Diversity Hub

Free faculty development workshops fall into several series to serve UCSF faculty and learners at all levels of educational development and interest that includes: 1) Key Educational Skills Series: Foundational educational knowledge; 2) Clinical Education Skills Series: Topics with a clinical teaching focus; 3) Simulation Education Skills Series: Skills for teaching with simulation; 4) Interprofessional Teaching Skills Series: Skills for creating and maximizing interprofessional learning opportunities; 5) Teaching for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety: Skills for teaching QI/PS in didactic and clinical settings; 6) Education Leadership Skills Series: Skills for current and aspiring education leaders; 7) Assessment and Education Research Skills Series: Skills used in learner assessment, program evaluation, and education research; 8) Medical Education Grand Rounds: Short, up-to-the minute lectures, often with visiting scholars; 9) Special Topics in Education Series: Timely and cutting edge topics by invited and local faculty developers. The workshops address one or more of six educational themes: (1) Assessment; (2) Curriculum Development; (3) Leadership and Career ; (4) Learning; (5) Teaching; and (6) Research.

We have established a peer group of women postdocs, which provides an informal, yet professional and confidential forum to broach challenges encountered as postdoctoral women, to encourage discussion about issues, and to brainstorm solutions. We have a chapter at both Parnassus (contact Katie White) and Mission Bay (contact Katie Thompson-Peer). Each chapter holds a monthly meeting, which is facilitated by one group member.

The monthly stem cell seminar series brings scientists from all over the world to the forefront of regenerative medicine, and emphasizes the basic research and translational themes of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCSF. These seminars provide an opportunity for the UCSF community to learn about the work being done by prestigious researchers from other institutions, preview unpublished scientific results, initiate collaborations and build networks. The speakers that are invited to the series provide novel insights into stem cell functions, tissue development, and cell-based approaches for the treatment of diseases. Seminars generally occur on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 12:00 pm.

The Markowski-Leach Scholarship fund was established as a result of the vision of Tom Markowski and Jim Leach. Tom and Jim were a gay couple living in San Francisco. As the AIDS crisis spread in the early 1980s, they talked about what they would like their legacy to be. They "wanted to make a difference" and felt that, at that time, there was a dearth of positive role models for gays and lesbians. This became the defining theme of the scholarships: to assist in the education of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) people who would then have an impact on other LGBTQ people through their works. The Scholarship fund was part of a bequest from the estate of Jim Leach, which reflected their mutual desire to provide financial assistance to LGBTQ people trying to further their education. Tom passed away 2 years before Jim. Both died as a result of HIV. According to the terms of the bequest, the Scholarship Committee is directed to evaluate applications seeking to identify LGBTQ individuals who are likely to: "Make a substantial contribution to society, thereby enhancing society's perception of gay and lesbian people as well as increasing the gay and lesbian community's self-esteem." Selected candidates will demonstrate their dedication to excellence in their lives through service, education, or employment. Scholarship are awarded to applicants whose leadership potential is evident regardless of their chosen field of study or financial need.

In the Fall of 1981, some concerned staff members and students met to discuss the possibility of forming an Asian Pacific American network on the UC systemwide level. They saw the need for such an organization to directly address issues impacting Asian Pacific Americans on the UC campuses. APASA was thus developed with representative on the UC campuses and was introduced to the San Francisco campus in 1988.

UC San Francisco is one of 22 universities with Institutional Research and Career Development Award (IRACDA) programs funded by NIH/NIGMS. IRACDA Scholars receive mentored research and teaching training at major research institutions partnered with a teaching-intensive institution with a demonstrated commitment to outreach. UCSF's partner is San Francisco State University.

The GAPA Foundation Scholarship provides financial assistance to API LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer) students who are in the process of applying to, or are currently attending, a post-secondary institution. The purpose of the GAPA Foundation Scholarship is to provide financial assistance to Asian and Pacific Islander (API) students in high school; undergraduate, graduate or professional school; or trade or vocational school who are interested in activism in the API and LGBTQ communities.

This grant mechanism provides support for senior fellows, instructors, assistant, associate and full professor faculty from historically disenfranchised racial and ethnic groups that are under-represented in health sciences, or from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The goal is to encourage fellows and faculty from these groups to remain in academia as career professionals and thus to increase the diversity of our faculty. Research can be any area relevant to clinical and translational research which includes bench-to-bedside/laboratory-to-human (T1) translational research, clinical research and bedside-to-community/evidence-to-practice (T2/T3) research. Social, behavioral and economic research as it affects health is included. If not directly involving the study of people or populations, the proposed research must be clearly justified as being on the path to potential use in humans.

During the development of a research career, junior faculty need to focus intensively on their research for a critical period of time. Due to the demands of family care, faculty may struggle to keep up with an ambitious research agenda especially during and immediately after periods of more intense family caregiving. The funding will fill a gap in support for junior faculty with significant family caregiving responsibilities by providing funding for supplemental research support. Eligible faculty conducting clinical or translational research will complete a structured application describing the need for additional support, the value and goals of the research to be pursued, and how the funding will extend the current research program. The proposed research must be clearly justified as being on the path to potential use in humans.

A collaboration among faculty, residents, students, and volunteers, UCSF's Community Dental Clinic has been working to improve the health of San Francisco's homeless population for the past decade. The philosophy of the Community Dental Clinic is to motivate patients to seek healthcare and to prevent dental disease through education and preventive dentistry. CDC is guided by three mutually supportive sets of aspirations: (1) For the clients- to provide oral health education and treatment. To achieve a positive impact on the lives of our patients; (2) For the students- to create a setting in which students can learn, teach, and practice clinical skills while cultivating sensitivity and comfort in interactions with the underserved population; and (3) For the Community- To use the Dental Clinic as a forum for education and health care service. To promote advocacy for the needs of the homeless population. Ultimately, we hope this experience will broaden our vision and make us more able and compassionate health care providers for any population we choose to serve.