MIND&BODY
ARTS&CULTURE
Blogilates Fitness Fun Inner Sunset Trivia "Train like a beast, look like a Night Roundup beauty" » PAGE 8
IN THIS ISSUE
News Briefs » PAGE 3 Mythbusters » PAGE 5 Puzzles » PAGE 11
Synapse Team Synapse hits the circuit » PAGE 10
The UCSF Student Newspaper
Thursday, March 6, 2014
NEWS
A Night at the UCSF Homeless Clinic First-year medical student describes educational volunteer experience
NOTE: This article was first published on the UCSF School of Medicine website (medschool. ucsf.edu) on February 24, 2014.
By Jeffrey Chen Staff Writer
T
he first time I go to the St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco, I leave my white coat at home. The Society provides shelter for over 400 transient men and women each night. It’s also the location of the UCSF Homeless Clinic, which is where I’m headed tonight, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Many of the men and women who come to the clinic have had negative experiences with healthcare providers in the past. A white coat may be the last thing they want to see. People come to this shelter in the South of Market neighborhood to find reprieve from the vicious cycles of homelessness, violence and substance abuse that they encounter on the streets. Here, they are able to get help, whether it’s to find permanent housing, employment, education, or simply a warm bed to stay for the night and food to sustain them through the day. And since 1992, on every Tuesday and Thursday night, these men and women have been able to get free medical care right at the shelter. Since its founding 22 years ago, the UCSF Homeless Clinic has drawn medical students and local community physicians to volunteer their time caring for the patients most in need in San Francisco. Since then, the clinic has expanded to include nursing, pharmacy, premedical and even law students. The clinic draws student volunteers from UCSF Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy, as well as premedical students from the University of San Francisco and law students from the UC Hastings College of the Law. Each group has their role: pharmacy students, for example, will help patients go over their medication lists and help them figure out how to stick to their regimens, while pre-
HOMELESS CLINIC » PAGE 4
synapse.ucsf.edu
Volume 58, Number 22
NEWS
UCSF P&T Team Heads to Nationals
By Linda Chen Staff Writer
A
UCSF Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) winning team will once again represent the University at the 14th Annual National Student Pharmacy P&T Competition. Lucille Sun, president-elect of AMCP and P&T coordinator, announced last week that from 50 competitive school submissions, the UCSF team of Edna Cheung (P1), Isabel Fong (P1), Thomas Lee (P2) and Randal Du (P3) had landed a coveted spot in the top eight, which will compete in Tampa, Florida on April 4. “Throughout this competition we tested the limits of our intellect, persevered through many challenges, and, most importantly, made some unforgettable memories as a team,” said Thomas Lee on behalf of the team. “We are thrilled to be representing UCSF School of Pharmacy at the National AMCP Conference next month. We hope to continue the tradition of excellence that our school has upheld in previous years.” The AMCP P&T Competition is a unique opportunity for a four-person team of pharmacy students to simulate the actions of an actual P&T committee. In hospitals and health plans, the P&T committee manages the formulary—a list of medications that will be
Photo by Joshua Smith/P2 (Left to right) Isabel Fong (P1), Randal Du (P3), Edna Cheung (P1) and Thomas Lee (P2) will compete in the 14th Annual National Student Pharmacy P&T Competition in Tampa, Fla. on April 4.
covered—through evaluation of drug’ 'safety, efficacy and economic profile. While actual P&T committees are interdisciplinary in nature and have greater access to information, the students often produce quality results that rival the actual committees. This year, Elyea ® (aflibercept), an intravitreal injection indicated for the treatment
of wet age-related macular degeneration and macular edema following central retinal vein occlusion, was chosen. The route of administration and high cost of the drug were the interesting twists in this year’s competition. After careful consideration of the data, teams arrived at a formulary decision and argued in
NATIONALS » PAGE 7
ARTS&CULTURE
Hidden Garden Steps Mural Completed By T. Booth Haley Staff Writer
A
new mosaic mural has opened in the Inner Sunset. Inspired by the beloved sun-moon-river mural on the Moraga Mosaic steps, which ascend the west side of Grandview Park, aka Turtle Hill, a community group has completed a second stairway mural called the Hidden Garden Steps. Completed in December 2013, the staircase begins its climb from Kirkham Ave., where 16th Ave. dead-ends at the north edge of the same Turtle Hill. This fantastic promontory — from which one can survey the entire Sunset district, the Marin Headlands and the towers of downtown — is becoming one of the most nicely decorated hills in San Francisco. The Hidden Garden Steps depict a lush floral paradise — vines, ferns and creatures intertwined with petals and stamens — with names of donors inscribed on many of the
HIDDEN GARDEN STEPS » PAGE 11
Photo by Mason Tran/DS4 The Hidden Garden Steps depict a lush floral paradise — vines, ferns and creatures intertwined with petals and stamens.
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EVENTS MISSION BAY EVENTS FOOD TRUCK THURSDAYS AT MISSION BAY
Thursday, March 6, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 4th Street & Nelson Rising Lane, Mission Bay Join the food truck lunch party every Thursday at Mission Bay and explore the tasty culinary options to break up your routine. Each week will feature two different vendors, so there will always be something new. Grab some friends, get some food, and take your lunch experience up a notch.
SYNAPSE NEWSPAPER
Friday, March 7, noon-1 p.m., Graduate Division, CC-310, Mission Bay Synapse is looking for student writers, bloggers, photographers and designers. Come to the lunch meeting, share your story ideas and enjoy a free lunch. For more information, email synapse@ucsf.edu.
MUSLIM FRIDAY PRAYER SERVICES
Friday, March 7, 1-2 p.m., Helen Diller, 160, Mission Bay The Muslim Community at UCSF holds regular Friday prayer services (Jum’a) for the UCSF Muslim community every week. Come join your fellow brothers and sisters for prayer, lunch and socializing. All are welcome.
HOME PREPAREDNESS IN EARTHQUAKE COUNTRY
Friday, March 7, 3-4 p.m., Genentech Hall, N114, Mission Bay Matt Springer, Associate Professor of Medicine, will talk about precautions that can be taken to lessen the damage from an earthquake at home and work. His onehour presentation includes many photos of preparations in his own home and suggests measures ranging from simple to complex to prepare for the next temblor. Sponsored by the Office of Environmental Health & Safety.
MISSION BAY RIPS
Friday, March 7, 4-5 p.m., Genentech Hall Auditorium, Mission Bay Research In Progress Seminar is a seminar series at which one student and one postdoc present their current research. Talks are 15 minutes in length and are preceded by a 20-minute social. Snacks and beverages are provided.
GSA MEETING: GRADUATE, NURSING & PT
Tuesday, March 11, 5:30 p.m., Genentech Hall, N114, Mission Bay Meet your executive board members at the monthly GSA meeting and be a part of the discussion on topics relating to student priorities. Visit the GSA website for more details and to RSVP. http://bit.ly/gsawebsite
PARNASSUS EVENTS PERSONAL FINANCE TRAINING SEMINAR
Thursday, March 6, 6:15-9 p.m., Nursing, 721, Parnassus ACSS invites a living trust attorney and financial planner to give a seminar on personal financial planning, living trust planning and more. This will be a very informative and educational event that people don't want to miss. Dinner is provided. All are welcome!
