Opinion

Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - 08:56

Urging Police to Do No Harm

By Do No Harm Coalition
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.
Friday, May 27, 2016 - 08:50

A Fond Farewell

By Bryne Ulmschneider
It’s been a pleasure and privilege serving you as Editor-in-Chief this year. This will be my final piece as Synapse’s Editor-in-Chief. I’m graduating before Synapse will return in the fall, and as this is the last week of publication before Synapse wraps for the summer, I wanted to give some reflections on the year.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016 - 10:18

Do Healthcare Mission Trips Cause More Harm than Good?

By Anna Nonaka and...
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.”
Tuesday, May 3, 2016 - 12:52

What's a Voter To Do?

By Bryne Ulmschneider
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?
Monday, May 2, 2016 - 08:43

Why Trump?

By Sumitra Tatapudy
What am I missing about Donald Trump’s appeal as a Presidential candidate? If you were expecting a balanced political perspective, unfortunately that's not what this piece is about. I am no expert on our political situation. Despite that, I am intrigued by Trump’s support and want to understand why Trump is appealing.
Tuesday, April 26, 2016 - 10:01

Universal Healthcare: Too Good to Be True?

By Anna Nonaka and...

If you’ve ever worked in a hospital, you’ve heard some doctors and hospital staff gripe about the implementation of Obamacare while others heatedly defend it.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016 - 09:47

No Student is an Island

By Ray
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.
Thursday, April 7, 2016 - 09:39

Where’s Our Mascot?

By Ray

UCSF carries great weight among the small group that knows it, but outside this eclectic crowd of healthcare professionals and scientists, we appear to be an academic institution with no traditional school spirit — or even a true mascot. Maybe it’

Tuesday, March 15, 2016 - 14:08

Good Intentions Can't Hide Bad Science

By Alexandra Cleme...
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.
Thursday, March 10, 2016 - 14:09

Muni Money, Maybe?

By Ray

It is without a doubt that paying rent in San Francisco is one of the most insane things a graduate student is asked to do. San Francisco stands out as one of the most expensive cities in the country.