people to realize that this irrationality, whether it’s an American irrationality that Ebola is airborne or a Sierra Leonean irrationality that white people will inject them with Ebola, is associated with fear and not associated with any educational attainment or socioeconomic level. Synapse: Is this fear driving governments to take more extreme measures such as quarantines and lockdowns?
At the end of the day, what we really need are community members that are bringing their family members to clinics and hospitals as soon as they get sick. The effect of quarantines that I saw on the ground was the response that I saw when my amputee patient that I had been taking care of for eight years tested positive for Ebola. The first thing I saw was the district health management team and the doctors at that hospital stand in a circle and talk about how they were planning to ambush the house of the patient’s family. I thought that was really sad, and I later found out that the police and the military all surrounded the house at five in the morning, and then there were a hundred people standing around and watching this all happen. Synapse: It sounds like these are examples of how governments are adapting to the epidemic, but I was wondering if you could speak to the adaptations that people are making in their day-to-day lives. I think that that’s somewhat of a complex answer because on one hand the country hasn’t changed much, and on the other hand it has. So you’ll hear on the media level that public outings have been banned, schools are closed, hospitals are empty, and there’s nobody playing soccer anymore, but people are still coming together to pray in mosques and churches and while you can cordon off a soccer field, you can’t stop people from hanging out on the corner of a street. From an outsider’s perspective, it almost feels like we’re not in an Ebola crisis on the ground, and that’s great in a way because people are able to still live their life, but in another way it makes it difficult from a public health perspective to control what is going on. Synapse: When you go back to Sierra Leone, what do you hope to achieve? In my last trip to Sierra Leone, I was very focused on creating and enacting a health worker training program and trying to rebuild systems at the clinic and hospital level so that these facilities could reopen. The one thing I understood through that experience is that the solution that’s needed is much broader, so I’m going to be working on a national level to synchronize and align our efforts with that of the government and making sure that everyone’s on the same page. I’m also going to be on the ground and helping to build our community health worker response and buttress the isolation wards so we can scale them into treatment wards I’d like to say that UCSF has been really supportive. I can’t thank enough a number of different leaders at this institution who have really gotten behind this. I have received a lot of media attention, but this is not a one-man show, and no one person is going to solve this crisis. I need as many UCSF people involved in this as possible, and I can’t thank everyone here enough for supporting my Crowdfunding campaign, and the efforts of our team and all those who are planning on going over to West Africa in the future. Yi Lu is a third-year medical student.
Editor’s Note: The day after speaking with Synapse, Dr. Dan Kelly spoke at “The Science of Global Health: What’s Next,” a symposium held at Mission Bay to explore ways to improve our health systems. Kelly has since returned to Sierra Leone.
Bridge » FROM PAGE 4 At every step of the US research science pipeline, minorities are underrepresented. For example, as of 2007, only 10.4% of faculty positions were held by underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Moreover, 73% of these underrepresented faculty only hold contingent positions, so they often do not receive adequate wages, benefits, job security, or meaningful academic freedom. And according to data from the National Science Foundation (NSF), in 2012 minorities only represented 13% of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) doctoral students, and these students are impacted by the stresses of reduced or unreliable research funding. BRIDGE complements MIND in its support of trainees The upside is that employment in the sciences is strong for exceptionally welltrained graduate students, such as those who make up the UCSF student body, but not necessarily in academia. Recent data from the NSF shows that unemployment among doctoral scientists and engineers remained significantly below the national average in 2013. Unfortunately, many faculty are unable to advise their students on non-academic career paths. To that end, the MIND (Motivating INformed Decisions) project, led by Dr. Keith Yamamoto and Dr. Terri O’Brien, aims to change the climate at UCSF so that students who are interested in pursuing an alternative career track are given support and focus. This complements the aims of BRIDGE to improve the doctoral experience for all students, with a special focus on underrepresented minorities. BRIDGE doctoral survey launches this month Since it is important to learn about students’ experiences in their doctoral programs, BRIDGE is commencing with a baseline survey, which is due to launch this month. All first-, second- and thirdyear doctoral students at UCSF will receive emails advertising the survey. Each eligible student who completes the survey will receive a $20 Amazon e-gift card. One-hundred of these participants will be randomly selected from survey responders to take part in BRIDGE, and the results of the survey will inform integral components of the program. The program is due to commence in midNovember, and there will be two to three events each month which will include speed mentoring events, grantwriting boot camps, emotional intelligence training, and talks on how to stretch limited funding dollars. To learn more about the BRIDGE project, visit http://bridgeproject.ucsf.edu. Robyn Gershon is the principle investigator of the BRIDGE Project and Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Philip Lee is Professor Emeritus of Social Medicine, Department of Medicine, and the Institute for Health Policy Studies.
