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The UCSF Student Newspaper

Thursday, September 26, 2013

synapse.ucsf.edu

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!

Volume 58, Number 3

NEWS

Life of a Grad Student By Jenny Qi Executive Editor

“H

ow many graduate students are here — a few hundred?” a Dental student recently asked me. You may be surprised to learn that the Graduate Division is the largest school at UCSF, including more than 1,000 students in 26 programs ranging from basic sciences to anthropology. (To compare, there are about 500 medical students.)

Photo by Jeffrey Chen/MS1 The Chancellor’s Reception and New Student Orientation Fair marks the arrival of new students to UCSF each fall. This year the reception was held on September 23 in the Millberry Union Gymnasium. The fair provided a great opportunity to showcase all the UCSF services that enrich UCSF student life.

NEWS

It Takes Two: Academia and the Drug Industry This is the first article in a three-part series about partnerships between private industry and academia.

By Benjamin L. Cohn Staff Writer

he number of new drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration per billion dollars spent by the drug industry on research and development has halved approximately every nine years since 1950. Put another way, the cost of bringing a drug to market is soaring: Larger pharmaceuticals now spend at least $5 billion per chemical entity. Such low rates of return on investment have caused companies to drastically cut their own R&D departments and seek creative ways to bolster the efficiency of drug candidate development. One strategy that is gaining momentum is partnerships with academic medical centers. The Bay Area chapter of the Oxbridge Biotech Roundtable (OBR-Bay) recently invited local bio-entrepreneurship leaders to the University of California, San Francisco, to participate in a panel discussion of the conditions leading to the increase in academic-industry partnerships, current models for collaboration and projections for the future.

The panel consisted of Jeffrey Bluestone, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost of UCSF; Corey Goodman, co-founder and Managing Partner of the investment firm venBio; Douglas Crawford, Associate Director of the QB3 Institute for Quantitative Bioscience; and Daria Mochly-Rosen, Director of the SPARK translational science program at Stanford University’s School of Medicine. The discussion was moderated by OBRBay President Nick Mordwinkin. Symbiosis: what can each side offer?

Graduate students are the silent majority, stereotyped as socially awkward humanoids obsessed with science and little else. In truth, grad students are as diverse and complex as their programs. There are triathletes, MDs and Army vets. Grad programs are also uniquely independent, which can be exhilarating but also painfully isolating. In grad school, you learn to identify and tackle important questions, one tiny step at a time. You have the freedom to explore one subject in great depth and with remarkable autonomy. You no longer need to — and cannot — compare yourself to classmates as you separate into different labs. Hours are flexible and post-grad options are endless. These freedoms, however, can be costly. As our paths diverge from those of our classmates, we no longer have a peer group sharing our triumphs or our tribulations. Or so we may believe. Although no two grad experiences are identical, there are many common threads that simply aren’t verbalized. In this new Life of a Grad Student column, we hope to illuminate some of these similarities. Grad students from all walks of life and all stages of their education have agreed to anonymously, candidly speak with us. They’ve shared stories about the difficulties they’ve encountered as well as the great passions driving their work.We hope to highlight the incredible people working in UCSF laboratories. More than that, we hope readers will learn from the experiences of their peers and realize that we are not so isolated from each other after all.

Entering Class of 2011: Third year By Jenny Qi

STUDENT 1 MALE PARNASSUS

ell us about your experience at UCSF so far. UCSF has a welcoming environment, and they encourage students to leave our mark on the campus, academically and socially. I’ve had a lot of opportunities to get involved with extracurriculars and interact with faculty. There are always a lot of things to do, especially at Parnassus.

STUDENT 2 MALE MISSION BAY

ell us about your experience at UCSF so far. At first, I was so professional, 9-5. I felt like a kid, because there were so many “adults,” with families. But I like the separation you get because of that — you go home and you don’t think about it. And UCSF takes care of their grad students. We’re spoiled because we don’t have undergrads.

While the decreasing efficiency of industry R&D to bring new drugs to market is an important factor in the move towards greater collaboration with academia, it is not the whole picture. Jeffrey Bluestone believes that the discovery strategy employed by the drug industry has probably also been a significant contributor, dating back to the sequencing of the human genome. With the genome complete (or nearly complete), pharmaceutical companies Illustration by Jillian Varonin/BMS4 thought all the hard work had been done, and all that remained was to make the drugs. What about your lab experience? How did What about your lab experience? How did Huge investments were made in robotics, you choose your lab? you choose your lab? high-throughput screening and scientific perGreat overall — I’ve gotten a lot of supA lot people feel like whatever choice you

IT TAKES TWO » PAGE 8

GRAD STUDENT 1 » PAGE 6

GRAD STUDENT 2 » PAGE 6

2 | September 26, 2013 | synapse.ucsf.edu

EVENTS MISSION BAY EVENTS DRY SALOON: ALCOHOL AWARENESS

Thursday, Sept. 26, noon-1:30 p.m., Student Resource Center, Mission Bay The Prohibition Era played a major role in how people think about and interact with alcohol. Join us for happy hour at the Dry Saloon to learn some interesting trivia about the mysterious chemical compound ETOH, and enjoy a free refreshing root beer float. Sponsored by Student Services at Mission Bay and Student Health and Counseling.

SYNAPSE NEWSPAPER

Friday, Sept. 27, noon-1 p.m., Graduate Division Conference Room, third floor, Mission Bay Community Center Synapse is looking for Mission Bay and Parnassus writers, bloggers, photographers and designers. Come to the lunch meeting, share your story ideas and enjoy a free lunch. Email synapse@ucsf.edu for more details.

MUSLIM FRIDAY PRAYER SERVICES: MISSION BAY

Friday, Sept. 27, 1-2 p.m., Helen Diller, 160, Mission Bay  The Muslim Community at UCSF holds regular Friday prayer services (Jum’a) for the UCSF Muslim community every week. Come join your fellow brothers and sisters for prayer, lunch and socializing.

IMISSION BAY RIPS

Friday, Sept. 27, 4-5 p.m., Genentech Hall Auditorium, Mission Bay RIPS is a seminar series at which one student and one postdoc present their current research. Talks are 15 minutes in length and are preceded by a 20-minute social. Snacks and beverages are provided.

BAGEL TUESDAYS

Tuesday, Oct. 1, 8:30-10 a.m., Student

Lounge, Genentech Hall, Mission Bay   Come enjoy some free bagels, pastries and coffee. Learn about campus services and events and build a community at Mission Bay.

MISSION BAY FARMERS’ MARKET

Wednesday, Oct. 2, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Gene Friend Way Plaza, Mission Bay  Shop healthy, shop fresh, shop Californiagrown at the UCSF Farmers’ Market every Wednesday (rain or shine). Sponsor: Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association.

PARNASSUS EVENTS THE CHANCELLOR’S CONCERT SERIES FEATURES THE ALEXANDER STRING QUARTET

Thursday, Sept. 26, noon-12:45 p.m., Cole Hall, Parnassus Don’t miss the first concert of the 2013-2014 season of the Chancellor’s Concert Series, featuring the Alexander String Quartet. Britten’s String Quartet No. 2 in C, Op. 36, will be performed. Free.

