SynapseThursday, March 6, 2014 synapse.ucsf.edu Volume 58, Number 22

The UCSF Student Newspaper

IN THIS ISSUENews Briefs » PAGE 3Mythbusters » PAGE 5Puzzles » PAGE 11

ARTS&CULTUREInner Sunset Trivia Night RoundupTeam Synapse hits the circuit » PAGE 10

MIND&BODYBlogilates Fitness Fun"Train like a beast, look like a beauty" » PAGE 8

The Hidden Garden Steps depict a lush floral paradise — vines, ferns and creatures intertwined with petals and stamens.HIDDEN GARDEN STEPS » PAGE 11

Photo by Mason Tran/DS4

HOMELESS CLINIC » PAGE 4

NEWS

UCSF P&T Team Heads to Nationals

ARTS&CULTURE

Hidden Garden Steps Mural Completed

(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.

NEWS

A Night at the UCSF Homeless Clinic

NATIONALS » PAGE 7

By Linda ChenStaff 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 test-ed the limits of our intellect, persevered through many challenges, and, most im-portantly, made some unforgettable mem-ories as a team,” said Thomas Lee on behalf of the team. “We are thrilled to be represent-ing 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 phar-macy 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

covered—through evaluation of drug’ 'safety, efficacy and economic profile. While actual P&T committees are interdisciplinary in na-ture and have greater access to information, the students often produce quality results that rival the actual committees.

This year, Elyea ® (aflibercept), an intra-vitreal injection indicated for the treatment

of wet age-related macular degeneration and macular edema following central retinal vein occlusion, was chosen. The route of admin-istration 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

First-year medical student describes educational volunteer experienceNOTE: This article was first published on the UCSF School of Medicine website (medschool.ucsf.edu) on February 24, 2014.

By Jeffrey ChenStaff Writer

The 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 neg-ative 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, em-ployment, 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 volun-teer 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 stu-dents, for example, will help patients go over their medication lists and help them figure out how to stick to their regimens, while pre-

By T. Booth HaleyStaff Writer

A new mosaic mural has opened in the Inner Sunset. Inspired by the beloved sun-moon-river mural on the Mora-

ga Mosaic steps, which ascend the west side of Grandview Park, aka Turtle Hill, a commu-nity group has completed a second stairway mural called the Hidden Garden Steps.

Completed in December 2013, the stair-case begins its climb from Kirkham Ave., where 16th Ave. dead-ends at the north edge of the same Turtle Hill. This fantastic prom-ontory — from which one can survey the en-tire Sunset district, the Marin Headlands and the towers of downtown — is becoming one of the most nicely decorated hills in San Fran-cisco.

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

2 | March 6, 2014 | synapse.ucsf.edu

EVENTS

Journal Club

MISSION BAY EVENTSFOOD 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 COUNTRYFriday, March 7, 3-4 p.m., Genentech Hall, N114, Mission BayMatt 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 one-hour 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 RIPSFriday, March 7, 4-5 p.m., Genentech Hall Auditorium, Mission BayResearch 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 & PTTuesday, March 11, 5:30 p.m., Genentech Hall, N114, Mission BayMeet 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 FELLOWSHIPFriday, March 7, 7-10:30 p.m., Nursing, 517, ParnassusJoin 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, ParnassusSynapse 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 HOURWednesday, March 12, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Library, 211, ParnassusThe 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, ParnassusPlease 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 STARTUPWednesday, March 12, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Medical Sciences, 214, ParnassusDan 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 CORNERWednesday, March 12 , 6-8:30 p.m., Clinical Sciences, 130, ParnassusEnglish 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 CONCERTWednesday, March 12, 7:30-9 p.m., Nursing, 225, ParnassusJoin 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-CAMPUSOFF THE GRID: UPPER HAIGHT Thursday, Feb. 20, 5-9 p.m., Stanyan and Waller Streets, SFOff 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 ParkWanna 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 Colorado-based 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.