Synapse
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Articles continued » Postdocs » FROM PAGE 4 matches data collected nationwide by the NIH in 2012. Of those who are not in academia, the next most common career is industry research at 27 percent, with fewer in science-related non-research careers, government research such as the NIH, and some whose employment could not be verified. See the infographic for more details. Outcomes for MD-PhDs at UCSF are slightly different, with 70 percent staying in academia and 34 percent of the total in tenure-track faculty positions. Therefore, although the majority of these UCSF postdocs ended up in some kind of research-related position, the vast majority do not hold the position for which they were ostensibly training, a tenure-track faculty position. This disconnect between reality and the myth that a PhD and postdoctoral position leads invariably to a job as a professor certainly is not unique to UCSF. In 2012, the NIH released a report on the biomedical workforce that showed that 43 percent of PhD graduates in the life sciences end up in academia, but only 23 percent overall ended up in tenure-track faculty positions. Similarly, UCSF data from PhD students who graduated from 1997-2006 shows that 53 percent are in academia, with a total of 16 percent in tenured faculty positions. The study did not report the average length of a postdoc at UCSF or whether or not the length of a postdoc correlated to success in landing an academic position. Concern was also raised by the fact that the data was sourced from T32 training grants. There are two potential problems with using these data. First, the data gathered only represent about 40 percent of all postdocs, and secondly, since T32 grants are only awarded to labs that are competitive for such funding, it is possible that this group is not representative of all UCSF postdocs. Essentially, this study confirms what many, especially postdocs themselves, might
November Project » FROM PAGE 4
running along side and connecting with doctoral students, medical students, and professionals from UCSF. Interprofessionalism had taken on a new meaning. Mark Noviski, a third-year PhD student in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, joined NPSF last January. Mark works in a small lab and shares that NPSF, “allows [him] to get to know a large group of people who share similar interests, including other members of the UCSF community and individuals from other professions.” Since coming to NPSF, Mark completed his first half-marathon and is training for a marathon relay. Erin Hallett, PT, DPT, NCS, a UCSF employee who joined NPSF over a year ago reports that the group “has changed my life. This group keeps me accountable and challenges me to push myself physically and mentally on a weekly basis. I went from never running more than a 5K, to
have already suspected—event for UCSF postdocs, tenure-track faculty positions are difficult to come by, with nearly half of UCSF scientists leave academia altogether. UCSF recognizes this problem, and has started piloting programs aimed at helping both graduate students and postdocs understand and implement other career options. After the 2012 NIH report was released, UCSF received one of only ten NIH grant awards aimed at “Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training” to launch the MIND (Motivating INformed Decisions) Program. Currently in its pilot year, this is the first career development program available to postdocs, and it is aimed at connecting trainees with indepth information about all the career paths available to them by talking to professionals currently working in those fields. For graduate students interested in exploring career options via an internship, the GSICE (Graduate Student Internships for Career Explorations) Program, has been in existence for several years. Additionally, the Office of Career and Professional Development regularly runs seminars and workshops for developing different sets of professional skills. Although these programs are a step in the right direction, UCSF currently has about 1,100 postdocs, and only a tiny fraction of these will participate in any type of career and professional development program. Based on the overwhelming data, a dramatic shift in the perception of what it means to be a successful scientist and what it means to train researchers is necessary. As a leader in science, medicine, and technology, hopefully UCSF will also lead the way into forging a radical shift in the perception of what graduate and postdoctoral training mean at UCSF. For further discussion of the postdoc problem, see the other articles in this issue on Keith Yamamoto and Gregory Pestko’s Roundtable Discussion.