SCREENING OF MISSING HOME

Thursday, Sept. 26, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Cole Hall, Parnassus Join the Association of Chinese Students and Scholars for a screening of Missing Home, a documentary that explores the effect of modernization in China, specifically its consequences on the culture and life in Beijing’s hutong neighborhoods from the point of view of the filmmaker, who grew up in a hutong. http://bit.ly/16Gj5v5

MUSLIM FRIDAY PRAYER SERVICES

Friday, Sept. 27, 1:30-2 p.m., Medical Sciences, 180, Parnassus  The Muslim Community at UCSF holds regular Friday prayer services (Jum’a) for the UCSF Muslim community every week. Come join your fellow brothers and sisters

Synapse

500 Parnassus Ave. Millberry Union 108W San Francisco, CA 94143 tel: (415) 476-2211 | fax: (415) 502-4537 synapse@ucsf.edu

The UCSF Student Newspaper synapse.ucsf.edu STAFF

About

Synapse is the UCSF student-run weekly newspaper, which runs on Thursdays during the academic year and monthly during the summer. Synapse seeks to serve as a forum for the campus community. Articles and columns represent the views of the authors and not necessarily those of the Board of Publications or the University of California.

Submissions

Announcements and letters should be submitted six days before publication. All submissions can be either emailed or mailed. All material is subject to editing. Letters to the Editor must be signed by the author.

Subscriptions Subscriptions cost $20/year ($40/outside US).

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 with a disclaimer.

for prayer, lunch and socializing. All are welcome.

25TH ANNIVERSARY FACULTY AND STAFF ART SHOW OPENING RECEPTION

Monday, Sept. 30, 5-7 p.m., Millberry Union Event and Meeting Center, Parnassus Join us as we celebrate 25 years of the Faculty and Staff Art Show at UCSF. Don’t miss the opening night reception, where you can indulge in refreshments and meet the talented artists. There will be lunchtime talks (TBD) during the week. Viewing times: Oct. 1-3, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Lunchtime Artists Talk with light refreshments: Oct. 1-3 at noon. Produced by the Visual Arts Club at UCSF and Campus Life Services Arts & Events. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Fund.

PARNASSUS FARMERS’ MARKET

Wednesday, Oct. 2, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., ACC, 400 Parnassus Ave. Shop the Farmers’ Markets on Wednesdays to pick up locally grown produce and more. Sponsor: Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association.

SYNAPSE NEWSPAPER

Wednesday, Oct. 2, noon-1 p.m., MU 123W, Parnassus Synapse is looking for Mission Bay and Parnassus writers, bloggers, photographers and designers. Come to the lunch meeting, share your story ideas and enjoy a free lunch. Email synapse@ucsf.edu for details.

BAGEL WEDNESDAYS

ALICE’S NOW AND ZEN

Sunday, Sept. 29, noon, Sharon Meadows, Golden Gate Park Now celebrating 15 years of operation, Alice’s Now & Zen Fest is free again this year. More than a concert, the festival combines great music with a day of good vibes and positive ZENergy in the park. http://bit.ly/17CegkM

OFF THE GRID: UPPER HAIGHT

Thursday, Sept. 26, 5-9 p.m., Stanyan and Waller Streets, SF Off the Grid is a roaming mobile food extravaganza that travels to different locations daily to serve delicious food, with a free side of amazing music, craft and soul.

FRIDAY NIGHTS AT THE DE YOUNG

Friday, Sept. 13, 5-8.45 p.m., de Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park Friday Nights at the de Young offers a variety of interdisciplinary arts programs, including live music, dance performances, film screenings, panel discussions, lectures, artist demonstrations, special performances, hands-on art activities and more. Programs are free and open to the public, but do not include admission to the museum's galleries.

CLASSIFIEDS RETAIL STORES FOR RENT

Sunset SF retail stores for rent: $3,200/ month each, 2132 & 2134 Taraval Street, easy transportation, 1 bedroom, kitchen, full bath in the back of store. (415) 665-4567.

Wednesday, Oct. 2, 9 a.m.-10:15 a.m., Health Sciences West Lobby, Parnassus Come enjoy some free bagels, pastries and coffee. Learn about campus services and events and build a community at Parnassus.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

FLAVORFUL FALL NUTRITION SERIES: HEALTHY STEPS

Oct. 4, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Saunders Court, Parnassus Oct. 4 is National Diversity Day. Come spend it in Saunders Court with food, music and fun. Dance to the silent beats of Silent Disco and learn about the wonderful work our student registered clubs and organizations are doing at UCSF and beyond. Special lunch deal from Carmelina’s. Make sure you’re wearing your dancing shoes! Co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Outreach, Campus Life Services, Arts & Events, the Multicultural Resource Center and Student Life.

VENDOR SHOWCASE

APPLY FOR A MS IN GLOBAL HEALTH SCIENCES

Wednesday, Oct. 2, noon-1 p.m., Nursing, 527, Parnassus Student Health and Counseling offers this one-time workshop at the Parnassus campus. Take the first steps toward achieving a healthy weight, presented by Student Health’s dietitian. Learn more about nutrition, exercise and mindful eating in this one-hour overview discussion. Free lunch for students who RSVP to nutrition@ucsf.edu.

Thursday, Oct. 3, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Saunders Court, Parnassus Visit the Vendor Showcase and enjoy a scoop of Fenton’s Famous Ice Cream. Vendors will show off their best products to make labs more productive. Giveaways include a mountain bike, Kindle, iPad and Safeway gift cards.

OFF-CAMPUS CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: SALUTE TO STEINHART NIGHTLIFE

Thursday, Sept. 26, 6-10 p.m., Cal Academy, Golden Gate Park Artifacts from the Academy’s archives celebrate the Steinhart Aquarium’s legacy of sharing the wonders of fish, frogs and feathered friends with the world. See how much has changed and what remains timeless after all these years. Old-timey cocktails and the vintage vinyl stylings of DJ Tanoa set the mood, while African Hall transforms into a swinging speakeasy with swing dancing lessons nearby from Lindy in the Park. http://bit.ly/NightLifeTickets, http://bit.ly/ CLSDiscounts

NATIONAL DIVERSITY DAY CELEBRATION

The master’s degree program in Global Health Sciences will be accepting applications through Feb. 15 for the 2014-15 class. This will be our inaugural class at Mission Hall on the Mission Bay campus. Visit our website for more information. globalhealthsciences.ucsf. edu/education-training/masters-program.

CAMPUS POETS & WRITERS

Join an ongoing, informal workshop facilitated by UCSF author Dr. David Watts. Beginners welcome, bring a poem or a short prose piece, or just come to listen. Group meets Mondays 4:30-5:30pm, 350 Parnassus, #900. Contact: hdwatts@comcast.net.