ANNOUNCEMENTSFREE WI-FI ON THE GRAY SHUTTLEThe 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 BaySee the colorful people's art of the Mission District, one of San Francisco's largest ethnic communities. eventbrite.com/e/citywalks-series-mission-murals-tickets-1 0 1 6 0 9 3 8 6 4 1 ? ut m _ c a mp a i g n = n e w _e ventv2&utm_medium=emai l&utm_source=eb_email&utm_term=eventurl_text.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTER COURSE: FINANCING NEW VENTURES: DEADLINE APRIL 7Monday, April 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Byers Hall, 212, Mission BayFinancing 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/1NhvYiHOv4DEkHk9Cpa5lafUoZ7aUYNGRhWyHnavwIoo/viewform.

CORPORATIONS, CONSUMPTIONS, AND PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTHWednesday, March 19, 4-6 p.m., 3333 California St, 263, Laurel HeightsThe 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 14Saturday, April 12, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Moscone Playground, SFSpend 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 AVAILABLENo 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-health-sciences/pitch.

UCSA STUDENT LOBBY CONFERENCEApril 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

STAFFYi Lu | EDITOR

Jenny Qi | EXECUTIVE EDITOR Angela Castanieto | ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Akshay Govind | ASSOCIATE EDITORSteven 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.

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.

500 Parnassus Ave. Millberry Union 108W

San Francisco, CA 94143tel: (415) 476-2211 | fax: (415) 502-4537

synapse@ucsf.edu

SynapseThe UCSF Student Newspapersynapse.ucsf.edu

NEWS BRIEFSGrad Student Launches Housing Information Listserv

The Graduate Division has launched a housing information listserv moderated by members of the Graduate Students' Associa-tion, which may help students to find a hous-ing situation on or off campus. The listserv, established earlier this year, is gradually com-ing 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: sub-scribe housing-info yourfirstname yourlast-name (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

The power of regenerative medicine now allows scientists to transform skin cells into cells that closely resemble heart cells, pancre-as cells and even neurons. However, a method to generate cells that are fully mature—a cru-cial prerequisite for life-saving therapies—has proven far more difficult.

But now, scientists at the Gladstone In-stitutes and UCSF have made an important breakthrough: they have discovered a way to transform skin cells into mature, fully func-tioning 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 jour-nal 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 hu-man 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 mil-lions 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 in-formation 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 Coun-cil 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, En-vironment 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.

NEWS

Paying it Forward: Liver Life Challenge

By Melody HaworthContributing Writer

I began my nursing career at UCSF's Adult Transplant Unit on 9 Long. We care for patients either receiving or donat-

ing a kidney, liver or pancreas. I am privi-leged to work with patients diagnosed with liver disease who are either being evaluat-ed as a candidate to become a liver trans-plant recipient, have received a transplant and are recovering from surgery, or are post-transplant and experiencing com-plications 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 determi-nation 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 recipi-ent 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 ex-plored and felt connected to both physically and spiritually. My love for nature and out-

door activities led me to develop many hob-bies, including but not limited to hiking and mountaineering.

As a transplant RN, it is with great hon-or to contribute my time and energy to raise awareness and money for the growing preva-lence of liver disease. Liver disease affects 1 in 10 Americans, and it is of paramount im-portance to properly fund research and edu-cate 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 mis-sion 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 chroni-

cally infected with hepatitis B or hepatitis C. About 65 percent and 75 percent, respective-ly, are unaware that they are infected.

• It is estimated that up to 25 percent of the U.S. population could have Non-Alcohol-ic 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 com-munity-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/Liv-erLifeChallenge2014/LiverLifeChallenge?px=1877441&pg=personal&fr_id=4000

Please send offline, non-cash donations to:

American Liver Foundation, 39 Broad-way, 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.

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.Photo courtesy of Melody Haworth

4 | March 6, 2014 | synapse.ucsf.edu

» FROM HOME PAGE

Photo by Elisabeth Fall

medical students will help coordinate refer-rals to San Francisco General Hospital, the Tom Waddell Clinic, or other local health centers that focus on care for indigent pop-ulations.

Because some patients have needs that are hard for the biweekly general clinic to ad-dress, 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, loud-ly 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 keep-ing him up at night; another with his swollen, painful toe.

Matt Bald, a second-year student and vet-eran 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 to-night’s clinic coordinator. Coordinators man-age 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 glucom-eter, administer PPD (tuberculosis) tests and draw blood for a new STI testing initiative.

They can also administer naloxone (Nar-can) 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 popu-lations such as the homeless. Anybody test-ing 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 com-plaining 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 weak-ly. 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 expe-riencing diarrhea for four days, and it’s been disrupting his sleep.

