In this series, past editors reflect on their time leading the paper.
As I looked through my old articles, a favorite article that stands out is one I wrote about a mosquito-infested backpacking trip that I took with my now husband in Kings Canyon. I also wrote a lot about food, both recipes and local restaurant reviews.
There was an interesting article about “Confessions of Drug Rep,” which I believe at that time was an issue gaining more awareness as it relates to the serious conflicts of interest that arise.
There was an article about Lobby Day in Sacramento where some UCSF trainees went to “advocate for passage of the California State Senate Bill 810 (SB810), which proposes publicly funded healthcare coverage to all Californians.”
Working for Synapse was a fantastic learning experience. I liked educating myself about all the different opportunities for education and advocacy occurring every single day on campus.
I have so much respect for UCSF as an institution and all of the amazing clinicians, researchers and educators with whom I had the good fortune to interact.
Prior to medical school, I had extensive experience writing for a Stanford University newspaper, a local community newspaper and various other campus publications. I actually applied to graduate school in science journalism before deciding to attend medical school instead.
Since Synapse, I have paused my literary aspirations to focus on clinical work as a child psychiatrist. However, I learned a lot from my experience doing interviews for articles about how to conduct a good clinical interview, highlight people's strengths, and maintain diplomacy in difficult situations.