2013 STAFF RECOGNITION AWARDS: DEADLINE EXTENDED

The deadline to nominate a colleague or project team for a SAA Staff Recognition Award has been extended! The new deadline is Monday, September 30 at 5 p.m. The awards will be presented during the upcoming allstaff meting on Wednesday, November 13. The online nomination process is extremely simple. For more information, visit: saaintranet.ucsf.edu/staffaward.

synapse.ucsf.edu | September 26, 2013 | 3

OPINION

Letters to the Editor

UCSF Incoming Class 2013 Students come from 55 countries, ranging from Argentina to Zimbabwe.

TOBACCO-FREE POLICY A POSITIVE STEP

ear Editor, UCSF’s “Tobacco-Free At Work” policy is a positive step to promote the health of the campus community. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality worldwide. In the United States, smoking contributes to one in every five deaths, and secondhand smoke kills 50,000 people each year. Exposure to tobacco smoke, including secondhand smoke, increases the risk of heart and respiratory diseases and many types of cancer. In addition, the new policy aims to create a tobacco-free social norm, and smoking restrictions contribute to smoking cessation. This is particularly important for young adults, who smoke at rates higher than the general public. Virtually all adult daily smokers begin smoking before age 26. Nationwide, 800 colleges and universities have gone tobacco-free. Four health service companies, Kaiser Permanente, the Mayo Clinic, SSM Health Care and the CIGNA Group, have adopted smoke-free policies, and at least 3,777 hospitals also have smokefree policies. As members of the UCSF community, we are proud to finally be at the vanguard of tobacco control policies, with the inclusion of the 100% tobacco-free workday.

ARGENTINA AUSTRALIA BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA BRAZIL BULGARIA CANADA CHILE COLOMBIA CUBA EGYPT EL SALVADOR ETHIOPIA FIJI FRANCE GERMANY GUATEMALA HONG KONG HUNGARY INDIA IRAN IRAQ IRELAND ISRAEL JAPAN JORDAN KENYA LIBYA MALI MEXICO MOLDOVA NEW ZEALAND NIGERIA OMAN PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA PERU PHILIPPINES REPUBLIC OF KOREA ROMANIA RUSSIA SAUDI ARABIA SINGAPORE SRI LANKA SWEDEN SWITZERLAND TAIWAN THAILAND TURKEY UGANDA UKRAINE UNITED KINGDOM UNITED STATES URUGUAY VENEZUELA VIETNAM ZIMBABWE

There are

UCSF TOBACCO-FREE IS TOO ONE DIMENSIONAL

ear Editor, In response to my article opposing UCSF’s new tobacco policy (September 5), I have received enough reasonable critique to warrant a response. A short recapitulation of my position is that the new ban on tobacco use by UCSF personnel during breaks, even if they leave the grounds to do so, fails to meet its goal of creating the healthiest overall environment at this institution. I will list specific concerns people have brought up to me, followed by my responses. Critique No. 1: My position does not resolve the issue of the damage tobacco can inflict. We all agree smoking is bad for smokers and people in the vicinity of smokers (secondhand smoke). There is also growing interest in examining the effects on people exposed to environments where settled pollutants from prior smokers may be re-emitted into the air (thirdhand smoke). In the case of smokeless tobacco, there is a great deal of evidence that it is bad for the person chewing, but really no evidence that Person A’s use is bad for Person B (although the spitting can be unsightly). As for e-cigarettes, I received a link to an article that has detected aerosolized volatile organic compounds and (ultra)fine particles in a simulation of e-cigarette use, suggesting a likelihood of passive exposure in an indoor air environment. For these reasons, I have always, and will continue to support the previously existing UCSF policy that does not allow for use on campus. This is, however, entirely separate from not allowing a person to leave UCSF to use these products, a policy that I believe is far

The new UCSF students born in the United States came from 38 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico. The student whose birthplace is farthest from UCSF comes from Seke, Zimbabwe.

10,335 miles FROM SAN FRANCISCO

Maria Roditis and Amanda Fallin are postdoctoral fellows at the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education.

STUDENTS BORN ON THE SAME DAY.

WERE BORN IN

ARE

entering in the Fall of 2013.

Maria Roditis and Amanda Fallin

3/7

2/3

845 NEW STUDENTS

All celebrate their birthday on June 15.

1/4

About OF THE ENTERING CLASS WERE 1st generation to college, and roughly half are the 1st in their family to seek a graduate degree. WELCOME

New students in Masters of Translational Medicine 1st YEAR THAT THIS JOINT PROGRAM WITH UC BERKELEY HAS BEEN OFFERED AT UCSF.

Same day of 1st blood transfusion by JeanBaptiste Denys in 1667.

Source: UCSF Office of Institutional Research

too paternalistic and not at all based in evidence for the increased protection of other people back on campus. Critique No. 2: The new policy creates the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Public health decisions should not be based solely on creating the greatest good for the greatest number. While an attractive policy driver on the face of things, this principle breaks down in that it allows for mistreatment of minorities for the benefit of the majority. Instead, policies need to balance the greater good with the protection of the vulnerable. Critique No. 3: The new policy may be a response to complaints from neighboring residents or businesses. If smoking is not allowed on UCSF campus, personnel who smoke may walk just to the edge of campus and smoke there, often leaving a mess for the neighbors. UCSF should have a responsibility to its community, and it is important for the institution to encourage or even incentivize cleanliness. However, I believe it is beyond the scope of UCSF’s authority to dictate what someone can do when he or she is away from campus. Critique No. 4: The ban sets an example for our patients and community about our dedication to tobacco-use cessation. It’s true that UCSF, as a top institution in health care and research, should try to set an example for successful cessation techniques, but we also need to recognize that behavioral change is a process, often requiring multiple attempts, using multiple methods.

UCSF can be a leader in providing support and resources for its personnel, measuring and reporting usage patterns accurately and the relative success of institution-based methods that help people with change. In doing so, acknowledging and addressing the multitude of biological, social and behavioral factors that contribute to the difficulties of a person quitting tobacco use, and creating an environment that does not ostracize those struggling to quit, will move us toward the greatest good without sacrificing the vulnerable. I have a personal connection to cigarette smoking. Although never a smoker myself, I grew up with a father who smoked until he had a heart attack in 2004. Luckily, he made a good recovery, and had several years of abstinence before cigarettes slowly and (he thought) secretly made their way back into his routine. In the time since I wrote the first article, my father has had another minor heart attack, and I am writing this response from his hospital room. Again, we are lucky that he is doing well. I want all environments he is in (including his workplace) to give him support in the process of trying to quit smoking, but the mental picture of him being scolded like a child in the principal’s office for breaking the rules doesn’t make his struggle seem any better. Akshay Govind

Akshay Govind is a second-year resident in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

NEWS BRIEFS $30 Million Gift, $30 Million Match Target Basic Science Programs for Ph.D. Students

Sequoia Capital Chairman Sir Michael Moritz, KBE, and his wife, Harriet Heyman, in collaboration with UCSF, have kicked off a new endowment with a $60 million contribution to ensure the future of PhD education programs in the basic sciences. The gift is being made in recognition of the critical role doctoral students play in fueling biomedical research and is the largest endowed program for PhD students in the history of the 10-campus University of California. The UCSF Discovery Fellows Program will fund UCSF’s basic science PhD programs, such as cell biology, biochemistry and neuroscience, which consistently rank among the top biomedical research doctoral programs in the United States. Researchers at UCSF rely on graduate students to bring energy, ideas and new collaborations to their labs, and students are key to recruiting top-flight faculty. The couple has given $30 million, which UCSF has matched with $25 million of institutional funds and a commitment to raise an additional $5 million from at least 500 donors.

