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Synapse The UCSF Student Newspaper
Thursday, Feburary 27, 2014
synapse.ucsf.edu
Volume 58, Number 21
NEWS
All Smiles at Give Kids a Smile Day By Edmundo Abasolo Contributing Writer
By Jordan Mar Contributing Writer
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Photo by Triet Vuong/D3 Second-year dental student Christie Duong works with a young patient.
Goodman (D3) and Emily Wineland (D3). This year’s coordinators worked hard to ensure that children not only received necessary dental care, but also took away oral health awareness and preventative care measures, all in a fun and engaging environment.
In addition to dental goodie bags, youngsters received toys and prizes for partaking in educational games. Perhaps a major highlight for kids were the balloon sculptures handcrafted by local balloon artists. This event was cru-
SMILE DAY » PAGE 7
OPINION
A Letter From the New Interim GSA President
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MIND Your Career UCSF's new plan for building a better biomedical workforce
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espite the rain, it was all smiles at UCSF Dentistry’s jungle-themed Give Kids a Smile Day 2014. Through the efforts of our volunteers, which included student dentists, pre-dental students, faculty and staff, children from all over the Bay Area received dental care and oral health education free of charge. The annual event attracted 121 children from San Francisco and the surrounding area. Services provided by volunteers included oral health screenings, prophylaxis/coronal polishing, sealant placement and fluoride varnish. The Division of Pediatric Dentistry residents, faculty and alumni helped student providers perform exams, formulate treatment plans and provide care throughout the day. These services would not have been possible without the generous donations of dental supplies from Henry Schein, Patterson Dental, GSK, Crest, Oral-B and Colgate, among others. Additionally, a range of other health screenings and nutrition/lifestyle activities were provided by the Schweitzer Fellows from Bay Area health professions programs, including UCSF Dentistry’s Jolie
NEWS
ear Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) members, At the February 2014 GSA Board Meeting, your GSA representatives, consisting of graduate, nursing and physical therapy students, approved my appointment as interim president of GSA, taking over for Joseph Foy, who stepped down as president due to taking a leave of absence from UCSF. I believe my multi-year experience in GSA and my experiences as a DDS/PhD student will help me in my new role as interim GSA president, a role where I aim to continue the work of my predecessor for the current academic year. By now, you should be aware that GSA is in a transitional phase, due to the approval of the New Student Government Referendum by the UCSF student body in January 2014 (visit gpsa.ucsf.edu for more information). As a result, the responsibilities entrusted to GSA by graduate, nursing and physical therapy students will now be redistributed throughout a new structure that aims to better serve you. My main goal is to work with the student leaders of Associated Students of UCSF (ASUC) to ensure that the aspects that made GSA strong will continue within the new Graduate and Professional Students’ Association (GPSA), and the academic student governments of Associated Students of Graduate Division, Associated Students of School of Nursing (formerly Nursing Student Council), and Associated Students of Physical Therapy. Although establishing the new student government structure is a large endeavor, it is not the only thing GSA has been working on this academic year:
Housing – working with the Graduate Division to provide a student-moderated listServ that students can use to find housing opportunities. Insurance Premiums – working with Student Health to minimize increases in premiums and provide resources about how the Affordable Care Act affects UCSF students going forward now that the insurance exchanges are available. Conference Travel – developing a fair solution to maximize the number of awards we can provide to our members to attend conferences that might otherwise be cost prohibitive. Community Building – partnering with ASUC to host monthly events, such as the All School Formal and Game Nights, as well as partnering with Registered Campus Organizations (RCOs) to build camaraderie throughout the student body. While these are just a few of the issues, I will make sure these and any other active issues GSA is working on will not be lost during the transition to the new student government structure. In closing, I encourage all graduate, nursing and physical therapy students to attend the monthly GSA meetings to learn more about the issues and provide your input. If you are unable to make the meetings, please visit gsa.ucsf.edu to learn more about GSA, or to contact us with any issues or opinions you may have. Sincerely, Michael Le Graduate Students’ Association Interim President
areer development. It’s a phrase that is slowly gaining mass in the realm of biomedical sciences. Prior to the summer of 2012, when the NIH released its report on the biomedical workforce, the concept of career development whispered through the halls of UCSF; frequently heard by some, rarely listened to by many. It is still common to hear graduate students and postdocs lamenting their vague future, unsure where they’ll be after their training is complete. Recent reports by both the NIH and the Graduate Division at UCSF found that nearly half of all biomedical graduate students leave academia after completing their training. Only half of those remaining in academia obtain tenure track positions. This supports the fact that a growing number of PhDs are pursuing careers other than that of academic research, but how are these PhDs finding these career paths? In a system built to develop great thinkers, assumed to fill the ranks of academic research, where can one find the necessary time, resources and support to become informed about these (no longer) “alternative” career options? At UCSF, a new program aimed at changing the culture of career development at both an individual and institutional level is on the horizon. Last year, UCSF received a grant from the NIH Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training for their proposal “Motivating Informed Decisions (MIND): Careers For The Future Biomedical Workforce.” This proposal, authored by Dr. Keith Yamamoto, Dr. Theresa O’Brien, Bill Lindstaedt and Dr. Jennie Dorman, hopes to improve the career development of trainees by increasing individual awareness and knowledge of the variety of careers available, helping trainees develop the skills and network they need to pursue their chosen career, and building an environment at UCSF that is supportive of all career paths. In general, most trainees are aware of their
MIND YOUR CAREER » PAGE 5