MUSLIM FRIDAY PRAYER SERVICES
Friday, March 7, 1-2 p.m., Medical Sciences, 168, Parnassus The Muslim Community at UCSF holds regular Friday prayer services (Jum’a) for the UCSF Muslim community every week. Come join your fellow brothers and sisters for prayer, lunch and socializing. All are welcome.
CAMPUS EVANGELISTIC FELLOWSHIP
Friday, March 7, 7-10:30 p.m., Nursing, 517, Parnassus Join the Campus Evangelistic Fellowship for its weekly meeting, with Bible study, hymn singing and fellowship.
PARNASSUS FARMERS’ MARKET
Wednesday, March 12, 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, March 12, noon-1 p.m., Millbery Union 123W, Parnassus Synapse is looking for Mission Bay and Parnassus writers, bloggers, photographers and designers. Come to the lunch meeting, share your story ideas and enjoy a free lunch. Email for more information and to RSVP: synapse@ucsf.edu.
IMN MIDWEEK MEDITATION HOUR
Wednesday, March 12, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Library, 211, Parnassus The Integrative Medicine Network invites everyone in the UCSF community to experience a weekly guided meditation. All are welcome, whether you are looking to combat day-to-day stress using meditation or you'd like to uncover subtle layers of your self by diving deep. No experience in meditation is necessary. Both regular meditators as well as amateurs are welcome.
UCSF RUN CLUB
Wednesday, March 12, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Millberry Union Central Desk, Parnassus Please drop by and join UCSF Fit & Rec for a run. Each Wednesday night, the Run Club runs various distances (from 3-6 miles) at 9 to 11 minutes per mile.
ENTREPRENEUR'S CLUB: FAST TRACKING A STARTUP
Wednesday, March 12, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Medical Sciences, 214, Parnassus Dan Schwartz, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at UCSF and serial entrepreneur, will share his thoughts about fast product development, how to build and maintain teams and starting and funding a company. His current venture, Calhoun Vision, has raised $80MM from Angel investors and is in Phase 3 clinical trials. He will talk about not only successes, but the challenges he has faced over the 14 years since starting Calhoun. Find out how Dan manages his entrepreneurial activities while spending about half time in clinical practice. https://march12eclub.eventbrite.com/.
ENGLISH CORNER
Wednesday, March 12 , 6-8:30 p.m., Clinical Sciences, 130, Parnassus English Corner is an informal conversational English class given as a free community
service and provided on a voluntary basis by both people born and raised in the United States as well as many people who have, at one time in their lives, experienced life as a new immigrant to the United States.
VOCAL CHORDS A CAPPELLA SPRING CONCERT
Wednesday, March 12, 7:30-9 p.m., Nursing, 225, Parnassus Join Vocal Chords for an exciting evening of UCSF's a cappella group singing jazz and contemporary pop hits, with opening acts by the Chamber Music Society. Free food and drinks. Sponsors: UCSF Arts & Events and Performing Arts Fund
OFF-CAMPUS OFF THE GRID: UPPER HAIGHT
Thursday, Feb. 20, 5-9 p.m., Stanyan and Waller Streets, SF Off the Grid is a roaming mobile food extravaganza that travels to different locations daily to serve delicious food, with a free side of amazing music, craft and soul.
CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: UNIVERSAL RHYTHM NIGHTLIFE
Thursday, March 6, 6-10 p.m., Cal Academy, Golden Gate Park Wanna get out? This week, NightLife explores the exciting, earthy fun that awaits you in the great outdoors. View a curated selection of short films from Mountainfilm, a Coloradobased independent film festival. Screenings include Honnold 3.0, chronicling the extreme feats of free climber Alex Honnold; and Lacon de Catalonia, wherein you’ll train with one of the world’s top mountain bikers, among others. Stop by a make-your-own trail mix bar by Whole Foods to concoct a snack that will fuel your future adventures, and taste nutrition bars from Oakland-based Core Foods. http://bit.ly/NightLifeTickets, http:// bit.ly/CLSDiscounts.
ANNOUNCEMENTS FREE WI-FI ON THE GRAY SHUTTLE
The Gray shuttle has free wi-fi to ensure even your commute is productive! Visit Next Shuttle online to see when the next UCSF shuttle is scheduled to leave, browse shuttle routes and the first and last scheduled departures of the day for each shuttle line. http://bit.ly/UCSFNextBus.
LAST LECTURE 2014: VOTING NOW OPEN
The Last Lecture is a prominent lecture series on many college campuses throughout the country. As a student-initiated event, the Last Lecture's speaker is chosen by the student body. The winning professor will deliberate and deliver a lecture on the prompt, "If you had but one lecture to give, what would you say?" This interprofessional event will bring out stories intertwining various dimensions of the winner's professional, personal, spiritual, and cultural experiences that have brought them to UCSF today. Vote for the professor you would like to see deliver the 2014 Last Lecture on April 16. The Last Lecture will be followed by the annual Zero Year Reunion in Millberry Union.
2014-15 GPSA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL: APPLICATIONS DUE MARCH 31
Run for office in the inaugural Graduate and Professional Student Association! It is a unique interprofessional experience and gives you the opportunity to experience leadership that makes a difference. Visit the GPSA website for details on how to submit a candidate application. Applications are due on March 31. http://gpsa.ucsf.edu/node/484
CITYWALKS SERIES: MISSION MURALS: RSVP BY MARCH 11
Saturday, March 15, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Student Resource Center, Mission Bay See the colorful people's art of the Mission District, one of San Francisco's largest ethnic communities. eventbrite.com/e/ citywalks-series-mission-murals-tickets10160938641?utm_campaign=new_ e ve nt v 2 & ut m _ m e d iu m = e m ai l & ut m _ source=eb_email&utm_term=eventurl_text.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTER COURSE: FINANCING NEW VENTURES: DEADLINE APRIL 7
Monday, April 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Byers Hall, 212, Mission Bay Financing New Ventures is an eight week survey of the financing landscape for life science/healthcare ventures that explores the range of options to get your venture funded ranging from SBIR grants to seed funding, angel funding, venture capital and alternative sources of capital. There will be a session on finance basics, valuation, term sheets and a review of the content for a business plan and investor pitch. Co-taught by Adjunct Professors Stephanie Marrus, Director of the Entrepreneurship Center and Naeem Zafar, UC Berkeley/UCSF, the course will include invited speakers from the business community in Silicon Valley. This is a non-credit course and is open to Berkeley, Stanford and life science businesses. https:// docs.google.com/forms/d/1NhvYiHOv4DEk Hk9Cpa5lafUoZ7aUYNGRhWyHnavwIoo/ viewform.