Pisacano Family Medicine Scholarship Awarded to UCSF Student Charles “Chas” Salmen, a fourth-year student at the UCSF School of Medicine, is one of six scholars nationwide selected as a 2013 Pisacano Scholar. Each recipient is noted as an outstanding medical student who has made a commitment to enter the specialty of Family Medicine. The scholarships, valued at up to $28,000 each, are awarded to students attending U.S. medical schools who demonstrate a strong commitment to the specialty of family medicine. The scholarship program provides educational programs, leadership training and funding for outstanding fourth-year medical students who have been identified as the future leaders in the field of family medicine. Salmen is the ninth UCSF medical student selected as a Pisacano Scholar since the start of the program in 1993. He graduated with honors from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to pursue graduate studies at Oxford University, where he was awarded highest distinction upon receiving his master’s degree in Medical Anthropology.

UCSF Awarded $20M Federal Grant for Tobacco Regulatory Sciences UCSF will receive a five-year, $20 million grant as part of a first-of-its-kind tobacco science regulatory program by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health. The overall aim is to conduct programs of multidisciplinary research that will inform the FDA’s regulation of the manufacture, distribution and marketing of tobacco products to protect public health. UCSF is one of 14 institutions nationally to be awarded the new Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science (TCORS) grants. The UCSF principal investigator is Stanton A. Glantz, PhD, director of the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education. “We have identified serious problems in the way that the FDA has done cost-benefit analysis of major tobacco regulations, most notably, warning labels on cigarette packages,” Glantz said. “In particular, the FDA underestimated the immediate benefits of smoking prevention and cessation, and based its behavioral assumptions on outmoded ideas.”

4 | September 26, 2013 | synapse.ucsf.edu

NEWS

Fall Celebration Brings Graduate Students Together

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By Angela Castanieto Associate Editor he mood was festive as members of the UCSF graduate community flocked to Koret Quad last Friday to enjoy the second annual Fall Celebration, put on by the Graduate Division. Partygoers munched on hamburgers, hot dogs and San Francisco’s iconic It’s-It ice cream sandwiches as they basked in the sunny weather in the company of fellow students and postdocs from across many programs and campuses. Students especially enjoyed mingling with colleagues they don’t see on a daily basis. “It’s great seeing friends from other graduate programs,” said Christina Hueschen, a secondyear Biomedical Sciences student. Many also appreciated having the chance to relax and socialize after a day in the lab. “It’s a fun thing to do on a Friday afternoon, to get outside and hang out with friends,” said Ben Heineike, a third-year Integrative Program in Quantitative Biology student. The afternoon culminated in a raffle draw-

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NEWS

Clinic Offers Free Flu Shots

et a flu shot and WIN a Timbuk2® Messenger Bag! From Monday, September 30, to Monday, November 4, UCSF will be holding free drop-in flu shot clinics for all UCSF employees, students and volunteers. After each day that a clinic is held, those who have received a flu shot will be entered in a raffle, and one lucky person will win a Timbuk2® Messenger Bag. The drop-in clinics will be at various UCSF locations including: Parnassus, Mount Zion, Mission Bay, Mission Center Building, Laurel Heights, China Basin, Executive Park, Beale Street, 3360 Geary and 2300 Harrison St. The UCSF flu shot drop-in clinics are part of an effort to protect staff, patients and the integrity of the UCSF workforce. The UCSF flu shot policy requires that all UCSF Medical Center employees, staff, students and volunteers be vaccinated for the seasonal flu. As required by state law, anyone who declines a flu shot must sign a declination form and wear a hospital-supplied mask while in areas where patients are seen, evaluated and treated. Declination forms will

be made available in mid-November on the UCSF Occupational Health website. Please visit the following site for more information on UCSF policy: manuals.ucsfmedicalcenter.org/AdminManual/IndividualPolicies/InfluenzaVaccination.pdf The 2013 Flu Shot Drop-In Clinic schedule is available now at: occupationalhealthprogram.ucsf.edu/index.asp. • Everyone who receives a flu shot will be given a green sticker that must be placed on the front of his or her ID badge. Old stickers should be removed. • Employees who received a vaccination outside UCSF must bring documentation to one of the flu shot clinics or Occupational Health Services (OHS) to receive a sticker. OHS will add this documentation to employees’ electronic health records. For more information regarding the flu vaccine and CDC recommendations, please see the Centers for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov. For information about the flu shot program, please contact Occupational Health at (415) 885-7580, Option 1, or email ohs@ucsfmedctr.org

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synapse.ucsf.edu | September 26, 2013 | 5

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ne of the most remarkable feats of modern medicine is organ transplantation, but this process carries significant risks, including limited availability of donor organs and possible rejection of the foreign tissue. What if we could bypass all of that by regenerating the patient’s own tissue? What if we could just grow a new heart for a patient? What if we could regrow neurons in patients with degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s? This is the hope of regenerative medicine—developing the ability to replace damaged tissue or stimulate its healing. Planarians, more commonly called flatworms, are known for their regenerative abilities. Some species, like the infamous S. mediterranea, can regenerate thousands of times, even if you cut away everything and leave only a tiny tip of the tail. Other species, like D. lacteum, aren’t so good at it. By comparing these species and figuring out what makes one better than the other at regenerating, we can later apply that information to regenerative medicine and improve our ability to regrow human cells. In this paper, the authors compared the regenerative processes of the two planarian species and determined that they were comparable up until blastema differentiation. This means that D. lacteum was able to heal and make new cells, but these new cells were unable to grow into other cell types. Upon further analysis, they concluded that this was because of a difference in the iconic Wnt/β-catenin developmental pathway. Simplistically, differences in the levels of these signals determine cell fate, and D. lacteum had more of these signals telling its cells to grow into tail cells. When the authors eliminated these signals, D. lacteum was able to regrow its head. We’re a long way from using this information to regrow a human head, but if we can figure out how these differences arise, we can bring regenerative medicine a little step closer to its goal.

Jenny Qi is a third-year BMS student who blogs at bmscartoons.tumblr.com.

