About Us

Synapse was launched in 1956 as a student newspaper inclusive of every school, department, and program at UCSF. The student media outlet is now accessible at synapse.ucsf.edu. As one of the few truly interprofessional networks on campus, Synapse provides a platform to encourage and facilitate interdisciplinary communication among all UCSF students and trainees while fostering career and professional development in journalism. Synapse invites students to contribute to any capacity that suits them — one-time only or as a regular contributor.

The online platform and weekly newsletter have 3,500+ subscribers. The organization includes a student as Editor in Chief who represents the news outlet throughout UCSF, and a professional journalist as Managing Editor. The roles collaborate with writers to brainstorm and discuss story ideas, help with the writing and podcasting process, suggest edits and improvements, provide training and advice on writing and audio journalism, and run the newsletter, website, and social media publishing platforms. 

Synapse has four main objectives:

1. To provide a platform for the voices of UCSF students and trainees
2. To encourage and facilitate interdisciplinary communication and collaboration
3. To foster career and professional development in journalism
4. To promote transparency across UCSF campuses

Why do students and trainees write for Synapse?

1. To improve writing/interviewing/storytelling/editing/leadership skills
2. To express opinions on and learn about things that are important to them
3. To pursue an extracurricular project with guidance from editors
4. To meet and work with people from other schools and programs
5. To experience one of the few truly interprofessional networks on campus

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.

Join Our Team

Synapse plays the vital role of strengthening our widely-dispersed campus community by telling stories about UCSF and student life that can't be found anywhere else. Those who contribute to Synapse benefit by networking with colleagues in an array of programs and learning skills that translate to health science careers, like organizing thoughts to tell a good story, writing clearly and concisely, and executing on deadline. Joining the Synapse team is easy! Just attend a biweekly meeting, email synapse@ucsf.edu, or click the button below.