CORPORATIONS, CONSUMPTIONS, AND PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH
Wednesday, March 19, 4-6 p.m., 3333 California St, 263, Laurel Heights The UCSF School of Nursing invites you to a panel discussion and to celebrate the book release of Lethal but Legal by Nicholas Freudenberg, Professor of Public Health at City University of New York (CUNY). Panel includes Dr. Ruth Malone, UCSF, Michele Simon, EatDrinkPolitics, Dr. Lori Dorfman, Berkeley Media Studies Group, and Nicholas Freudenberg, CUNY. Space is limited. RSVP to mike.henseler@nursing.ucsf.edu.
UCSF SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT: REGISTRATION DEADLINE MARCH 14
Saturday, April 12, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Moscone Playground, SF Spend a weekend playing softball with friends and others from the UCSF community during this two-day softball tournament. Equipment such as softballs, bats and helmets are provided. www.recsports.ucsf.edu.
PITCH COUNSELOR SUMMER OPPORTUNITY – STIPEND AVAILABLE
No summer plans and love working with high school students? Apply to be a PITCH Counselor and expose high school students to healthcare careers and create hands-on clinical skills activities and GET PAID! Must be able to commit to entire summer program: July 7-25, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at Parnassus. Email resume and completed application to: Anthea K. Lim, EAOP and PITCH (anthea.lim@ucsf.edu). Learn more at https://cep.ucsf.edu/student-programs/ career-exploration-education-healthsciences/pitch.
UCSA STUDENT LOBBY CONFERENCE
April 5-7, Sacramento, CA Join fellow UC students in speaking with state legislators at the State Capitol about legislation related to higher education issues. Never done it before? No problem! The weekend is full of workshops devoted to showing you how. All reasonable costs will be reimbursed by ASUC & GSA. Learn more: ucsa.org/our-work/ucsa-conferences/ slc/. Registration is required, so please sign up in advance with Christoph Hanssmann at Christoph.Hanssmann@ucsf.edu.
synapse.ucsf.edu | March 6, 2014 | 3
NEWS
Paying it Forward: Liver Life Challenge
NEWS BRIEFS Grad Student Launches Housing Information Listserv
The Graduate Division has launched a housing information listserv moderated by members of the Graduate Students' Association, which may help students to find a housing situation on or off campus. The listserv, established earlier this year, is gradually coming into wider use. To subscribe follow these directions: • Send a one-line email message from the email address you want to use to receive housing information. • In the "To" field, enter: listserv@listsrv. ucsf.edu • Leave the "Subject" field blank. Do not enter any text here. • In the body of the message, en ter: subscribe housing-info yourfirstname yourlastname (substitute in your own first and last names.) The housing-info listserv is offered as a convenience. UCSF makes no warranties as to any of the housing opportunities publicized on the listserv.
Scientists Transform Skin Cells into Functioning Liver Cells
Photo courtesy of Melody Haworth Melody Haworth, a UCSF transplant RN, will participate in the Mt. Shasta Climb in June to raise awareness and money to support liver disease research.
By Melody Haworth Contributing Writer
I
began my nursing career at UCSF's Adult Transplant Unit on 9 Long. We care for patients either receiving or donating a kidney, liver or pancreas. I am privileged to work with patients diagnosed with liver disease who are either being evaluated as a candidate to become a liver transplant recipient, have received a transplant and are recovering from surgery, or are post-transplant and experiencing complications that require hospitalization. I am humbled daily by the courage our
patients show when faced with the challenges of a diagnosis of end stage liver disease, the patience and hope they possess when waiting to receive a transplant, the will and determination it takes to recover from the extensive surgery as well as the life changes and skills that must be learned and adhered to in order to successfully survive and thrive as a recipient of a solid organ transplant. Climbing Shasta has been a goal of mine for many years. Growing up in Sonoma County, I was fortunate to be surrounded by a beautiful landscape that I thoroughly explored and felt connected to both physically and spiritually. My love for nature and out-
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The UCSF Student Newspaper synapse.ucsf.edu STAFF
Yi Lu | EDITOR Jenny Qi | EXECUTIVE EDITOR Angela Castanieto | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Akshay Govind | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Steven Chin | MANAGING EDITOR
About
Synapse is the UCSF student-run weekly newspaper, which runs on Thursdays during the academic year and monthly during the summer. Synapse seeks to serve as a forum for the campus community. Articles and columns represent the views of the authors and not necessarily those of the Board of Publications or the University of California.
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Announcements and letters should be submitted six days before publication. All submissions can be either emailed or mailed. All material is subject to editing. Letters to the Editor must be signed by the author.
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Paid advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of Synapse. Synapse and its editorial board reserve the right to decline advertisements promoting false or misleading claims, known health risks, or content deemed by the editors to be antithetical to the interests of UCSF students or the UCSF community. Synapse does not accept advertisements from tobacco or alcohol manufacturers, or sexually oriented personal ads. Synapse reserves the right to run any ad with a disclaimer.
door activities led me to develop many hobbies, including but not limited to hiking and mountaineering. As a transplant RN, it is with great honor to contribute my time and energy to raise awareness and money for the growing prevalence of liver disease. Liver disease affects 1 in 10 Americans, and it is of paramount importance to properly fund research and educate the public. Help me to help 30 million Americans. A world free of liver disease! That is why I am participating in the Liver Life Challenge. The Liver Life Challenge is an endurance sports training program that helps people like me train for a race while supporting the mission of the American Liver Foundation. Every step I take and every dollar I raise will make a difference in the lives of more than 30 million Americans living with liver disease. Did you know: • Liver cancer is one of the few primary cancers on the rise in the United States. • About 5.4 million Americans are chronically infected with hepatitis B or hepatitis C. About 65 percent and 75 percent, respectively, are unaware that they are infected. • It is estimated that up to 25 percent of the U.S. population could have Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease—a condition that can lead to life-threatening damage. By making a donation on my behalf, you will be helping the Foundation provide community-based education, research, support and advocacy related to help prevent and treat liver disease. Together we can make a difference and it's as simple as helping me reach my fundraising goal. To donate, click the "Donate" button on this page: go.liverfoundation.org/site/TR/LiverLifeChallenge2014/LiverLifeChallenge?px= 1877441&pg=personal&fr_id=4000 Please send offline, non-cash donations to: American Liver Foundation, 39 Broadway, Suite 2700, New York, NY 10006 *Please be sure to include the Challenge Participant's name with your check. Thank you for supporting the Mt. Shasta Climb 2014 on June 13-16, 2014!
Melody Haworth is a nurse in UCSF's Adult Transplant Unit on 9 Long.
The power of regenerative medicine now allows scientists to transform skin cells into cells that closely resemble heart cells, pancreas cells and even neurons. However, a method to generate cells that are fully mature—a crucial prerequisite for life-saving therapies—has proven far more difficult. But now, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes and UCSF have made an important breakthrough: they have discovered a way to transform skin cells into mature, fully functioning liver cells that flourish on their own, even after being transplanted into laboratory animals modified to mimic liver failure. Writing in the latest issue of the journal Nature, researchers in the laboratories of Gladstone senior investigator Sheng Ding, PhD, and UCSF associate professor Holger Willenbring, MD, PhD, reveal a new cellular reprogramming method that transforms human skin cells into liver cells that are virtually indistinguishable from the cells that make up native liver tissue. These results offer new hope for the millions of people suffering from, or at risk of developing, liver failure—an increasingly common condition that results in progressive and irreversible loss of liver function.