Science Festival » FROM PAGE 4 Park [Discovery Day], I wasn’t aware that so many families would be interested in coming out to visit science booths for a day,“ said Brittany Anderton, a sixth year BMS student and active BASF volunteer. “It is fun and rewarding to interact with families and teach them scientific principles. I also feel that volunteering at events like these is important for scientists, because they can give a face to a career that is often very mysterious to the lay public.” The full list of events can be found on the BASF website (www.bayareascience.org). Here are a few that you should look out for: •• The Festival of Bad Ad Hoc Hypotheses (BAHFest) is a live event in which scientists will present and defend terrible hypotheses with hand-waving rationale to a panel of judges (keynote by Matt Inman of The Oatmeal online comic). Director Kishore Hari was pleasantly surprised when his excitement for this new event was echoed by the 1200 tickets already sold. •• Another new event is The ThreeMinute Thesis, a competition between UCSF graduate students presenting their research -- in layman terms -- to a panel of judges and live audience. •• For adult audiences, there will be several live storytelling events (Nerd Nite, Story Collider, Snap Judgment, Spokespeople), live comedy, happy hours, science trivia and a Halloweenthemed NightLife at Cal Academy. •• Family events include guided hikes in San Francisco, Marin Headlands, Mt. Diablo and Muir Woods, as well as tours of various laboratories and facilities. The week ends with a bang: the enormous hands-on expos known as Discovery Days (think 30,000 attendees). One takes
place at AT&T Park and the other at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, on Saturday, November 1, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. These are free events, open to the public, featuring interactive science education in all shapes and sizes. In the 150 exhibits, kids and adults can explore anything from extracting their own DNA, to playing in a Robot Zoo, to helping build sensors that will be used in real-life oceanography research. Members of the UCSF community volunteer at several hands-on booths where kids can learn, play, and even watch a sheep brain dissection. The BASF was created in 2011 by Dr. Bruce Alberts and his brainchild, the Science & Health Education Partnership (SEP), a UCSF organization that collaborates with the San Francisco Unified School District to bring scientists into classrooms around the city and improve the quality of STEM education. Funded by the National Science Foundation through the Science Festival Alliance, UCSF was one of a handful of educational institutions chosen to develop major science festivals in their regions. In just a few years, this program has helped expand science festivals across the country from about five to forty festivals; this includes large cities as well as small communities in which science is less accessible. While the BASF operates under UCSF’s leadership, it also has active involvement from other local universities, museums, national laboratories, and corporations. The BASF is a 10-day carnival, with chemicals and robots replacing fried dough and Ferris wheels. Join me -- and thousands of others from the Bay Area -in attending these mostly free and entirely fantastic events! References: Kishore Hari (BASF Director), Brittany Anderton (BMS student) UCSF SEP, Science Festivals Alliance Hanna Starobinets is a fourth-year BMS student.
Links to Dean Watkin’s complete video presentation and slides are available to the UCSF community at http://postdocs.ucsf. edu/news/career-outcomes. Bryne Ulmschneider is a fourth-year Tetrad student.
running multiple 10Ks, half marathons and a duathalon the past year. I had my November Project tribe-members cheering me on at the finish at every single one.” Lauren Sonderegger, a fourth-year medical student at UCSF and member of NPSF since May describes her experience with the group: “I’m interested in preventive medicine and public health, as well as nutrition and fitness. I love how Friday Hill [workouts] have become an opportunity to explore new places to run around SF, such as the Lyon Street steps or Russian Hill. In addition, NP has also become a wonderful new group of friends for everything from random outdoor endeavors to potlucks.” Paddy O’Leary, Postdoctoral Scholar at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and co-leader of NPSF shares his own experience: “As seen all over San Francisco, and especially here at UCSF, we have such a diverse community with people moving to the city from cities all across North America and indeed from all over the world. From my own experience moving from Ireland in October 2013, the NPSF community welcomed me into this new city. The group gave me a
Courtesy of Paddy O’Leary, co-leader of NPSF
November Project. Group photo of the San Francisco tribe after a workout. unbelievable opportunity to make new friends from every walk of life and explore our beautiful city on many of our Friday morning NPSF hill runs, all whilst getting fitter and fitter every week and having so much fun doing it!” A few weeks ago, while listening to Sam Hawgood, MBBS give the State of the University Address, I was struck by how amazing the members of the UCSF community are. Whether in research,
academics or patient care, anyone reading this newspaper is already part of an amazing community. So I invite you to join an amazing neighboring community. Every week: 6:30 AM, Monday: Fort Mason, Wednesday: Alta Plaza (Vista) Park, Friday: Rotating hills. Visit https:// www.facebook.com/NovemberProjectSF for more details. As the tribe likes to say: Just show up. You won’t regret it! Madeline Ragan is a third-year DPT student.