In fact, many of the other men in the shel-ter have been running to the toilet in the mid-dle 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 dehy-drated, 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, un-til a family drama sidetracked him. From there, life went on a downhill spiral until he ended up homeless. He’d seen a few ter-rible things while he was a caregiver, which led him to distrust the medical system as a

whole. “But you guys seem alright,” he tells us. Matt finishes his history and physical, and I bring in our preceptor, Dr. Dan, who imme-diately 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 swol-len, 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 ca-sino. 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.

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 actu-ally 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 Ob-rad 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, under-standing 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-

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.

Homeless Shelter

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 94107Phone (415) 335-9093Email contact@ucsf.homelessclinic.orgWebsite ucsf.homelessclinic.org

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 empathet-ic 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 in-form 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 stetho-scopes 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

Experience big savings and superior performance with high quality custom DNA & RNA Oligos, qPCR Probes, siRNA and PEPscreen® peptide libraries from Sigma® Life Science.

Oligos for your application, sigma.com/oligos

Custom Products Now Available Through BearBuy!

©2013 Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC. All rights reserved. SIGMA and SIGMA-ALDRICH are trademarks of Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC, registered in the US and other countries. Where bio begins is a trademark of Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC. PEPscreen is a registered trademark of Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC. 81175

For questions, please contact:Lory Tan Account Manager | Phone: (650) 847-7220 | Lory.Tan@sial.com

Medical Mythbusters by Jenny Qi

Jenny Qi is a third-year BMS student.

NEWS

Contract Research Organizations Offer Expanding Job Opportunities for PostdocsBy Benjamin CohnStaff Writer

For postdocs in the job market, contract research organizations (CROs) represent an emerging and welcome opportunity.

As research becomes increasingly special-ized, 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 pharma-ceutical industry. In general, these are services that would require infrastructure, staffing or expertise that the sponsor (the client purchas-ing services from the CRO) lacks.

While there may have once been a stig-ma 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 scien-tist in Business Development at Charles Riv-er 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-in-dustry scientists with the idea of providing specialized services to the network, accord-ing to Science Exchange cofounder Elizabeth Iorns, whose online database allows pharma-ceutical 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 representa-tives 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, se-nior director of Clinical Operations at Gilead Sciences and Jesse McGreivy, chief medi-cal officer at the biopharmaceutical company Pharmacyclics. Joining them was Science Ex-change’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. How safe are domestic CRO jobs?

The panelists agreed that they had seen no big rush to outsource CRO services to cheap-er parts of the world, and sanguinely predict-ed that the United States and Europe would likely remain major providers to the drug in-dustry for the foreseeable future.

Francisco recalls predictions in the late 2000s that CROs would move to China and India, following trends in offshoring manu-facturing jobs. In reality, not all areas of drug discovery are easily exported. Good commu-nication is critical in research and language and time differences are exaggerated across borders, noted Francisco.

The cost of offshoring also rises as the lo-cal workforces in other countries become more skilled, and monitoring is labor inten-sive and expensive.

Sending biological materials across borders can also be problematic and ex-pensive, added Iorns, noting that more than 85 percent of the providers current-ly on Science Exchange are U.S.-based. CROs fulfill a critical need of the pharma-ceutical industry by providing services across the entire spectrum of drug development.

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

Gilead uses CROs for every major depart-ment, 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, ac-cording to Jessie McGreivy. The compa-ny conceptualize the studies, but outsource in vivo and preclinical work, maintaining oversight over the study design and execu-tion. It also outsources clinical trial stud-ies. While companies like Johnson and Johnson may still do much of this work in house, McGreivy said much of Big Phar-ma 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 wit-nessed an increased rate of involvement from Big Pharma at Aragen. While large pharma-ceuticals did not outsource much in 2006, now about 20 percent of Aragen’s revenue comes from Big Pharma, he added.

Working with CROs

For those looking to establish partner-ships with a CRO, McGreivy emphasized the importance of finding a trustworthy organi-zation 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 li-ability. “It’s in their best interest to ensure things are done right,” said Francisco.

