University of California, San Francisco

Updated Summary of Campus Community Service and Service Learning Programs and Activities

February 2005

 

 

Introduction

 

UCSF is a health science campus, unique within the UC system and home to 2,800 graduate and professional students. Community service is part of the educational and social fabric of UCSF. Every year hundreds of UCSF students join campus organizations that sponsor and participate in volunteer community service activities, complementing their academic programs.

 

Text Box: 65% of students involved in 118 RCOs.There are 118 Registered Campus Organizations (RCOs) as of winter quarter 2005. These organizations are formed around specific educational interests (e.g., Brain Interest Group, Women's Health Organization), specific cultural or ethnic identifications (e.g., Chicanos in Health Education, Chinese Health Professional Student Association) and career aspirations (e.g., Operation Immunization, Homeless Dental Clinic). A substantial number of UCSF graduate and professional students are involved in campus organizations.

 

These students bring their skills, energy and commitment to the campus community and to thousands of underserved seniors, children and families throughout the Bay Area. Rewards are mutual as UCSF students provide valuable service to diverse communities and learn about the special needs of those they serve.

 

Students are involved in health education programs, multicultural events, ongoing clinics for special populations support for K-12 classroom science education.

 

 

Section I: Volunteer Community Service

 

Students provide volunteer community service in three different ways:

 

1.      Conducting community health outreach and cultural awareness events through Registered Campus Organizations.

 

2.      Providing support and outreach for K-12 science students through the Science Education Partnership.

 

3.  Organizing volunteer service through student governments and committees.

 

 

A majority of graduate and professional students participate yearly in community service activities through registered campus organizations. In reviewing the number, size and scope of health fairs that are conducted on an annual basis, it is estimated that approximately 14,000 people are served annually at Text Box: RCOs: students volunteer 30 hrs. per week. health fairs in the Bay Area. A previous effort to estimate the number of hours of service provided by UCSF students per year, 30 hours was deemed the average. A similar level of activity continues today. These hours can be compressed into intense planning and execution of a weekend program for the campus or community, be spread over the year by providing weekly service to underserved populations in a clinic environment or be a summer international travel/volunteer project to a third world country.

 

Attached is a list of the 35 RCOs that include community service commitments in their published mission statements.

 

Text Box: Science Education Partnership: 300 volunteers, 10,000 hrs. in K-12 education.Graduate students, medical students, pharmacy students, and other health students join with  postdoctoral fellows, research associates, faculty, and professionals from UCSF to comprise the Science Education Partnership's (SEP) pool of scientist volunteers. Each year, over 300 UCSF volunteers contribute approximately 10,000 hours of service to the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). SFUSD is a large and diverse urban school district with a history of achievement in science education reform. Each year, over 400 SFUSD K-12 teachers and their students participate in SEP programs, representing 80-90 percent of SFUSD’s schools.

 

The two student governments at UCSF, the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) and the Associated Students of UCSF (ASUC) each provide their student leaders with a small stipend for the work they perform in representing all students. But active committees form when an unmet need is defined or a special event or program is undertaken. This important volunteer service work benefits the UCSF community and is deserving of mention in this report. The GSA has two active committees conducting two programs: Career and Research Days and Preparing Future Faculty (PFF). The ASUC has been active in a blood drive this year.

 

Text Box: PFF: 5 volunteers, 1,391 hours = 12 programs, 95 average attendance. PFF is a good example to highlight the activity undertaken by of one of the student government committees. It was formed to address the need for training, support and networking for UCSF students who are interested in teaching. After brainstorming and strategy sessions, the committee set their sights on developing a Preparing Future Faculty program.  This active committee of 5 student leaders produced a highly successful, in-depth pilot program of 12 sessions over 6 months. They worked a total of 1,391 hours from inception to completion on a project reaching an average of 95 students per session to support their success in future academic careers.  The PFF program is moving toward institutionalization and was the result of a total volunteer service effort.

 

 

 

Section II: Service Learning

 

UCSF is a graduate Health Science campus and is therefore actively engaged in preparing students for careers in clinical and research settings. Each of the clinical programs in the schools of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and nursing has clinical experience integrated into the curriculum. The length of time for each of these programs varies from weeks to years. This work is supervised, service oriented within the clinical setting and processed as a part of the academic learning necessary to graduate.