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Articles continued » Postdoc Proposal » FROM PAGE 5 The one bright light following the event has been Christine Des Jarlais, Assistant Dean at the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, who has since sent two emails to attendees asking for “thoughts and ideas.” I replied to this request and discovered that only one other postdoc had taken the initiative to respond. This is possibly due to the cynicism I believe many postdocs feel about UCSF’s commitment to making positive change; nevertheless, postdocs, you MUST e-mail feedback to Des Jarlais at christine.desjarlais@ucsf.edu if you want change to happen. I propose that this debate be repeated, this time with a chance for postdocs to take an active role. I suggest a two-on-two format similar to the Intelligence Squared US podcast, with the debate prompt “UCSF should take the lead and double postdoc salary over a five-year period.” There should be at least one actual postdoc on the panel and equal time given to questioners.
SACNAS aimed at jumpstarting their interest in biology and ensuring their success in the subject. Additionally, by also inviting these students to visit UCSF labs including the Nikon Imaging Center, the students were able to experience high-level science first-hand at an early age. “To sustain a real, long-term effect in science education, we think it’s critical to invest early in the process. However, as a graduate-level only institution, UCSF poses a unique challenge when it comes to performing outreach at the K-12 and undergraduate levels. Our work at Mission High allowed us to not only mentor a diverse array of students hailing from around the world, but also get them excited about science before they ever even took their first biology class. It was awesome,” said Carlos Rojo, third year Biomedical Sciences student and SACNAS at UCSF Vice President. Local community colleges and universities have also benefitted from contact with the chapter. Over the past two years SACNAS at UCSF has been instrumental in forming strong relationships among the SACNAS chapters at City College of San Francisco (CCSF), UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University October (SFSU). 2014 This has led to an unofficial Bay Area consortium that has strengthened the ties among the chapters and has provided a mentorship pipeline extending from community college all the way to the postdoctoral level. This year SACNAS at UCSF has done their part to contribute to this pipeline by holding workshops at both SFSU and UC Berkeley to teach undergraduates how to write scientific proposals in preparation
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If you agree with my proposition, e-mail Des Jarlais and put “Debate Do-over” in the subject line and include your constructive feedback. I have met with both Keith Yamamoto and Elizabeth Watkins, and I have heard them verbally commit to improving the postdoc experience at UCSF by incorporating postdoc views as part of the solution. I absolutely believe that this is the right path, but actions speak louder than words. So let’s have an actual debate. For more information on the Intelligence Squared US debate format visit http:// intelligencesquaredus.org/ Matthew Cook, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow.
Journal Club » FROM PAGE 7
NEUROSCIENCE: Nuclear envelope protein MAN1 regulates clock through BMAL1. Lin, S-T, et al. (Fu). eLife. 2014. 3:e02981.
CHEMICAL BIOLOGY: Unraveling the mechanism of cell death induced by chemical fibrils. Julien, O., et al. (Wells). Nat Chem Biol. 2014 Sept. 28. Epub ahead of print.
Our daily cycles of wakefulness and sleepiness emerge from our internal pacemaker called the circadian rhythm. At the heart of this rhythm generation are the transcription factors BMAL1 and CLOCK.
Protein fibrils build up and lead to cell death in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. The precise mechanism by which such aggregates lead to cell death is unclear.
In this article, the authors have identified a role for the nuclear envelope in regulating these circadian rhythm components. They determined that the expression levels of three nuclear membrane components varied with the circadian rhythm. They further found that one of these proteins, MAN1, in turn binds the BMAL1 promoter and helps support its expression
The Wells group previously identified a small molecule that induces cell death. In this paper, they report that spontaneously formed fibrils of the molecule lead to cell death whereas the soluble form does not. After determining that the endocytosis pathway was involved in the cytotoxicity, they further found that these fibrils accumulated within the lysosomes of cells and observed that the fibrils caused liposome leakage in vitro. The authors suggest this as a useful model for cytotoxicity from protein fibrils.
Such a direct role for the nuclear envelope in controlling gene expression is not unprecedented, as recent research has demonstrated that the nuclear envelope harbors both repressive and activating factors, but this is the first time it has been shown to involve this essential system. Taylor LaFlam is a sixth-year MSTP and fourth-year BMS student.
for applying to such fellowships as NSF, and they have exposed community college students to research by hosting CCSF October 2014 students in UCSF labs.
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In addition, there should be three rounds in the debate: (1) an opening statement round by both members of each team, (2) a question round where attendees speak directly to the debate participants, and (3) a closing statement round by both members of each team. The moderator’s job will be to keep the conversation civil, quick-paced and content-driven.