Kaiser Permanente, UCSF Add Genetic, Health Information to NIH Online Database Researchers worldwide will now have access to genetic data linked to medical information on a diverse group of more than 78,000 people, enabling investigations into many diseases and conditions. The data have just been made available to qualified researchers through the database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP), the online database of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The announcement was made February 26 at the National Advisory Council on Aging by Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA). The data come from one of the nation’s largest and most diverse genomics projects— the Genetic Epidemiology Research on Adult Health and Aging (GERA) cohort—which was developed collaboratively by the Kaiser Permanente Research Program on Genes, Environment and Health (RPGEH) and UCSF. The addition of the data to dbGaP was made possible with $24.9 million in support from the NIA and the National Institute of Mental Health at NIH, as well as from the Office of the NIH Director.
4 | March 6, 2014 | synapse.ucsf.edu
Homeless Shelter » FROM HOME PAGE
medical students will help coordinate referrals to San Francisco General Hospital, the Tom Waddell Clinic, or other local health centers that focus on care for indigent populations. Because some patients have needs that are hard for the biweekly general clinic to address, students now also hold a dermatology clinic one Tuesday a month and a women’s clinic 1-2 Sundays a month. As we walk in the doors of the shelter, our stethoscopes set off the metal detectors, loudly declaring our arrival. Before we cross the room to set up shop, a few residents approach us, asking if they can be seen. One man needs help with his diarrhea, which has been keeping him up at night; another with his swollen, painful toe. Matt Bald, a second-year student and veteran volunteer assures them that we’ll be back to check on them as soon as we’re set up. I will be shadowing Matt throughout this night. Another student, Ethan Hua, serves as tonight’s clinic coordinator. Coordinators manage the overall flow of the clinic, making sure there are enough supplies and equipment and that everything runs smoothly. They are also trained to check blood sugars with a glucometer, administer PPD (tuberculosis) tests and draw blood for a new STI testing initiative. They can also administer naloxone (Narcan) if someone shows up having overdosed on an opioid, and they know how to screen for sensitive mental health issues. Ethan has a steady stream of patients waiting to have their PPD tests placed or read. This is a particularly important public health role of the clinic, as tuberculosis can spread rampantly through vulnerable populations such as the homeless. Anybody testing positive on this simple skin reaction test is referred to SFGH, where they can get a chest x-ray and treatment. Our medical preceptor for the night is Dan Ciccarone, MD, MPH, a professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at UCSF. “The role of the preceptors at Homeless Clinic is really to just stand back and let the students do the work,” explains Dr. Dan — as students popularly know him — before the clinic starts. “Do your history and physical, and call us when you’re done. Don't rush. Take this opportunity to really listen and learn more about the stories of your patients and how they got to where they are today.” "Moe" Soon after we break, Matt and I go to talk to the shelter residents who’d approached us when we first came in. Moe*, the man complaining about diarrhea, is lying on his side in bed #83, clutching a bottle of red Gatorade. “Moe, how are you feeling? We can come see you right now in the back,” Matt offers. “Oh, thank goodness,” replies Moe weakly. He follows us into the room where we hold our clinic. We draw our curtain shut, sit down and listen to his story. Moe has been experiencing diarrhea for four days, and it’s been disrupting his sleep. In fact, many of the other men in the shelter have been running to the toilet in the middle of the night too, and he suspects there is some bug going around. Over the past day or so, he says, he’s felt especially weak and dehydrated, hence the Gatorade. “I’m miserable, guys. My stomach hurts all day long, and I can’t get any sleep at night when I gotta keep running to the bathroom.” Matt performs the rest of his history and physical. We learn about Moe’s life—how he used to be a caregiver in a nursing home, until a family drama sidetracked him. From there, life went on a downhill spiral until he ended up homeless. He’d seen a few terrible things while he was a caregiver, which led him to distrust the medical system as a
Photo by Elisabeth Fall At the UCSF Homeless Clinic, students work with preceptors to provide medical care for some of the men and women who need it most in San Francisco.
whole. “But you guys seem alright,” he tells us. Matt finishes his history and physical, and I bring in our preceptor, Dr. Dan, who immediately connects with Moe with a smile and a joke. Matt presents our patient, going through the pertinent positives and negatives from his exam. After a bit of discussion, we conclude that Moe must have contracted norovirus, the most contagious and most common cause of acute gastroenteritis, or “stomach flu,” in adults in the U.S. We give him a pack of Imodium and lots of advice to stay hydrated. “Thanks a lot guys,” says Moe, a smile on his face. “I really appreciate it.” "Obrad" Now it’s my turn. I go find the man who’d been complaining about his newly sore and swollen toe. Obrad* looks to be in a lot of pain when he walks, yet he refuses to take the elevator and insists on limping down the stairs. Once again, we go to the back corner of the clinic room and draw the curtains shut, before I start the history and physical. Obrad had been walking down Market Street the previous day when his right toe began to hurt out of nowhere. Now it’s swollen, warm and red; he can barely walk or even stand the impact of water hitting his toe in the shower. I ask about his background, and he tells me he moved to San Francisco only a few days ago, after thirteen years in Atlantic City, where he’d worked as a bouncer at a casino. He had immigrated from Serbia to find a better life with better opportunities. But now he couldn’t even walk around outside to find a job because of the sudden, debilitating pain in his toe. Matt calls in Dr. Dan, and I present the case to him. “So what do you think Obrad has, Jeff?” he asks. My mind races. “Arthritis? A joint infection? There’s no evidence of any trauma or bug bites or any broken skin. I have no idea,” I admit, brandishing my first-year “I don’t know!” card. “This is the classic presentation of gout, Jeff.” Dr. Dan explains to Obrad what gout is and how we plan to treat it. I, the first-year medical student, listen just as intently as our patient. We wrap an ice pack around his toe and give him some ibuprofen. “Thank you so much,” says Obrad, shaking our hands with a strong grip. A Night's Lesson At the end of the night, we sit down to write our notes and get feedback from Dr.