The key to quality is great communica-tion, advised Yale. “A sponsor needs to be ex-ceedingly 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 experi-ments 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

6 | March 6, 2014 | synapse.ucsf.edu

san francisco’s

naturally.MODERN RESIDENCE,

N EW E ST

Arden, the third residence in Bosa Development’s

best-selling Mission Bay collection, is a decidedly modern

high-rise residence inspired by the natural surroundings

of Mission Creek and enlivened by the growing

Mission Bay neighborhood.

REGISTER NOW TO BE AMONG THE FIRST TO RECEIVE

EXCLUSIVE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND AN INVITATION TO THE

UPCOMING SALES CENTER PREMIERE.

ArdenMissionBay.com

This is not an offer to sell, but is intended for information only. The developer reserves the right to make modifications in materials, pricing, specifications, plan, designs, scheduling and delivery of the homes without prior notice. Exclusively represented by The Mark Company. BRE #01235902.

synapse.ucsf.edu | March 6, 2014 | 7

OPINION

Build a Kirkham Trailhead For Better Access to Mt. SutroBy T. Booth HaleyStaff Writer

Mount Sutro is a rare, under-appreciated gem in UCSF’s back-

yard. Recent debates about UC-SF’s long-term plan for this wild urban park have focused on how to manage the eucalyptus and other plants. While many resi-dents 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 acces-sible, but from Parnassus (which has no trail sign) one must first ascend Medical Center Way, a stairway, a parking lot and then an-other stairway before actually reaching a for-est trail.

The one recent success story for access to Mount Sutro is on the east slope: the new Stanyan Trailhead which puts the hiker di-rectly onto the lovely Lower Historic Trail. The public has the Sutro Stewards, a volunteer organization that maintains trails and propa-gates plants on the hill, to thank for this addi-tion to the trail system. (If you’re interested in volunteering, see sutrostewards.org.)

UCSF and the Sutro Stewards have an-other 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 In-ner 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.

 

While the hill there is steep, it is by no means un-walkable; a faint petering bush-whack route can currently be followed down from the Historic Trail by the adventuresome romper. Moreover, steep slopes have been eas-ily overcome with stairways or switchbacks in other parts of the park.

This proposed trai l would cl imb through the largest sect ion of for-est 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 ac-cess 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 much-touted 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.

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.

Photo by Mason Tran/D3

The proposed Kirkham trailhead is located at B-3 at the end of Kirkham St. and Koret Way and heads east through C-3.

» FROM HOME PAGE

P&T Nationals

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 pre-fers to position this event as a learning ex-perience 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, Ray-mond 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 Jay-achandran, 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 IndulgenceBy Nicole CroomStaff Writer

It’s once again that time of year when motivations for main-

taining New Year’s resolu-tions 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 ac-tivity to be something we do, not because we are obligated to, but be-cause it makes us feel happy and healthy.

The problem is transforming exercise from a chore to a stress-relieving daily indulgence is not something that comes easily to most. First of all, finding a work-out 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 cheerlead-er 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 read-ers, the site is definitely geared towards your female counter-parts, 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 en-trepreneur. 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 Blogi-lates 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 Pi-lates ever since!!”

If there is one word to describe Cassey and her workouts it is “up-beat.” 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 en-couragement 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 com-munity, don’t bring your negativity here. I’m protecting the sweet, hap-py, and fun personality that most of us embody. I want to feel comfort-able when I come here and I want our POPsters to feel welcome shar-ing 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 re-cent craze wherein the larger the space between your thighs is when you are standing with your feet to-gether the better, something that is determined mostly by bone struc-ture and not weight, as so many be-lieve.

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 fit-ness journey… A reminder that ev-erything 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 beauti-ful and that I’m beautiful?... I want you to take a moment and discon-nect the fact that a physical attri-bute 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.

For more information and to Purchase tickets visit:

campuslifeservices.ucsf.edu/artsevents

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

Campus Life Services Arts & Events

SelectSF Giants Game Tickets

Available online

synapse.ucsf.edu | March 6, 2014 | 9

Neither can thieves.

Can you read this?

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.

UCSF IT SECURITY AWARENESS

Take the IT Security Challenge! Go to http://awareness.ucsf.edu

EVERYONE WINS A PRIZE!