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Members of the chapter themselves have also benefitted from being affiliated with SACNAS at UCSF. Since postdocs, graduate students, and other trainees such as student research associates make up the chapter, a mentorship and leadership aspect is inherent amongst its members. This is ensured through monthly scientific seminars, in which all members get the opportunity to present their research, through social events such as the Fall Difficulty : Easy Fiesta that are open to all members of the UCSF community, and through their annual leadership retreat at Lake Tahoe.
Given the success that this growing chapter has seen, what is in store for next year? Rojo sees the Outstanding New Chapter award as an inspiration to continue the chapter’s efforts in full force. “The national award further confirms that our initiatives are worthwhile and thus motivates us to continue and find new ways to expand the scope of our work,” he said. Thus, SACNAS at UCSF will continue to focus on its educational outreach in order to get more underrepresented students to enter into research at UCSF. They also wish to expand their membership, so that they can increase their outreach efforts, and they plan to hold another leadership retreat, as a Copyright 2014build by The Puzzle Syndicate skills of way to help the professional its growing membership.
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years, forcing the polar bears onto land in the middle of snow goose breeding season; and it turns out that snow goose eggs and » FROM PAGE 8 goslings are a great polar bear diet. And, what’s more, snow goose populations have organs. They use a variety of novel gels and exploded ever since loss of marshland nozzles to create 3D tissues with multiple uprooted them from wintering in southern cell types, vascular-like structures, and an states and relocated them to the endless extracellular matrix. Yes, they literally 3D bounty of corn, wheat, and rice fields of print with cell-infused gels! By patterning the Midwest. When this population of gels containing human fibroblasts with fifteen million birds migrates north in the other gels thatEdited form tube structures (into summer, it strains the tundra’s ecosystems; by Margie E. Burke which they inject human endothelial the arrival of polar bears could potentially cells), they can create three-dimensional even out this particular imbalance. If polar structures for growing organs. They are bears continue to spend even more time on currently making progress on patterning HOW TO SOLVE: land, they may soon overlap with caribou nephrons, the functioning unit of the kidney. breeding season as well. Unfortunately, The technology to 3D print a functioning shifting to the tundra ecosystem is only a kidney would be a game changer in organ temporary fix for polar bears, as it’s not transplants, where kidneys account for the clear how they’ll readjust their balance of most demand. References: Technology energy intake and expenditure (their style of hunting typically involves lying around Review, Advanced Materials. on ice sheets waiting for a seal to swim by, In ecology news: The starving polar bear thereby protecting their fat stores) - so the has long been the poster child of climate long-term concerns are still there. What I change. This is because polar bears spend want to know is how long evolution will much of the year living on ice sheets, permit landlocked polar bears to keep that hunting seals. While ominous climate beautiful creamy coat. References: New change predictions have been making York Times, Scientific American, Hudson (Answer elsewhere headlines regularly, thereappears is some good Bay Project. news: some polar bears are adjusting! in this issue) Ice Hanna Starobinets is a fourth-syear BMS student. sheets melted earlier these past couple of
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Interested in joining SACNAS at UCSF? Visit their website at http://ucsf. orgsync.com/org/sacnas/home or e-mail sacnasatucsf@gmail.com. Angela Castanieto is a sixth-year Tetrad student.
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» FROM PAGE 8 tables, or join the Peace Corps when they are unsure what they want. But you, honey? You got yourself into Medical School and that means that, though part of you desires to write, you also want something else. Our minds create drama and duality, where they do not exist. There is no right and wrong here. There are only the choices that you make and the ones that you don’t. I hear that you are having success as a writer (awesome!). I am not hearing whether you are enjoying Medicine. Is it the success that is making you doubt Medicine, or is it Medicine itself? What are you craving? I think you can do both, sugar. I do not think you have to choose. But, if you must, then you have to follow the hungriest part
of you. Who needs you the most, sweet love? You are not torn between two worlds, darling. There is only one world…one You, with many moving parts. Build some bridges inside your psyche, to connect these kick-ass parts of yourself who want to write and practice medicine. You might want to think about the field of Narrative Medicine, and find awesome mentors right here at UCSF who will support your deep desire to connect writing and medicine. Who can go to medical school when you are unsure of yourself? (is that not a little bit awesome and funny to you?) I think you are larger and more capable than you are letting yourself be. Grow your mind to expand your spirit. Peace and Wholeness are yours, sugar. Artistically and impractically inclined, and with enormous love, Mama M
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Articles continued » Mentor » FROM PAGE 8 mentor will steer you in the right direction, and tell you how to avoid common mistakes. As a result, you’ll quickly get up to speed and make a great impression. You can often find these mentors through social or community activities, such as joining an RCO or attending a department, school or student mixer. Some of these events specifically focus on mentorship, like the First Generation Student Services welcome dinner. You can also just keep an eye out for people in your new setting who seem approachable and have a strong track record of getting things done. 4. An inspirational mentor: someone who has a quality or skill you admire Perhaps you know someone who always keeps their cool and communicates skillfully during contentious or stressful situations. Or you admire the way they provide care or how they organize and present their work. These mentors are people who consistently impress you and inspire you to do better. Notably, you don’t need to personally know these mentors – you just need to watch them. Observe not just what they do, but also assess how they do it. How did they organize their research talk? Why was their clinical presentation so strong? What did they say that disarmed the difficult patient? Integrate what you learn into your own professional endeavors.