UCSF Students’ Homeless Clinic The UCSF Students’ Homeless Clinic is comprised of UCSF medical students, nursing students, medical residents and physicians. The clinic has served a diverse group of homeless and transiently-housed people in San Francisco since 1992. The following services are provided by a physician-medical student cooperative: -Urgent Care -Health Education -Smoking Cessation -Women’s Clinic -Men’s and Women’s Support Group -Dermatology Clinic -Pharmacy guidance/management services To learn more about the clinic, watch the video: youtube.com/ watch?v=qcVYBAZOzaw Multi-Service Center – South (Operated by the St. Vincent de Paul Society) 525 5th St (at Bryant St.) San Francisco, CA 94107 Phone (415) 335-9093 Email contact@ucsf.homelessclinic.org Website ucsf.homelessclinic.org
Dan. We check off our primary diagnoses— norovirus, gout—on the billing form (to be processed by Healthy San Francisco) as well as our secondary diagnosis: lack of housing. Once everyone finishes, Ethan gathers all the volunteers around in a circle to debrief—a Homeless Clinic tradition. What is one thing we’ve learned tonight? Just one thing? I’ve learned so much in the last few hours, it seems impossible to choose. I’d written a 110-page senior thesis about noroviruses in undergrad, but now I’ve actually seen first-hand how noroviruses could cause real misery in one man named Moe and some of his fellow residents at the shelter. I’d heard of gout only once before, yet here, a day after my foot anatomy lab, I had helped Obrad figure out what was causing his pain. Now he would be able to walk out of the building and find a job. Most importantly, I’d taken leaps and strides in my journey learning to care for patients by listening to their stories, understanding where they came from and being there for them in times of need. Never had my life intersected with homeless men in a way that I could talk to them extensively. Learning Moe and Obrad’s stories helped me understand my own perceptions and biases. “We didn't take on the societal inequi-
ties that necessitate places like St. Vincent de Paul,” continues Matt. “But I like to think that in those moments where we were able to meet a need, and do so in a kind and empathetic way, we leave people feeling that our clinic is a place where the students and educators care. It seems small, I guess it is small, but it's something.” On our way out of the clinic, Dr. Dan puts on his public health hat. "Who wants to inform the staff about this local epidemic?" The next time I go back to the shelter, both of my patients are no longer there. As a result, I’m not able to follow up. But, I’d like to hope that Moe recovered fine and that we’d helped curb the norovirus outbreak at the shelter. I’d like to imagine that Obrad’s toe isn’t flaring up too often and that he’s been able to walk around the city and find a job. For all the others who need our help, my fellow students and I, along with our UCSF preceptors, will continue to sling our stethoscopes over our shoulders and head to St. Vincent de Paul. *To protect patient privacy, names and some details regarding the patients in this story have been changed.
Jeffrey Chen is a first-year medical student.
synapse.ucsf.edu | March 6, 2014 | 5
NEWS
Contract Research Organizations Offer Expanding Job Opportunities for Postdocs
Medical Mythbusters
by Jenny Qi
By Benjamin Cohn Staff Writer For postdocs in the job market, contract research organizations (CROs) represent an emerging and welcome opportunity. As research becomes increasingly specialized, pharmaceutical companies many not have exactly the right expertise in house to push a project forward. Enter the CROs—small companies that provide specialized services to the pharmaceutical industry. In general, these are services that would require infrastructure, staffing or expertise that the sponsor (the client purchasing services from the CRO) lacks. While there may have once been a stigma associated with only having worked for a CRO, this perception is changing. “Some of my colleagues are now being recruited by biotechs for their specialized knowledge,” said Joe Francisco, senior scientist in Business Development at Charles River Labs. And for those wanting to make careers in the CRO space, a growing number of startups are now being created by postdocs and ex-industry scientists with the idea of providing specialized services to the network, according to Science Exchange cofounder Elizabeth Iorns, whose online database allows pharmaceutical companies to identify and contract with CRO services worldwide. The San Francisco Bay Area chapter of Oxbridge Biotech Roundtable recently held a special panel at UCSF on the role of CROs within the drug development ecosystem. The invited speakers included representatives of both CROs—Charles River Labs’ Joe Francisco and Ken Meek, director of Sales & Marketing at Aragen Bioscence—and by the pharmaceutical industry: Kitty Yale, senior director of Clinical Operations at Gilead Sciences and Jesse McGreivy, chief medical officer at the biopharmaceutical company Pharmacyclics. Joining them was Science Exchange’s Elizabeth Iorns. While pharmaceutical companies may use CROs sporadically, the CROs themselves are busy year-round. Francisco notes that while work in biotech or pharma is usually focused on a particular therapeutic area or disease, specialists at a CRO may work on classes of compounds or processes and their skills may be more broadly needed by different clients.
Elizabeth Iorns is a breast cancer scientist and the Co-Founder & CEO of Science Exchange, an online marketplace for science experiments.
Networking Productivity in Drug Discovery
Jenny Qi is a third-year BMS student.
Gilead uses CROs for every major department, said Kitty Yale, including preclinical work, drug manufacturing, clinical work and more. Gilead scientists coordinate the work, review data and make sure everything meets regulatory standards. They benefit greatly from the added flexibility of being able to add or remove manpower as needed, according to Yale. Pharmacyclics uses a similar model, according to Jessie McGreivy. The company conceptualize the studies, but outsource in vivo and preclinical work, maintaining oversight over the study design and execution. It also outsources clinical trial studies. While companies like Johnson and Johnson may still do much of this work in house, McGreivy said much of Big Pharma is moving towards the CRO model. Iorns calls this paradigm of outsourcing particular functions “networked production,” and noted that tech and many other industries have already used this model successfully. Ken Meek confirmed that he has witnessed an increased rate of involvement from Big Pharma at Aragen. While large pharmaceuticals did not outsource much in 2006, now about 20 percent of Aragen’s revenue comes from Big Pharma, he added.
How safe are domestic CRO jobs?
Working with CROs
The panelists agreed that they had seen no big rush to outsource CRO services to cheaper parts of the world, and sanguinely predicted that the United States and Europe would likely remain major providers to the drug industry for the foreseeable future. Francisco recalls predictions in the late 2000s that CROs would move to China and India, following trends in offshoring manufacturing jobs. In reality, not all areas of drug discovery are easily exported. Good communication is critical in research and language and time differences are exaggerated across borders, noted Francisco. The cost of offshoring also rises as the local workforces in other countries become more skilled, and monitoring is labor intensive and expensive. Sending biological materials across borders can also be problematic and expensive, added Iorns, noting that more than 85 percent of the providers currently on Science Exchange are U.S.-based. CROs fulfill a critical need of the pharmaceutical industry by providing services across the entire spectrum of drug development.
For those looking to establish partnerships with a CRO, McGreivy emphasized the importance of finding a trustworthy organization who shares the sponsor’s vision and dedication. “Never compromise on quality since the sponsor is the one representing the science when facing investors, the FDA, patients and doctors,” he said. Francisco agreed, noting that since the sponsor owns the data they also own the liability. “It’s in their best interest to ensure things are done right,” said Francisco. The key to quality is great communication, advised Yale. “A sponsor needs to be exceedingly clear about their needs and follow up to make sure results are up to standards,” she said. Yale emphasizes that while they don’t give away control—they design their own experiments and protocols—at the end of the day sponsors and CROs have to work together symbiotically. Iorns said that academic labs and core facilities are also entering the CRO space.