 

Because preparation for clinical careers has always included integrated, supervised “service” or clinical internships, practicums, preceptorships, etc., the professional schools do not label or consider “service learning” as part of the curriculum. It is historically how things are done.

 

It would be beyond the scope of this office to summarize clinical practice experience in each of the very autonomous schools at UCSF. The term “service learning” would also not resonate in these settings. 

 

 

 

2004 - 2005 REGISTERED CAMPUS ORGANIZATIONS (RCOs)

(These 35 participate in Community Service in the Bay Area and beyond)

 

  1. Addiction Medicine Interest Guided Organization (AMIGO)

To use a multi-disciplinary approach to educate the campus community about issues around substance abuse and addiction; to raise awareness about such issues impacting patients from all walks of life as well as medical professionals; to share information and resources.

 

  1. American Dental Education Association

The mission of the American Dental Education Association is to lead individuals and institutions of the dental education community to address contemporary issues influencing education, research, and the delivery of oral health care to improve of the health of the public.

 

  1. American Medical Student Association (AMSA)

A national medical student organization with chapters across the nation working on health care issues like universal health care, diversity in medicine, global health, public health and medical student well-being.

 

  1. American Pharmacists Association - Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP)

APhA-ASP offers student pharmacists opportunities to provide pharmaceutical care to the community, participation in the legislative process and activities that develop the pharmacy student as a professional.

 

  1. American Society of Dentistry for Children

To provide information to those interested in pediatric dentistry. ASDC also offers dental screenings and education to children.

 

  1. Asian Health Caucus

Asian Health Caucus works to promote understanding among members of the UCSF community and to increase awareness of the health needs of Asians and Asian-Americans.  We accomplish this mission through activities, cultivating leadership, community participation, and faculty-student relations.

 

  1. Black Student Health Alliance (BSHA) at UCSF

The Black Student Health Alliance is dedicated to nurturing a strong community formed by African-American students, faculty, & staff in all UCSF schools and doing outreach to the Bay Area.

 

  1. Campus Evangelical Fellowship

To share the love and gospel of Jesus Christ within the campus and the surrounding community.

 

  1. Chicanos/Latinos in Health Education (CHE)

Provides mentorship to other Latin students. Provide medical services to the Latin community. Provide awareness of our culture to the campus. Recruitment and mentorship to under represented minorities.

 

  1. Children's Health Hut at UCSF

Children's Health Hut is a collaboration of dedicated health professional students. Together, we strive to improve the health of San Francisco's underserved children by promoting health education and facilitating access to affordable health care. We offer fun, interactive health fairs at community centers and schools throughout San Francisco.

 

  1. Chinese Health Professional Student Association

To increase awareness of Chinese culture, to support and encourage involvement in community service activities in the Chinese neighborhoods, and to provide educational resources for the student population.

 

  1. Clinica Martin-Baro

Inadequate health care coverage prevents the appropriate promotion and maintaining of health in underserved communities such as that of San Francisco’s Mission District. To address the health care needs of the underserved community in San Francisco’s Mission District, the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, medical students at UCSF and the faculty and undergraduate students from San Francisco State University (SFSU) will collaborate to run a Saturday clinic at Mission Neighborhood Health Center.

 

  1. Community Dental Clinic at UCSF

The Community Dental Clinic is a student-run dental clinic providing free care for San Francisco's homeless population.

 

  1. Hispanic Dental Student Association

To encourage leadership roles among hispanic/latino students and provide oral health services to the underserved community.

 

  1. Integrative Medicine Network

The Integrative Medicine Network (IMN) at the University of California, San Francisco believes that bridging the gap between alternative and allopathic medicine will lead to the improvement of patient care and choices. As future health care professionals committed to providing the best care for our patients, we aim to utilize all possible resources to address our patients' needs. Thus, we advocate research and education in the safe, effective use of alternative therapies in conjunction with conventional medicine. We hope to create a network of students and professionals who seek to continuously improve their understanding of alternative therapies and to incorporate an integrative approach to health care while serving the community.

 

  1. International Dental Outreach Program

The International Dental Outreach Program (IDOP) is established to provide a network for dental students to travel abroad and gain experience in the field of dentistry.  In doing so, we hope to encourage global awareness, spirit of volunteerism, and outreach to the underserved.  Over the course of the school year we will create several options for students ranging from oral health education all the way to the practice of dentistry, from a variety of countries and cultures, and varying in extent of time served.  We are affiliated with the California Public Health Association at UCSF and will work with other campus organizations towards a common goal.