6 | September 26, 2013 | synapse.ucsf.edu

Grad Student 1

Grad Student 2

port from members of my lab. My lab is made up of about 10 people, specialists who are good mentors, as well as a few of my peers. I’ve worked in smaller labs where it was just the PI, and I didn’t have much guidance but learned to be very independent. I have a lot of peers in larger labs, where there’s more camaraderie, but it can get overwhelming, because the PI has a lot of other things on their plate. I think I’m in a good place for me.

make is going to affect the rest of your life, which is true, but there really is no right choice. If you feel like, “This is OK,” just go for it. It’s a choice like any other choice, so you shouldn’t worry so much. The way I went about it was I made a list, and I was like, “This professor has these pros and these cons,” and then I went with the professor with the most pros over cons.

» FROM HOME PAGE

Is it different from what you initially expected? How? I think I expected the PhD to be more straightforward. I came in thinking it was all about getting a project done, publishing and moving onto the next step. But things haven’t come as easily. I didn’t have much experience coming in, and I think that made it difficult to know how to reach out. I was struggling spending so many hours in lab and not getting anywhere, and wondered: Am I the only one in this situation? How did you deal with these challenges? I learned that I had to work more. I worked in industry before, and in that environment, people come in at 9 or 10 a.m. and leave by 6 p.m., and that’s it. Here, it doesn’t quite stop there; once you go home, there’s more time to get work done. It’s an evolving process to keep pushing, because if you don’t do the work yourself, no one’s going to do it for you. To really be successful in research, you need to put in the time to get things done, and because I wasn’t doing that, I think it was hindering my progress. Can you tell us about your quals experience? There hasn’t been much direction at times. It’s like: I have this project, so is it time to go find my quals committee, or is this a more dynamic process, or is this separate from my dissertation? It’s important to have a starting point that you feel good about. Going to the library has helped. What are you still working on? Knowing how much time things should take and still leaving time to de-stress or do the things I enjoy. I think part of the PhD process is learning how to manage your time well. Sometimes you’ll have to learn that on your own, and that’s fine — the whole point is to be independent and know when you can do things on your own and when you need assistance from your lab or other people in your program. Pick a lab environment that you will enjoy for the next few years, and be OK with the nuances of that lab. The project is not as important. It’s important that it’s interesting to you, but in the big picture, if you’re not having a good time in your lab or aren’t getting the support you need, you’re going to struggle with the PhD.

Is it different from what you initially expected? How? My lab is pretty good, but there are lots of challenges, more personal than scientific. One of the challenges is having a boss. It’s a different skill set and more about learning to deal with people. For example, things don’t work, and the boss says, “You just have to work harder, work harder every day.” I worked harder, but then I realized it just takes time. Another challenge is the uncertainty of graduation. A lot of my friends say that they’ve been promised four or five years [before graduation]. Personally, I always think, “How many years before I quit?” [Laughter.] The way I think about it is that I’m not doing a PhD because I want a degree. I just think it should be a part of my life. How did you deal with these challenges? Sometimes the boss tells me to do something and expects me to just do it. There’s tension, because how much do you do when you disagree with your boss? But I learned to clarify his perspective, so in very simple words: communication. Also, I learned to relax more. This probably comes from working as hard as my PI wanted for a year and realizing that it did not get me any farther. I’m pretty sure if I hadn’t worked that hard, I would still be where I am now. You start doing experiments just to look like you’re working hard, but sometimes you need to process and digest. Some things just don’t go faster, and thinking about it will just mess up your life. Can you tell us about your quals experience? One thing that really helped me was choosing a committee that liked me — rather than big shots who are really famous. My qualifying exam was less of a test and more like they were just trying to help me, and it was a really positive experience. What are you still working on? I like every day of my life to be meaningful, which means that if a three-day weekend is coming up, I want to go camping or something. My PI usually says it’s OK, but I still struggle because it’s like, “Oh no, I’m taking time off again.” I feel terrible and lazy, especially because he keeps saying, “The key to grad school is to work hard. You just have to keep doing experiments.” I took that to heart at first, and now I’m reconsidering it. And everyone seems to be different. Some people don’t take time off, and they’re OK with it, or they seem to be. So it’s an internal struggle — I’m trying to find a balance. What advice would you give other students? Grad school is a slow process, so don’t try to rush. Just relax, and don’t worry so much about your end destination, because things can and do change a lot.

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synapse.ucsf.edu | September 26, 2013 | 7

NEWS

By Angela Castanieto Associate Editor

By the Education Subgroup of UCSF’s Science Policy Group

CIENCIA Will Host Scientific Lectures in Spanish

ould you like to hear a scientific talk given in another language? CIENCIA, a new student organization on campus, will hold its first “Spanish Seminar” on October 1. Dr. Eva Nogales, PhD, a world-renowned Howard Hughes Medical Investigator and structural biologist from UC Berkeley, will be the inaugural speaker. This monthly event will showcase Bay Area researchers and clinicians who will present their research in Spanish. Carlos Rojo, a second-year graduate student in the Biomedical Sciences program, formed CIENCIA with the goal of providing an environment in which students from all schools could be immersed in high-level Spanish. In addition to providing an opportunity to learn and practice the language, it will also make students aware of opportunities to connect with faculty and research programs abroad. By helping students build familiarity with technical, scientific vocabulary, it hopes to foster post-graduation collaborations with domestic and international colleagues, as well as improve relationships with patients. Does one have to be fluent in Spanish to attend the seminars or participate in CIENCIA? According to Rojo, although the seminars will be conducted entirely in Spanish, “CIENCIA welcomes anyone who is interested in being in an environment of advanced Spanish and who is eager to learn.”

N To that end, CIENCIA will host additional monthly meetings focusing on developing and improving general Spanish-speaking skills, through such activities as a reading club focusing on Spanish-language books and journals. Thus, regardless of the language proficiency of its members, CIENCIA aims to provide members of the UCSF community with an opportunity to improve their Spanish skills and to be exposed to the technical language of scientific talks given by some of the world’s best researchers. CIENCIA’s first Spanish Seminar will be held Tuesday, October 1, at noon, and will provide lunch (space limited). To RSVP or for more information, please visit CIENCIA’s website at ucsf.orgsync.com/org/ciencia.

Lecture Schedule Dr. Eva Nogales, PhD, Tuesday, October 1, noon-1 p.m., N217 (Nursing), Parnassus. Dr. Eliseo Perez-Stable, MD, Thursday, October 31, 5:30-7 p.m. , N225, Parnassus. Dr. Sergio Baranzini, PhD, Thursday, November 21, 5:30-7 p.m. N225 (dinner), N-217 (seminar), Parnassus. Angela Castanieto is a fifth-year Tetrad student.