CONTRACT RESEARCH » PAGE 10
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synapse.ucsf.edu | March 6, 2014 | 7
OPINION
Build a Kirkham Trailhead For Better Access to Mt. Sutro By T. Booth Haley Staff Writer
M
ount Sutro is a rare, under-appreciated gem in UCSF’s backyard. Recent debates about UCSF’s long-term plan for this wild urban park have focused on how to manage the eucalyptus and other plants. While many residents have strong opinions on this issue, I would like to shift the focus. What makes the mountain special, regardless of what kind of understory is cultivated, is the ability of members of UCSF and the surrounding communities to access it. The existing trail system on Mount Sutro is inadequate. The entire western flank of the mountain has only one point of entry which is very well hidden high on Crestmont Drive. The northern slopes are slightly more accessible, but from Parnassus (which has no trail sign) one must first ascend Medical Center Way, a stairway, a parking lot and then another stairway before actually reaching a forest trail. The one recent success story for access to Mount Sutro is on the east slope: the new Stanyan Trailhead which puts the hiker directly onto the lovely Lower Historic Trail. The public has the Sutro Stewards, a volunteer organization that maintains trails and propagates plants on the hill, to thank for this addition to the trail system. (If you’re interested in volunteering, see sutrostewards.org.) UCSF and the Sutro Stewards have another opportunity to vastly improve access to Mount Sutro. A trail should be built from Kirkham St. where it ends beneath the steep west slope of the mountain. The road there curves into Koret Way and presents an ideal place for a trailhead. This would provide easy access from the Inner Sunset, which is the densest and busiest neighborhood near Mount Sutro and where many students live. Such a trail would nicely complement the Stanyan trail and do for the west side of the hill what that trail has done for the east.
The proposed Kirkham trailhead is located at B-3 at the end of Kirkham St. and Koret Way and heads east through C-3.
While the hill there is steep, it is by no means un-walkable; a faint petering bushwhack route can currently be followed down from the Historic Trail by the adventuresome romper. Moreover, steep slopes have been easily overcome with stairways or switchbacks in other parts of the park. This proposed trail would climb t hroug h t he l argest s e c t ion of forest on the mountain without a trail and then link to the Historic Trail above. Craig Dawson, executive director of the Sutro Stewards, says that the proposed
Kirkham trailhead is on the “right track.” “We have been asking UCSF to resolve this issue since they took out a stairway that once served the west side,” said Dawson. That west side stairway was removed six years ago when UCSF built the Regenerative Medicine Building on Medical Center Way. In the 2010 long-term management plan, UCSF pledges improved access as one of its priorities for the mountain. In the plan they propose a few new trails: one from the first hairpin turn of Medical Center Way to join the Historic Trail and another from Claren-
don Way skirting below the Aldea housing complex to join the South Ridge trail. While these would both be fine additions, they wouldn’t do nearly as much to improve access as a Kirkham trailhead would. Make good on your pledge, UCSF. Make Mount Sutro a truly accessible forest park. Build a trail from Kirkham Street. If you could afford to build the muchtouted Regenerative Medicine Building you can surely afford to restore the access that was lost six years ago by building a simple trail.
T. Booth Haley is a fourth-year dental student.
P&T Nationals » FROM HOME PAGE
Photo by Mason Tran/D3 The author states that UCSF and the Sutro Stewards have an opportunity to vastly improve access to Mount Sutro by building a trail from Kirkham St. where it ends beneath the steep west slope of the mountain.
defense of it in both a written portion and an oral presentation before a panel of judges. Nine teams competed in the local UCSF P&T Competition in early February in what could be described as the most grueling, yet exhilarating and educational experience at the UCSF School of Pharmacy. One facet that adds to the education process is the matching of experienced upperclassmen with first-year pharmacy students to form teams, as opposed to trying to form the strongest team to win first place at Nationals. While competitive in nature, UCSF prefers to position this event as a learning experience with the successes speaking to the strength of the UCSF School of Pharmacy student body. All teams put in countless hours of work, sacrificing their winter breaks to rise to the challenge of the competition. The local UCSF P&T Competition would like to recog-
nize these nine teams in no particular order. 1. Carol Ho, Keil Chase, Nola He, Christopher Chiu 2. Jade Vitug, Ryan Stanton, Lauren Law, Elizabeth Staub 3. Oscar Merino, William Mees, Jessica Pham, Stephanie Hsia [Honorable Mention] 4. Elena Chan, Sarah Pasetes, Raymond Ngo, Simon Diep 5. Steffie Tu, Eric Dressler, Tina Gu, Richard Duong 6. Jacqueline Tam, Tiffany Buckley, Aaron Hernandez, Thanh Le 7. Edna Cheung, Isabel Fong, Thomas Lee, Randal Du 8. Danning Ma, Esther Yi, Priya Jayachandran, Ken Yang [Honorable Mention] 9. Leanne Thai, Lena Truong, Robin Lai, Rachael Le
Linda Chen is a second-year pharmacy student.
8 | March 6, 2014 | synapse.ucsf.edu
MIND&BODY
Blogilates Transforms Exercise Into a Daily Indulgence By Nicole Croom Staff Writer
I
t’s once again that time of year when motivations for maintaining New Year’s resolutions are disappearing or, depending on your level of dedication, have long been suspended. A fantastic time of year for gym rats who were pushed from their machines with the onslaught of newbies come January 1st and can now reclaim their domain, but a disheartening time for those of us who desperately want physical activity to be something we do, not because we are obligated to, but because it makes us feel happy and healthy. The problem is transforming exercise from a chore to a stressrelieving daily indulgence is not something that comes easily to most. First of all, finding a workout that you actually look forward to is hard. Partly because there are so many options, but also because boredom can set in pretty quickly. Second of all, being your own cheerleader is tough, exponentially more so when you are also your own coach and the star player on a one-person team. That’s where Blogilates comes in! (My apologies to our male readers, the site is definitely geared towards your female counterparts, but the workouts are still great if you are a fan of Pilates.) Blogilates is a health and fitness
blog that was created by Cassey Ho, a certified fitness instructor with 10 years of experience and a design entrepreneur. It’s got workout videos, monthly workout plans, full meal plans, recipes, advice articles and an inspirational “Before & After” section where POPsters—Cassey’s followers— who have used Blogilates to turn their health around share their inspirational stories. And the best part: it’s all FREE. In the “About Me” section of the
site, Cassey states, “I came up with the idea for POP Pilates as I was teaching classes at the gym because I loved the music on the radio and I wanted to give Pilates a little boost in energy. The reaction was positive, my students loved it, and I’ve been teaching a more upbeat style of Pilates ever since!!” If there is one word to describe Cassey and her workouts it is “upbeat.” Her overt enthusiasm might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I
think her pep is perfect for those who need positive encouragement to push through a challenging strength or cardio session. There is also a real sense of community to the Blogilates site. POPsters are always offering encouragement to one another and Cassey herself tries to address and encourage members individually. And if she senses a change in the tone of the community she calls it out, “… if you don’t appreciate be-
ing a part of the Blogilates community, don’t bring your negativity here. I’m protecting the sweet, happy, and fun personality that most of us embody. I want to feel comfortable when I come here and I want our POPsters to feel welcome sharing personal stories.” But, above all else, the thing I appreciate most about Cassey is the way she fights against the notion of “ideal beauty.” In a December post titled, “Your thigh gap’s not good enough FYI,” Cassey addresses a discussion posted to her Instagram that criticized her “thigh gap,” a recent craze wherein the larger the space between your thighs is when you are standing with your feet together the better, something that is determined mostly by bone structure and not weight, as so many believe. Cassey wrote, “I’m not in the slightest way offended or hurt (so don’t worry about me – I love my legs) but I am concerned about where our heads are in terms of what beauty means. From time to time, I like to remind you guys about loving your body for what it is every step of the way on your fitness journey… A reminder that everything you work for isn’t just for vanity, that only lasts so long… but where does it stop—when can you finally accept that you’re beautiful and that I’m beautiful?... I want you to take a moment and disconnect the fact that a physical attribute can bring you true happiness. You’re worth more than the distance between your thighs.” To try-out Cassey’s workouts for yourself and check out more blog posts go to: www.blogilates.com
Nicole Croom is a second-year student in the School of Medicine.
