In this series, past editors-in-chief reflect on their time leading the paper.
What years did you serve as EIC?
I served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008-2009.
Why did you want to serve as EIC?
I have always appreciated local, campus-based journalism, so that was a big part of it. I also felt (and still feel) that the UCSF community is especially tight knit and mission oriented, with unique news and issues that matter to it. Synapse is a great resource for the UCSF community.
What stories or themes defined your tenure?
We focused a lot of our coverage on community. We covered local events, music, sports and food, with reader participation opportunities like the ability to publish recipes. One fun story — I covered (before my time as EIC) the Treasure Island Music Festival, and focused part of my story on a then smaller band that stole the show The Devil Makes Three. After we published the story, The Devil Makes Three’s band website had a pull quote from my article, which I thought was fun (this was before ChatGPT, so someone from the band was doing deep internet searches for reviews!). Fast forward to this year, and The Devil Makes Three was playing at a main stage at Hardly Strictly! I didn’t get a chance to say hello to them because I was with my toddler, but it reminded me of this story.
How did you balance school/clinic/research with running the paper?
It was honestly a welcome respite from the rigors of medical school — a way to stretch creative muscles with a group of like-minded peers.
What was the newsroom vibe?
Working at Synapse was amazing — we had a mix of students from every part of UCSF (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, PhD). It was collegial, fun, and invigorating!
Any mentors or collaborators who shaped you?
I don’t know if Tim Neagle is still with Synapse and UCSF, but he was an amazing mentor and passionate about the newspaper. He was the glue that held Synapse together!
How did Synapse shape your voice, confidence, or leadership style?
Deciding what to cover and what not to cover was something we discussed at lot at Synapse. Leading an organization requires a similar dialogue — there are lots of priorities, but mindful focus is key.
What did the job teach you about communicating science and community issues?
Focusing on things as seemingly minor as recipes, for example, really could bring community together. At UCSF, we were focused on big, hard, and emotionally fraught problems (whether in patient care or bench research). Sometimes recipes could help people pull up and remember that we were a diverse group of interested and interesting individuals!