You can also foster relationships with inspirational mentors. One nursing student I knew consistently asked a particular clinical nurse specialist for presentation feedback throughout her residency and made a point of incorporating the advice into each subsequent presentation. 5. A friend mentor: someone who knows you The best way to describe this type of mentor is as someone who thinks you’re great, but not perfect. Because they appreciate your strengths, you trust them enough to share your weaknesses. For example, when they say you’re being too hard on yourself or being too rigid, you can hear them without your defensive shields going up. This mentor’s value lies not in knowing your area of study or career path, but in knowing and accepting you. Other mentors may require a certain level of guarded professionalism, but this mentor is a friend, perhaps one you knew before UCSF, or an individual with whom you’ve been through something significant that forged a trusting, personal relationship. Now that you understand mentorship, here are three goals for the month: 1. See your mentors: Which types of mentors you already have in your life? 2. Find your mentors: What two steps you will take to find your missing mentor(s) by June 2015? 3. Appreciate that you are a mentor: What are all of the ways that you have served as one of the five types of mentors to people in your community?
Physical Therapy » FROM PAGE 8 men who excel in twice daily workouts that involve intense cross training, marching with eighty pound sacks and more push ups than you and I would care to count. If they are not at their peak performance, then they are not deployment-ready, and America suffers. 3. Everyone must participate in physical fitness training (unless you have been granted the aforementioned “profile,” which is not the privilege it sounds like). For our squadron, it meant 6:30am Wednesday morning “Flight Fitness,” which involved playing football, softball, volleyball and ultimate Frisbee. I think they tried extra hard to make it fun for us interns, and I regret that I naturally dislike sports. Besides the physical therapists, who are generally in pretty good shape, half of our squadron were young men in their early twenties who routinely hit home runs and made touchdowns. I, on the other hand, jammed my finger playing football the one time I tried to be a team player. 4. Everything is cheaper outside of San Francisco. At the Air Force base, my 20 oz
Diet Coke was twenty-five cents, a cookie was sixty cents, and a side of cheese fries was under a dollar. 5. If you like watching trucks drive by the side of the road, you’d agree that Mississippi has a pretty awesome social scene. One Friday afternoon, all of Biloxi parked by the side of the road, sat in the car seats they removed from their cars and watched other Biloxians drive by in their trucks. And by trucks, I mean Fords, Toyotas and Chevys you find everywhere else but San Francisco, just with monster wheels instead of normal wheels. 6. Barbecue is a thing. Sorry Hunt’s, Jack Daniel’s, and Sweet Baby Ray’s, you don’t really know what you’re doing. Barbecue in Mississippi involves tender meat sliding right off the rib when you tilt it against gravity. If your ribs don’t do that, they’re not qualified to be barbecue. 7. Being really friendly is also a thing. So is talking so slowly you forget the topic, walking so slowly you’re melted by the humidity, and in general, lots of slowness. But it’s a nice change from running every time to catch the MUNI or struggling to keep up with the quick pace here in our city. Ilka Felsen is a third-year physical therapy student.
Need help taking that next step to find a mentor? If you’re a student or postdoc, call 476-4986 to make a counseling appointment in the Office of Career & Professional Development. Have a career or professional topic or question you’d like us to cover in Synapse? Email us at ocpd@ucsf.edu with your ideas! The Office of Career & Professional Development staff will be writing a series of articles monthly on career and professional development topics for students in the health sciences.
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16 | October 23, 2014
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