10 | March 6, 2014 | synapse.ucsf.edu

ARTS&CULTURE

Got Game? Inner Sunset Trivia Night RoundupBy Angela CastanietoAssociate Editor

After a long day of running experi-ments 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 bar-going 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 bi-weekly) trivia nights located near UCSF’s Par-nassus campus. Ranging from relatively easy to mind-blowingly difficult, these competi-tions tested our knowledge of random sub-jects, 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 In-ner 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, secur-ing my spot by the window by ordering a piz-za (which takes about 45 minutes to make). Before the first trivia question was uttered, we were handed a sheet of black-and-white, ob-scured 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 ex-pecting 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 particu-larly puzzling question.)

I recommend it to those who are new to bar trivia and just want to get some experi-ence 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 triv-ia nights to see if we could keep up our prize-winning 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 impres-sive beer selections. They also offered a ex-tensive menu of pretty decent bar food (I had the buffalo wings), and the server was great at keeping the food and drinks coming through-out 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 itch-ing to spend at another Mad Dog trivia night. We agreed that it was our favorite of the triv-

ia nights, as it had, as Alex put it, “the per-fect 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 Brain-stormer Pub Quiz, a company that holds quiz nights throughout The City.

Since Brainstormer Pub quiz nights are al-ways 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 serv-ers here get busy quickly with the demand for the full bar.

There was definitely an air of formali-ty 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” plas-tered all over it.

With the typical photo and music rounds, the trivia started off easy, just like the oth-er 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 ad-dition 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 los-ing 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-go-ers 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

because they don’t serve food, we brought in burritos from Gordo’s down the street.

Just like other quiz nights, this one start-ed off with some easy general-themed ques-tions, followed by increasingly more difficult rounds, including a guess-the-celebrity pic-ture round and a relatively easy music round.

Although the questions were not over-whelmingly 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 com-panies 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 Innova-tion Research (SBIR) grants or other early-stage 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 In-stitutes and a correspondent for the Oxbridge-Bay chapter.

Mad Dog in the Fog was the favorite trivia night spot of Team Synapse.

Photo by Paul Hind

Pub trivia nights held in the Inner Sunset and Haight St. neighborhoods:

• Blackthorn (Mondays)• Danny Coyle’s (Wednesdays – host-

ed by Brainstormer)• Durty Nelly’s (Wednesdays)• Mad Dog in the Fog (Tuesdays &

Thursdays)• Martin Macks (Tuesdays – hosted by

Brainstormer)• Nickies (Mondays – hosted by Brain-

stormer)• Patxi’s Pizza (Tuesdays)• The Pig & Whistle (Wednesdays and

Sundays)

synapse.ucsf.edu | March 6, 2014 | 11

PUZZLES

THE STRENGTH TO HEAL

To learn more, call (650)347-3967 or visitSan Mateo Medical Recruiting Center400 S. El Camino Real, STE 450San Mateo, CA 94402Email: usarmy.knox.usarec.list.9e3j@mail.mil

You can begin training for the career you’ve always dreamed of withfinancial assistance from the U.S. Army. Through the Health ProfessionsScholarship Program (HPSP)*, you could be eligible to receive a fulltuition scholarship for an accredited medical program.

The HPSP provides reimbursement for books, laboratory equipmentand academic fees. You’ll also receive a sign-on bonus of $20,000 and amonthly stipend of $2,157. During breaks, you’ll have the opportunity totrain alongside other members of our health care organization.

starts with our scholarship.

*Certain requirements and eligibility criteria apply.©2013. Paid for by the United States Army. All rights reserved. Information subject to change.

www.goarmy.com/amedd.html

Capt. Ana Morgan, M.D., HPSP Medical RecipientBrooke Army Medical Center, Texas

Piled Higher and Deeper by Jorge Cham www.phdcomics.com

title: "Are you ready?" -­ originally published 1/24/2014

Week of 3/3/14 - 3/9/14

Edited by Margie E. Burke

HOW TO SOLVE:

(Answer appears elsewhere

in this issue)