 

  1. International Health Student Interest Group

Interschool interest group that gets together to share their international health experiences, and create new opportunities of getting involved in international health.  We work to organize student service initiatives and bring speakers to campus, and this year to organize two major conferences.

 

  1. International Nursing Group

The International Nursing Group (ING) works to promote and share information regarding international work and volunteer opportunities for health professionals. In addition, the ING seeks to educate the UCSF and surrounding community about global health issues.

 

  1. Korean-American Health Professional Student Association

The Korean American Health Professional Student Association (KAHPSA) seeks to enrich the diversity present at UCSF through the sharing of Korean culture through social activities, education, and health fairs.

 

  1. Latino Association of Pharmacy Students (LAPS)

The focus of LAPS is to teach students the spanish vocabulary, language and culture necessary to interact with hispanic people of the community, especially in the pharmacy setting. We also focus on encouraging young hispanics to attain higher education through K-12 outreach and undergraduate recruitment days.

 

  1. Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) at UCSF

The goal of LMSA is to address the current disparities in heath care by increasing the number of Latinos and other underrepresented minorities matriculating into medical school and other health professions while also increasing awareness of Latino health among students and the community.

 

  1. Medlink

The purpose of Medlink is to expose high school students from underserved neighborhoods in San Francisco to careers in the health sciences.  Medlink achieves this goal through college preparatory session, one-on-one mentoring and hands-on science education.

 

  1. Mental Health Advocacy Group

The Mental Health Advocacy group works to reduce stigma associated with mental illness and to improve mental health services on campus and in the greater community through educational activities and political activism.

 

  1. Muslim Students Association

To unite Muslims students and Scholars at UCSF and increase awareness of Islamic faith through dialogue and different campus-held activities.

 

  1. Operation Smile Student Organization

The Operation Smile student association at UCSF is a campus organization dedicated to spreading awareness of and getting students/faculty involved with the non-profit organization, Operation Smile.  "Operation Smile volunteers repair childhood facial deformities while building public and private partnerships that advocate for sustainable healthcare systems for children and families."

 

  1. Pharmacy Mentoring Program

A great opportunity for high school seniors to interact with first and second year UCSF Pharmacy students who will be your mentor through your challenging journey into college.

 

  1. Pilipinos of UCSF Student Organization (PUSO)

A group dedicated to fostering professional and social relationships among the Pilipino/Filipino students, faculty and staff. In turn, PUSO's members are dedicated to cultivating Pilipino/Filipino cultural awareness within the surrounding UCSF community.

 

  1. SF SHARE (San Francisco Student Health Advocates for Resources & Education)

SF SHARE improves the health of children and adolescents by empowering underserved youth to teach each other about health and accessing community resources. We meet our goals through close partnerships with the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco, UCSF medical students, and UCSF pediatric residents.

 

  1. South Asian Health Professional Students Association

To highlight the rich and diverse culture and history of South Asia through cultural events, health fairs and outreach programs. To provide mentorship to our members at various stages of their careers.

 

  1. Student Health Professionals for Social Responsibility

To work for environmental health, violence prevention, and against nuclear proliferation, and to be a resource for students interested in progressive causes.

 

  1. Student Homeless Health Clinic

Homeless Health Clinic is a med-student run program that works with doctors in the community to provide healthcare for the homeless, while also offering UCSF students the opportunity to more clinical experience.

 

  1. Student National Pharmaceutical Association

Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) is an educational service outreach organization. Our goals are to help the disadvantaged community, through out reach efforts.

 

  1. Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund at UCSF

Put on a lunch fundraising event and possibly others to raise money for disaster relief in South and Southeast Asia following the tsunami. Proceeds from events will go to a major non-profit group working in the relief efforts or to a specific community affected by the disaster.

 

  1. Unite For Sight at UCSF

We are a community service organization committed to vision care.  We hold eyeglass drives, conduct vision screenings, sponsor a speaker series, and send students on vision related internships abroad.

 

  1. Vietnamese Student Association

The goal Vietnamese Student Association is to promote diversity on the UCSF campus while enriching the student body, as well as the UCSF family at large, with the Vietnamese culture.  Our purpose is to foster an environment where people of different backgrounds can come to learn more about the Vietnamese culture, its people and issues affecting the community. We provide organization for health outreach to the Vietnamese community.