Building Community at UCSF National Diversity Day Celebration

2013 Chancellor Diversity Awards

“City Lights, City Nights”, UCSF LGBTQ Student Mixer

5th Annual Partnerships Celebration

“Cracking the Codes: The Systems of Racial Inequity” with Dr. Shakti Butler

“Life Theatre” Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

October 4, 2013 11:30am-1:30pm Saunders Court, Parnassus Campus

October 4, 2013 5:30pm-7:30pm Mission Bay Community Center

October 8, 2013 5:30-8pm Cole Hall Auditorium, Parnassus Campus

FG2C Welcome (Back) Dinner

October 9, 2013 5pm-6:30pm Millberry Union Conference Center, City Lights Room

October 16, 2013 Noon-2pm Millberry Union Gymnasium

October 17, 2013 5pm-7pm Cardiovascular Research Institute, Mission Bay

October 21, 2013 10am-Noon Toland Hall

Multicultural Resource Center One Year Anniversary Celebration October 24, 2013 Noon-4pm Millberry Union 123W

“No Dumb Questions” “Gay Back in the Day” NCOD/LGBT History Month Celebration

New Standards Aim to Improve Science Education in State Schools

October 30, 2013 Noon-1pm SFGH Carr Auditorium

October 10, 2013 4pm-6pm Parnassus Campus, N-225

Health Disparities Research Symposium VII

October 11, 2013 8am-1pm Laurel Heights Conference Center

For more information: diversity.ucsf.edu facebook.com/UcsfDiversity

UCSF Diversity and Outreach I 3333 California Street, S-16, San Francisco, CA 94118 I 415-476-7700

ew science education standards approved by the State Board of Education will emphasize scientific concepts, as well as integrate science and engineering practices, to cultivate an intuitive understanding of scientific principles as they apply to the natural world. The standards are progressive from Kindergarten through 12th grade, so that students continually build upon their knowledge and acquire the skills they need for higher education and their eventual careers. The new set of science education standards, known as the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/sc/ ngssintrod.asp), was jointly developed by the National Research Council and Achieve, Inc. over several years and approved by the State Board of Education of California on September 4. The curriculum overhaul comes in response to a growing national interest in improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, as the United States’ standing as a global leader in these fields has been called into question. According to a report recently published by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, many European and East Asian countries have recently increased federal investment in medical research as a share of GDP. Meanwhile, in the United States, this share has been steadily declining since 2004. Without adequate investment, scientific output has also fallen behind, and the U.S. share of the global output of the pharmaceutical industry dropped, in only eight years, from 35% in 2002 to 25% in 2010, with China inheriting much of the gains. The report makes clear that in order to maintain our global competitiveness in the science and innovation arena, the United States will need not only to renew its financial commitment to biomedical innovation, but also foster the workforce and public support necessary to carry out these commitments. How can the NGSS help achieve these goals? It has become clear that current methods of science education, which tend to focus on fact-based learning, do not necessarily produce students with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills necessary to succeed in science and engineering careers. “An active learning of scientific practices is critical, and takes time,” said Bruce Alberts, a professor emeritus of UCSF and member of the NGSS panel, in an interview with American Association for the Advancement of Science. “A focus on these practices, rather than on content alone, leads to a deep, sustained learning of the skills needed to be a success-

ful adult, regardless of career choice. We must teach our science students to do something in science class, not to memorize facts.” An active and devoted advocate of science education reform, Alberts will share his views in “My Transition From Science to Science Policy: How and Why?,” a lecture organized by the UCSF Science Policy Group to be held on Wednesday, October 2 at 6 p.m. in the Rock Hall Auditorium. Alberts’ sentiment is echoed in a recent New York Times feature article (“Ideas for Improving Science Education,” The New York Times, Sept. 13), which asks scientists and students, “If you could make one change to improve science education in the United States, what would it be?” Fifth-grader Deon Sanders, of Lakeland Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore, simply responded, “I need science and math to be more about life.” Sanders’ response illustrates a desire for science lessons to reach beyond the classroom, a need poorly met by current K-12 science education. Creative approaches to closing this gap are numerous. Sanders’ principal, Najib Jammal, envisions a system where “kids work in small groups more than they do now, and get to apply their STEM learning to projects that benefit their community.” “We have a community garden,” he said, “and we think it’s great to have the students design an irrigation system. This shows them how to apply their math problems to issues of sustainability.” Providing students with hands-on, meaningful opportunities to engage in science not only enriches their educational experience but can also inspire them to pursue jobs in STEM fields, thus contributing to the continued growth of the U.S. economy. If you would like to become involved in existing K-12 science education projects at UCSF, we invite you to learn more about the following groups: • The UCSF Science Policy Group: A campus group dedicated to science education, outreach, health care, advocacy and reform. Please join us at our next event with Bruce Alberts, “My Transition from Science to Science Policy: How and Why?,” on Wednesday, October 2 at 6 p.m. in the Rock Hall Auditorium. Contact: Brittany.anderton@ucsf.edu. • Science and Health Education Partnership (SEP): A collaboration between UCSF and the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) to support quality science education for K-12 students. Visit biochemistry.ucsf.edu/ programs/sep/info-for-volunteers.html. • Center for Educational Partnerships (CEP): Also in collaboration with SFUSD, a program that focuses on college access and preparation, science enrichment and health outreach. Contact: cep@ucsf.edu or Orlando. Elizondo@ucsf.edu

Share your adventures in the Synapse TRAVEL issue

Be a part of Synapse's annual TRAVEL issue. We welcome the UCSF community to share stories, photographs and anecdotes about places recently visited, both far and near. Send your submissions to Synapse@ucsf.edu. Deadline is Oct. 20. Photo by Guillaume Desachy

8 | September 26, 2013 | synapse.ucsf.edu

ARTS&CULTURE

Poetry at Parnassus: an Interview with David Watts By Jenny Qi Executive Editor

[Untitled haiku] After surgery I see shadows of horses on my cave eyelids

“D

on’t shut down the humanistic side. It’ll make you unbalanced,” intoned Dr. David Watts, a gastroenterologist and UCSF clinical professor of medicine, at the end of our interview. Indeed, Watts is anything but unbalanced, boasting a diverse range of artistic talents in addition to his medical achievements. Of these, he is perhaps best known for his poetry, much of which he scribbles in the middle of the night as his more emotionally charged alter ego, harvey ellis. In his efforts to bring more of this humanistic side to our health sciences campus, Watts started an informal writing group about a decade ago. Since then, the group has evolved into what is now called the Parnassus Poets, a continually rotating group of students and staff who gently critique or “workshop” each others’ writing. In keeping with this rising medical humanities movement, Watts’s group has agreed to help Synapse launch a new column, “Poetry at Parnassus,” which features short poems related to the experience of medicine. The Parnassus Poets meet every Monday from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in Watts’s office at 350 Parnassus, Room 900. All are welcome to bring in a piece of writing to share or simply listen. Synapse: How did you get into poetry? Dr. Watts: [As a child], my father was reading Robert Frost poems at the dinner table, and I thought it would be wonderful to grow up and write poetry. In college, I wrote some in class, and it was terrible stuff, so I left it for a while. Then I went through a period

Poetry at Parnassus

—Terri Mason, UCSF staff helps you do that, because there’s a universality in poetry that transcends science and art. I think I’m much better able to relate to [my patients].

