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Arlequin Café
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Synapse The UCSF Student Newspaper
Thursday, September 5, 2013
OPINION
Latest UCSF Tobacco Policy is the Wrong Approach
synapse.ucsf.edu
Volume 58, Number 33
NEWS
UCSF Reaches Out to Young Scientists
By Akshay Govind Staff Writer
O
n September 3, UCSF instated its new 100% Tobacco Free Policy, which requires anyone affiliated with UCSF to refrain from using any tobacco products during their shifts, including break times, on or off university grounds. The stated goal of the policy is to provide a maximally healthful environment at UCSF, demonstrating a commitment to health promotion for patients and communities. I will argue that proponents of this policy are so focused on the ideals of a tobacco-free environment that they fail to properly consider the unintended consequences of a ban. During a recent series of Town Hall meetings, UCSF has made it clear that it is proud to be the first medical center and campus in California to use this strategy. Authorities are also quick to point out that the focus of the ban is on education and cessation, and that it is not meant to be punitive. I believe the very idea, however, is fundamentally flawed. The words “non-punitive ban” can be placed
TOBACCO POLICY » PAGE 3
Photo by Alexandra Greer, BMS6
Maria Bezchinsky (left), a second-year UCSF medical student, demonstrates how to suture at PITCH, a three-week program for high school students held in July.
The Panda Visits Benioff Children's Hospital
Photo by Heather Hoover/UCSF
During his August 22 visit to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, SF Giants Pablo Sandoval poses with Zach Leapaga, who holds up the special flag he made for the third baseman.
By Alexandra Greer Science Editor
Bio Bootcamp and the School of Pharmacy’s Summer Science Camp.
he pigskins were laid out on benches (like so many uncooked slabs of pork belly) as I watched, as a second-year medical student used a scalpel to slash deep wounds that would need repair. Within minutes, the quiet classroom on UCSF Parnassus campus was transformed, as 20 high schoolers streamed in, antsy after a morning of presentations and ready for some hands-on activity. For the next 20 minutes, they poked and prodded and made some careful slip stitches, all under the watchful eye of their UCSF student counselors. Every summer, as UCSF professional students head off to internships and summer vacations, a younger cohort streams in. These students, from San Francisco-area schools and ranging in age from 8 to 18, arrive on campus to learn about science and science careers through a variety of camps organized through UCSF. Three camps in particular stand out for the investment that UCSF students put in to serve as mentors for these camps: PITCH,
PITCH
T
PITCH, or the Program for Investigation and Training for Careers in Health, is a threeweek program in July for rising high-school juniors from San Francisco Unified School District. It is meant to “inspire and expose students to a wide range of opportunities and careers within health care and science,” according to the program’s coordinator, Anthea Lim. PITCH students are introduced to research projects, listen to speakers from UCSF talk about their careers and participate in activities such as a suturing workshop and creating dental molds. In addition, students get one-on-one career advice and college guidance meant to help propel them toward a career in the health sciences. “It is great to see the students really blossom in a supportive environment where they can explore their unique interests in the health profession,” said Maria Quezada, a second-year UCSF medical student and PITCH
YOUNG SCIENTISTS » PAGE 4