The following is the open letter written to Mayor Ed Lee voicing the concerns of the Do No Harm UCSF Coalition. Dear Mayor Ed Lee, as healthcare professionals serving the people of San Francisco, we believe that police brutality in this city is a grave public health concern. We are witnessing an epidemic of police violence disproportionately taking the lives and opportunities of people of color, demonstrating patterns of racism and flagrant violations of public safety.

In a world of over 7.1 billion individuals, approximately 400 million people lack access to healthcare. As interest in global health continuously grows, the number of health-oriented mission trips has skyrocketed. While the intent of mission trips is to treat a desperate need, some have argued that these efforts are rooted in “voluntourism.”

One person, one vote is the cornerstone of American democracy. We’d like to believe that each and every person gets an equal opportunity to influence electoral outcomes. But are all votes created equal?

I just came out of the one Interprofessional Education class of the quarter and just like that, I’m back to my own little grad school bubble. I can see why Interprofessional Education class are needed — it truly is alarming how small of a bubble you can find yourself in, even in the mini-world of UCSF.

It's bad when a philanthropic organization uses bad science to justify their means, but it's dangerous when bad science misdirects policy. I’m sure many good people work in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. I’m sure there was good will, but good reasoning was nowhere to be found when the image above was posted on their Facebook page.