Solution to Sudoku

Copyright 2014 by The Puzzle Syndicate

Difficulty : Easy

Week of 3/3/14 - 3/9/14

ACROSS1 Rocky projection5 Backpack part

10 Perched on14 Bring on board15 Barely

chewable16 Nada17 All tied up18 Wilde's "The

________ of Being Earnest"

20 Cheap way to live

22 Out like a light23 Chisholm or

Santa Fe24 English

assignment26 Toy block brand29 Stick with it33 Add up37 Hit the sauce38 Quaint lodge39 Spiral-shaped 70 Filing board 12 Way back when 40 Come-go link42 Part of pewter 71 Counter current 13 Chick's chirp 41 Paper size43 Salon specialty 19 Russian ruler 44 Revolver, e.g.45 Nomadic 21 Bygone Crayola 46 Say again47 Immune system DOWN color 48 Lady's counter-

booster 1 Flintlike rock 25 Coined money part, briefly50 Upper hand 2 Mancini's "Moon 27 Gosh! 49 Probate concern51 Bowler's button _____" 28 One way to 52 Hogwash53 Autumn bloomer 3 Hockey venue shop 54 Tuckered out57 Like some 4 Non-Jewish 30 Frat letter 55 Touch up, as

fingerprints person 31 Former pop text60 As it happens 5 Recipe direction music magazine 56 Set preceder?63 "Wait your turn!" 6 Hefty volume 32 Camping gear 57 Confused65 Type of rug 7 Delhi dough 33 Flaky rock 58 Poker stake66 Night light? 8 Earlier 34 Auth. unknown 59 Word before 67 Long-snouted 9 Idiom, e.g. 35 Make baby gas or drop

critter 10 Wall Street booties 61 Arab chief68 Be inclined worker 36 Command to 62 Eagle's nest 69 Time in office 11 Fine-tune, as Fido (var.)

muscles 64 Scottish cap

by Margie E. BurkeThe Weekly Crossword

Copyright 2014 by The Puzzle Syndicate

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16

17 18 19

20 21 22

23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31 32

33 34 35 36 37

38 39 40 41 42

43 44 45 46

47 48 49 50

51 52 53 54 55 56

57 58 59 60 61 62

63 64 65

66 67 68

69 70 71

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 sun-light.

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 Mor-aga Mosaic steps.

The total cost of the project was $300,000, of which $215,000 was raised through dona-tions 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 dona-tion was $150.

To learn more about the project see hid-dengardensteps.org.

T. Booth Haley is a fourth-year dental student.

Hidden Garden Steps » FROM HOME PAGE

HUMOR

Graduate Student Hopelessly Optimistic About Graduation TimelineBy Staff Humorist

UCSF 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 proba-bly have something to do with macro-phage 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 igno-ramus.”

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 profes-sor concluded, “Damn, I haven’t laughed this hard since my postdoc asked me for a raise.”

12 | March 6, 2014 | synapse.ucsf.edu

Solutions

look sharper

VisionOpticalLook sharper. See better. Find us easier, too.Contemporary prescription glasses,sunglasses, and contact lens fitting

Millberry Union, B1For appointment & information 415.476.3100Hours: M-F 8:30 am-5:00 pm

Vision Optical

You’re Funding Fun! A portion of every dollar you spend at campus retail vendors helps support Arts & Events at UCSF

You’re Funding Fun! A portion of every dollar you spend at campus retail vendors helps support Arts & Events at UCSF

Parnassus: Millberry Union I Level, Parnassus, 415.661.0199Open Daily 7:00 am-10:00 pm

Mission Bay: 550-B Gene Friend Way, Mission Bay, 415.865.0423Mon-Fri 7:00 am-9:30 pm / Sat-Sun 8:00 am-9:00 pm

Open at Parnassus & Mission Bay Campusesbreakfast, lunch, or dinner…

for your convenience we accept: All major Credit Cards • Recharge for catering

Bear Hugs • UCSF Resident Meal Card

You’re Funding Fun! A portion of every dollar you spend at campus retail vendors helps support Arts & Events at UCSF

Get a gourmet taste of Italy. panini, insalate, zuppa, hot pasta, gelato, dolci

We offer student discounts.

Millberry Union, Plaza Level415.681.9925

Mon-Thu, 6:30 am-6:00 pmFri, 6:30 am-4:00 pmClosed Sat & Sun

Write for Synapse synapse@ucsf.edu

Week of 3/3/14 - 3/9/14

Edited by Margie E. Burke

HOW TO SOLVE:

(Answer appears elsewhere

in this issue)

Solution to Sudoku

Copyright 2014 by The Puzzle Syndicate

Difficulty : Easy