Campus Life Services Arts & Events
Select SF Giants Game Tickets Available online Saturday, April 26 at 1:05 p.m. vs Cleveland Indians Sunday, June 15 at 1:05 p.m. vs Colorado Rockies Sunday, July 13 at 1:05 p.m. vs Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday, August 16 at 1:05 p.m. vs Philadelphia Phillies Sunday, September 28 at 1:05 p.m. vs San Diego Padres
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synapse.ucsf.edu | March 6, 2014 | 9
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Neither can thieves. Encrypting your computer ensures that your personal and UCSF confidential data is not viewed by unauthorized people in the event your device is lost or stolen. The average electronic data breach costs a healthcare organization over $2,000,000. That’s a lot of resources that could be better spent on patient care, research and education. Be smart – go to security.ucsf.edu and use our free tools to protect the UCSF community. Together, we can advance health worldwide - securely.
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10 | March 6, 2014 | synapse.ucsf.edu
ARTS&CULTURE
Got Game? Inner Sunset Trivia Night Roundup By Angela Castanieto Associate Editor
A
fter a long day of running experiments and sitting in on lab meetings, it’s tempting to mindlessly drown your stress in a beer or two at the local pub. While I wholeheartedly condone this practice, there are also many options to keep your bargoing mind at least somewhat active at one of the many pub trivia nights held throughout San Francisco. I gathered a team of Synapse writers and friends to try out a handful of weekly (or biweekly) trivia nights located near UCSF’s Parnassus campus. Ranging from relatively easy to mind-blowingly difficult, these competitions tested our knowledge of random subjects, ranging from current events and science to obscure, not-quite-classic songs. While our success at these events varied depending on the setting, we still had a ton of fun at each one.
Patxi’s on Irving (Inner Sunset) 511 Hayes St. (415) 558-9991 Normally serving as the spot in the Inner Sunset to gorge on deep-dish pizza, this Patxi’s location only recently started doing quiz nights, so word has yet to spread that the restaurant offers a weekly trivia competition. On the night the Synapse team competed, half of the front room was occupied by trivia teams, while the other half was occupied by unknowing, slightly bemused diners. I was the first of our team to arrive, securing my spot by the window by ordering a pizza (which takes about 45 minutes to make). Before the first trivia question was uttered, we were handed a sheet of black-and-white, obscured celebrity pictures that are standard at many trivia nights citywide. This was followed by a few rounds of, as my teammate and recent Biomedical Sciences graduate Alex Greer, PhD, put it, “oddly dif-
ficult questions,” which we weren’t quite expecting from such an informal atmosphere. However, our team still was able to secure the third place, good for a $15 gift card. Although it was the smallest of the trivia nights we went to and the selection of beer was limited, it was still a lot of fun, and we had the added bonus of having a great server. (No need to leave the table during a particularly puzzling question.) I recommend it to those who are new to bar trivia and just want to get some experience with a higher-than-average likelihood of winning something at the end of the night.
Mad Dog in the Fog (Lower Haight) 530 Haight St. (415) 626-7279 After flexing our rather impressive trivia muscles at Patxi’s, Team Synapse headed to one of Mad Dog in the Fog’s two weekly trivia nights to see if we could keep up our prizewinning streak. A few of us arrived about half an hour early to get a large table for our team of six. While the relative calm might have been a result of the fact it was the week before Christmas, here we encountered a laid-back, welcoming atmosphere. The main difference between this place and Patxi’s was an entire menu full of impressive beer selections. They also offered a extensive menu of pretty decent bar food (I had the buffalo wings), and the server was great at keeping the food and drinks coming throughout the night. Trivia started promptly at the appointed hour, and the announcer kept the questions coming pretty quickly, including rounds of trivia with questions a bit less obscure than those at Patxi’s. The result was a first-place finish for our team, with a $30 gift certificate that we’re itching to spend at another Mad Dog trivia night. We agreed that it was our favorite of the triv-
Photo by Paul Hind Mad Dog in the Fog was the favorite trivia night spot of Team Synapse.
ia nights, as it had, as Alex put it, “the perfect combination of informal atmosphere and moderately challenging questions.”
Nickies (Lower Haight) 466 Haight St. (415) 255-0300 For our last quiz night, Team Synapse tried one of the trivia nights hosted by Brainstormer Pub Quiz, a company that holds quiz nights throughout The City. Since Brainstormer Pub quiz nights are always packed, with very large and very serious teams, we were sure to grab a table an hour early and get our drink order in. The servers here get busy quickly with the demand for the full bar. There was definitely an air of formality here, as the league teams present already had established names and even came dressed thematically (in rock T-shirts). We were also handed a slick, professionally printed answer pamphlet with “Brainstormer Pub Quiz” plastered all over it. With the typical photo and music rounds, the trivia started off easy, just like the other places we went to, but the difficultly level quickly escalated. By the third round, we were wildly guessing at half of the questions. Aware of how crazy competitive the league teams can be, Nickies offers — in addition to the typical prizes for the top teams — a prize for the team with the score closest to the average, and a prize for one of the losing teams picked at random. We were therefore slightly placated by the fact that we were in the running for average team for most of the night, which we missed by only one point in the final round. We were, however, the randomly chosen team, and won a roll of beer posters. Yay for us! While our team of casual pub trivia-goers probably won’t compete in this quiz night again, if you’re into serious league pub trivia, this place is as good as any to get your feet wet and, upon realizing that you’re in over your head, shoot for that average placing.