Photo by Jenny Qi/BMS3 "There's a universality in poetry that transcends science and art," advises Dr. David Watts, who has run a writing group at Parnassus for the last decade.

when some trouble came in, and I struggled with that. I began to write stuff, not particularly good stuff, but the writing of this material actually did help and made me more resilient to the things I was going through. After that, I really wanted to do something with poetry. Synapse: Can you tell us about your literary alter ego, “harvey ellis?” Dr. Watts: As I began writing, I fell into a narrative style in which each poem would tell a distinct story. While I liked that sort of work, I started experimenting with writing while falling asleep. I developed a technique of waking up in the middle of the night when REM sleep is active, and the DLPFC — the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the logical part of the brain — is inactive.

The poems that emerge from that process have a jumping, quirky, electric quality, which I like. There have been two books now published, and several of these poems published in literary magazines. Synapse: How does your interest in poetry tie in with your medical career? Dr. Watts: Quite tightly, actually. There’s a lot more to being a doctor than the science of medicine, because you have to take that science and insinuate it into the life of an individual going through difficult times. You have to enter the thoughts of the patient well enough to present a rationale for why they should take a pill or a test or change their life in a significant way. And poetry

Synapse: How did the group Parnassus Poets get started? Dr. Watts: We’re on a health sciences campus, and we have nothing in the way of humanities to offset the rigid scientific training. Science, of course, is critical to our training — if we didn’t have that, we’d be quacks. But it’s also important to have a balance, to keep the humanistic side of the brain active. I felt that there was a need on campus for something in the way of poetry and writing and put out a little bulletin, and 10 or 12 people showed up. Over time, the group evolved to what it is today. Synapse: Do you have any advice for more scientifically inclined readers? Dr. Watts: Don’t shut down the humanistic side. It’ll make you unbalanced and, in the end, not as happy. I think experiencing life at its fullest gives us the best chance to share ideas with others, particularly in the process of healing.

Jenny Qi is a third-year BMS student.

It Takes Two » FROM HOME PAGE

sonnel, but such “non hypothesis-driven” research didn’t pay off as predicted. The need is now being recognized for hypothesis-driven studies informed by basic science, which is a domain of expertise for academia. Daria Mochly-Rosen believes that increased collaborations between industry and academia represent an evolution in our fundamental understanding of disease itself. Specifically, we now understand that some diseases we previously assumed to be the same for all patients — diabetes, cancer and heart failure, for example — are actually composed of many different diseases affecting smaller patient subpopulations. While this m i g ht s e e m to complicate chance s of d e v e l op ing a “universal” cure for anything, drugs indicated for smaller patient populations may actually be cheaper and easier to produce, thanks to the smaller clinical trial sizes that are required. Clinicians already know that syndromes are not a single disease, says Mochly-Rosen, and basic science researchers could identify biomarkers and molecular events enabling patients to be matched with an identifiable syndrome. She believes that pharmaceuticals are just starting to recognize the ability of academic partners to help in this “divide and conquer” strategy. Academic labs have suffered through years of an ever-decreasing National Institutes of Health budget, punctuated in 2013 by the initiation of sequestration. Even so, Blue-

stone does not believe that financial pressures are sending academics into the arms of drug companies. Rather, academic scientists are beginning to realize that industry partners can offer other valuable resources, including access to compound libraries, proprietary screening technologies, and practical expertise in drug development and medicinal chemistry. Mochly-Rosen says that academic researchers would benefit from better education about the drug development process, and that most underestimate the effort and expertise needed for translating basic discoveries to real drugs. Through direct interaction, both sides may be able to learn from each other. The downward t r e n d i n p h a rmaceuticals was dubbed “Eroom’s Law” by the authors of a 2012 Nature Reviews Drug Discovery review examining R&D efficiency in industry. “Eroom” is “Moore” spelled backward, an homage to Gordon E. Moore, co-founder of Intel, who famously predicted the number of transistors fitting on an integrated circuit would double every two years. Moore’s Law held true from the 1970s up to at least 2010, but has been more generally used to describe the exponential growth of any technology.

Benjamin Cohn is a PhD candidate in Biomedical Sciences at UCSF/Gladstone Institutes and a correspondent for the Oxbridge-Bay chapter.

synapse.ucsf.edu | September 26, 2013 | 9

PUZZLES

Piled Higher and Deeper by Jorge Cham

The Weekly Crossword

ACROSS 1 Shopping mecca 5 Rugged rock 9 Map collection 14 Toast topper 15 Political contest 16 Little bit 17 Bed for some overnight guests 18 ____ arms (2 wds) 19 Church contribution 20 Pay a claim 22 Disinterested 24 Furillo's street 26 Cut of lamb 27 Humiliate 30 Disconcert 32 Cut the grass 35 Usable asset 37 Celestial being 39 Cup edge 40 Like Poe's prose 42 One opposed 43 Difficult experience 45 Diverse 47 Sandwich bread 48 Social class 50 Conduct a class 51 Small particle 52 Inventory unit 54 Lazy 58 Irrational fear 62 Miss Frank's work 63 Journey 65 ___ and board 66 Group of eight 67 Small brook 68 Internet destination

by Margie E. Burke

21 24

50 52

51 54

41 45

53 58

65 68

Grad School Illustrated

title: "Standards" - originally published 9/4/2013

by Jillian Varonin

69 Renter's contract 70 Cross bar 71 Enthusiasm

12 Longing 13 Bird feeder filler 21 In ___ of flowers... 23 Grad cap ornament DOWN 25 Shoe string 1 Tufted plant 27 Wheel shaft 2 Medicinal herb 28 Rasp ending 3 Pulled up stakes 29 In reserve Week of 9/23/13 - 9/29/13 4 Abhorrent 31 Round cloth cap 5 More than mean 32 Southwestern 6 Jay-Z's genre blanket 7 LSD 33 Vision-related 8 Taxonomic 34 Relative category pronoun 9 Diplomat 36 Narrate 10 Feat of magic 38 Derby contender 11 Strip of wood 41 Slushy drink



44 Priest's helper 46 Engrave with acid 49 Guard at the gate 51 Accepted customs 53 Fruit for pies 54 Object of worship 55 "Treat Me ___" (1957 Elvis song) 56 Computer input 57 Group of three 59 Skin swelling 60 Small amount 61 Prayer closing 64 Type

Edited by Margie E. Burke

Difficulty : Medium

 

www.phdcomics.com

 

HOW TO SOLVE:

 

HUMOR

Alchemists, Psychics Hired to Encourage Cross-Disciplinary Research By Staff Humorist

 

Jillian Varonin is a fourth-year BMS student.