Blackthorn (Inner Sunset): 834 Irving St. (415) 564-6626 I broke away from Team Synapse and went to Blackthorn with a group of lab members who were gifted with random knowledge. Definitely the loudest and most-packed of the two Inner Sunset trivia nights I had tried out, it was deemed by my teammate and seasoned pub quiz competitor Stephanie Vlachos, PhD, as “the best pub trivia in the Inner Sunset.” Indeed, it benefits from having a full bar that serves both mixed drinks and a decent selection of beer on tap, although you have to stand at the crowded bar to procure them. Because Blackhorn fills up fast and because our group was pretty large, we had to secure a spot an hour before the trivia started. And
Pub trivia nights held in the Inner Sunset and Haight St. neighborhoods: • Blackthorn (Mondays) • Danny Coyle’s (Wednesdays – hosted by Brainstormer) • Durty Nelly’s (Wednesdays) • Mad Dog in the Fog (Tuesdays & Thursdays) • Martin Macks (Tuesdays – hosted by Brainstormer) • Nickies (Mondays – hosted by Brainstormer) • Patxi’s Pizza (Tuesdays) • The Pig & Whistle (Wednesdays and Sundays) because they don’t serve food, we brought in burritos from Gordo’s down the street. Just like other quiz nights, this one started off with some easy general-themed questions, followed by increasingly more difficult rounds, including a guess-the-celebrity picture round and a relatively easy music round. Although the questions were not overwhelmingly difficult, with a significantly high number of teams playing, the trivia was pretty competitive. Nevertheless, our team of eight won first place and a $30 gift certificate. Aware of the power in numbers on a team, Blackthorn also offered a prize for the highest-scoring small team of the night. All in all, Blackthorn is a great (but very crowded) place to go for a competitive, but still very fun, quiz night. Tip: There’s a decent likelihood of winning a prize if you come with a very small team or a very large team. If you’d like to help Synapse identify quiz nights around Dog Patch/Mission Bay, please contact us at synapse@ucsf.edu.
Angela Castanieto is a fifth-year Tetrad student.
Contract Research » FROM PAGE 5
These labs may be stressed financially, and looking to partner with pharmaceutical companies to provide unique expertise such as target discovery or cytokine panel analyses. For startups, academic labs operating as CROs may provide a good mechanism for generating preliminary data that would make them competitive for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants or other earlystage funding. In most cases, said Iorns, pharmaceutical companies will find that CROs offer the same cutting edge technologies one could find in the pharmaceutical industry.
Benjamin Cohn is a fifth-year student in Biomedical Sciences at UCSF/Gladstone Institutes and a correspondent for the OxbridgeBay chapter.
synapse.ucsf.edu | March 6, 2014 | 11
PUZZLES
The Weekly Crossword
ACROSS 1 Rocky projection 5 Backpack part 10 Perched on 14 Bring on board 15 Barely chewable 16 Nada 17 All tied up 18 Wilde's "The ________ of Being Earnest" 20 Cheap way to live 22 Out like a light 23 Chisholm or Santa Fe 24 English assignment 26 Toy block brand 29 Stick with it 33 Add up 37 Hit the sauce 38 Quaint lodge 39 Spiral-shaped 42 Part of pewter 43 Salon specialty 45 Nomadic 47 Immune system booster 50 Upper hand 51 Bowler's button 53 Autumn bloomer 57 Like some fingerprints 60 As it happens 63 "Wait your turn!" 65 Type of rug 66 Night light? 67 Long-snouted critter 68 Be inclined 69 Time in office
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by Margie E. Burke
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51 58
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70 Filing board 71 Counter current
12 13 19 21
Way back when Chick's chirp Russian ruler Bygone Crayola DOWN color 1 Flintlike rock 25 Coined money 2 Mancini's "Moon 27 Gosh! 28 One way to _____" 3 Hockey venue shop 4 Non-Jewish 30 Frat letter 31 Former pop person 5 Recipe direction music magazine Week of 3/3/14 - 3/9/14 6 Hefty volume 32 Camping gear 7 Delhi dough 33 Flaky rock 8 Earlier 34 Auth. unknown 9 Idiom, e.g. 35 Make baby 10 Wall Street booties 36 Command to worker 11 Fine-tune, as Fido muscles
40 41 44 46 48 49 52 54 55 56 57 58 59 61 62 64
Come-go link Paper size Revolver, e.g. Say again Lady's counterpart, briefly Probate concern Hogwash Tuckered out Touch up, as text Set preceder? Confused Poker stake Word before gas or drop Arab chief Eagle's nest (var.) Scottish cap
Edited by Margie E. Burke
Difficulty : Easy
HOW TO SOLVE: (Answer appears elsewhere in this issue)
Copyright 2014 by The Puzzle Syndicate
Piled Higher and Deeper by Jorge Cham
Solution to Sudoku
starts with our scholarship.
Capt. Ana Morgan, M.D., HPSP Medical Recipient Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas
Copyright 2014 by The Puzzle Syndicate
THE STRENGTH TO HEAL
title: "Are you ready?" - originally published 1/24/2014
www.phdcomics.com
You can begin training for the career you’ve always dreamed of with financial assistance from the U.S. Army. Through the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP)*, you could be eligible to receive a full tuition scholarship for an accredited medical program. The HPSP provides reimbursement for books, laboratory equipment and academic fees. You’ll also receive a sign-on bonus of $20,000 and a monthly stipend of $2,157. During breaks, you’ll have the opportunity to train alongside other members of our health care organization. To learn more, call (650)347-3967 or visit San Mateo Medical Recruiting Center 400 S. El Camino Real, STE 450 San Mateo, CA 94402 Email: usarmy.knox.usarec.list.9e3j@mail.mil www.goarmy.com/amedd.html
*Certain requirements and eligibility criteria apply. ©2013. Paid for by the United States Army. All rights reserved. Information subject to change.
HUMOR
Graduate Student Hopelessly Optimistic About Graduation Timeline By Staff Humorist
U
CSF graduate student Karl Ling is painfully naïve about his graduation timeline. “I know the typical time to graduate is six to seven years,” said Ling. “But I’m a hard worker, so I’m sure to get it done in four and a half years. Five tops.” When pressed for details on how his project design would allow him to achieve such rapid results, Ling said, “Oh, my professor and I still need to figure out what my project will be. It will probably have something to do with macrophage migration? Or maybe micro-RNAs?” When Ling’s professor was asked to
comment, he let out an unashamed scoff. “What a moron,” he said between hearty chuckles. “This kid has no idea what he’s signed up for.” The professor’s laughter continued until his whole body was convulsing. “’Five years tops? Oh, yeah. Sure thing, Einstein. Hell, he’ll finish in three years. And he’ll never have to come in on weekends. What a stupid ignoramus.” The professor sat down as his laughter turned into violent cackling. “I’ve seen my fair share of naïve grad students, but this kid definitely takes the cake.” Between desperate gasps of air, the professor concluded, “Damn, I haven’t laughed this hard since my postdoc asked me for a raise.”
Hidden Garden Steps » FROM HOME PAGE
tiles. Of the total 128 steps, the largest single feature is a salamander, which is 28 steps in length. In addition to the transformation of the stairs, the landscaping on both sides of the path has been redone. Looming overgrown bushes have been cut away and replaced with succulents, providing plenty of space for sunlight. What was once an unkempt, uninviting and littered stairway has been transformed into a beautiful public space, encouraging citizens to stroll and explore the hill above. Formal partners of the project include the San Francisco Parks Alliance, the San Fran-
cisco Department of Public Works Street Parks program and artists Colette Crutcher and Aileen Barr, who also designed the Moraga Mosaic steps. The total cost of the project was $300,000, of which $215,000 was raised through donations from neighbors and, with the help of social media, from kind souls as far away as France, Germany, Belgium and England. To get one’s name on a tile the minimum donation was $150. To learn more about the project see hiddengardensteps.org.
T. Booth Haley is a fourth-year dental student.
12 | March 6, 2014 | synapse.ucsf.edu
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