 

        (Answer appears elsewhere in this issue)

n an effort to spark cross-disciplinary research, UCSF has hired a skilled team from the Guild of Alchemists, Wizards and Psychics to team up with local experts. “We want to help our scientists think outside the box as much as possible, which means reconsidering and exploring disciplines of research that might have been overlooked previously,” said a university spokesperson. At the press conference announcing the development, the Guild’s spokeswoman said: “Our methods may be more heuristic than those of physics and chemistry, but statistics show the noble disciplines of alchemy, wizardry and soothsaying are no worse at

predicting scientific outcomes than commonly accepted disciplines such as macroeconomics and psychology.” The spokesman for the UCSF Committee for Public Relations added, “Time and time again, history has shown that technological breakthroughs and paradigm shifts in our understanding of the universe happen when experts from disparate disciplines work together. This development will be sure to foster synergy, crossfertilization of ideas and other feel-good buzzwords.” Public reaction to the announcement was generally positive. However, as expected, several party poopers turned out to rain on the PR parade. "They’ve just hired a bunch of crackpots desperate to make a dime,” said Jim Goodwell, a local math teacher. “These con artists will say anything for a dollar.”

MIND&BODY

Let’s Get Physical ... Therapy! Get    Fit   with    Andrew Solution to Sudoku

 Ilka  Felsen        By          Staff Writer           EDITOR’S    NOTE:   Ifyouhave  any questions about muscles and bones, musculoskeletal issues you’ve had or would like to know more about, or anything under the sun related to physi         cal therapy, send them to Ilka.Felsen@ucsf.edu.            o physical   therapists   know anything about physical fitness, or do you just teach   people  howtowalk  allday?

Yes! All of us certainly know about fitness, and one member of our PT cohort is keen on sharing his expertise with the UCSF community. Meet Andrew Tran. Andrew is a second-year Department of Physical Therapy student, and a certified strength and conditioning specialist. Besides being a little buff (sorry, Andrew, I couldn’t help but notice!), Andrew leads group fitness classes at the Kezar Stadium during lunch hour.

So his workouts are basically step aerobics in the sun? Ehhh... No! Not at all. Physical therapists are in a unique position to get bodies toned in a biomechanically based approach. In layman’s terms, this means we find ways to move the body that our bones and muscles like. And Andrew does just that. Really well. In 45 minutes, Andrew combines circuit training with biomechanics—think aerobics meets anatomy—in a way that’s bound to keep you engaged and sweating. When asked what a workout entails, Andrew explained, “You’re going to get a lot of high-intensity circuit training. It’s basically nonstop, and any sort of recovery is going to be active.” How will I survive this? Andrew: “I always create modifications for anyone. That being said, you will get a workout, no matter what level of fitness you are.”

Andrew Tran leads a fitness class in walking knee raises.

Photo by Ilka Felsen/PT2

What do other students think? Felipe Cazares, also a second-year DPT student, digs it. Why? “Because it works every aspect of your body, from all your muscular systems. And it works on your aerobic activity, it works on resistance exercise and on general athletic training.” Aaron Ortiz, a second-year DPT student, also appreciates an Andrew workout. “Andrew definitely pushes us, but it’s a great workout.” Both Felipe and Aaron are regulars, but Andrew encourages anyone to drop in when they can. So, basically, I should get fit with Andrew? Yes! Andrew will be laying out a fall schedule. If you are interested, contact him at Andrew. Tran@ucsf.edu to get on the mailing list.

Ilka Felsen is a second-year physical therapy student and enjoys watching people walk, palpating joints and muscles, and talking about physical therapy.

FOOD 10 | September 26, 2013 | synapse.ucsf.edu

Mama’s on Washington Square: Worth the Wait? By Dawn Maxey Staff Writer

t’s the end of summer in San Francisco. While tourist season is winding down, the streets are still clogged with double-decker tour buses, and Haight Street is still filled with gaggles of shivering tourists dressed in shorts asking, “But why is it so cold?” Inspired by the dedication of tourists determined to have fun, a core group of fellow medical students and I decided to put on our sightseer hats and test a tried-and-true tourist establishment: Mama’s on Washington Square. Located on the periphery of Washington Square Park in the North Beach district, Mama’s always seems to have a line coming out of it that stretches a block long. It’s a breakfast and lunch restaurant that all tourists seem to have a sixth sense about. Despite the restaurant’s almost godly reputation amongst out-of-towners, none of us had ever eaten there, even though all of us had lived in San Francisco for quite some time. The days of skipping class for breakfast sadly behind us, my group of hardy taste-testers had to settle on trying the place out on a Saturday. Mama’s opens its doors at 8 a.m., and to avoid waiting in the rumored hours-long wait, we decided to arrive as soon as it opened. We timed our arrival —perfectly — rounding the street corner a few minutes before 8 a.m., only to discover the line was already halfway down the block. Flabbergasted, we dutifully took our places at the end. Half an hour later, as the line moved incrementally forward, we decided to curb our hunger with a piece of focaccia from Liguria Bakery across the street. This was a fantastic decision — the enormous piece of warm and garlicky bread melted on our tongues. We also learned (from the Liguria cashier) that people had started lining up for Mama’s at 6:30 — an hour and a half before the restaurant had even opened. The four of us looked at each other. Was this going to be worth the wait? Two hours later, the taste of fresh focaccia long gone from our mouths, we finally reached the front of the line. As our party was let into the restaurant (finally!), we were shuttled into yet another line — this one leading straight to the cashier. We ordered from an enormous wall-menu, paid and were told that a table would be ready for us momentarily. Hungry and giddy with the prospect of finally experiencing Mama’s food, we didn’t question the system. Soon after we were seated, our orders arrived. Two plates were

Photo by Michelle Meyer/MS3

The French Toast Sampler comes with thick slices of cinnamon, banana and cranberryorange bread.

piled high with the French Toast Sampler, made with pieces of Cinnamon, Banana and Cranberry Orange bread, and real maple syrup ($12.95). Another plate was steaming with the good smells of a Washington Square Omelette: spicy Italian sausage, bell pepper, tomatoes and hot Pepper Jack cheese ($10.95). The Mama’s Children’s Favorite Omelette also looked spectacular: fluffy mounds of egg filled with sautéed mushroom, green onions, roasted tomatoes and Monterey Jack Cheese ($9.50). With great fanfare and gusto, the four of us dug in. After a few inaugural bites and the obligatory passing-of-plates-around-the-table, we paused momentarily. Was this it? Chewing silently, we stared at our plates. The food was good, but it wasn’t jaw-droppingly good. Not four-stars on Yelp good. And definitely not wait-in-the-cold-for-two-hours good. The French Toast wasn’t so much French Toast as it was fried pieces of various quick-breads. Where was the custardy goodness of Nopa’s signature dish? The omelettes were standard fare: we could have probably made the same thing at home. We silently apologized for even thinking to cheat on the eggs at Zazie, the Cole Valley French bistro beloved amongst UCSF students. Overall, we decided that the best things about our Mama’s experience were 1) the pieces of spicy Italian sausage inside the Washington Square omelette, 2) the complimentary raspberry jam, and 3) the focaccia we had in line while waiting. Not a very good track record, seeing as none of those items are actually available on the menu. Considering the wealth of other delicious breakfast options that San Francisco has to offer, we ultimately decided that we’d leave Mama’s — and the wait — to the tourists.

Dawn Maxey is a third-year medical student.

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12 | September 26, 2013 | synapse.ucsf.edu

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