UCSF Alumni Weekend 2019

The opioid crisis has been deemed the deadliest drug overdose crisis in US history. This session will highlight the multifaceted interventions that have been implemented by a diverse group of UCSF faculty innovators in partnership with the public health network in San Francisco. Panelists will share examples and describe how this essential collaboration is allowing us to tackle our city’s complex and vexing opioid problem.
 

Obesity and chronic disease pandemics are long-term threats to humans. Learn about the harms of excess sugar consumption and how much sugar is too much. Following the successful model of the UCSF Tobacco Center, the university is poised to solve these pandemics through vital research and translational medicine, allowing us to get the word on sugar out to the general public and key decision-makers.

Campus leaders will discuss UCSF's pioneering approach to professional education, which views our students as our greatest asset, aims to produce practitioners ready to tackle the most challenging problems of 21st-century health care, and forms the foundation of UCSF: The Campaign's grand challenges and commitment to UCSF's brilliant minds.

Join us as the studio audience for a live taping of UCSF’s Carry the One Radio podcast. Run by a small group of dedicated young UCSF scientists, Carry the One showcases what makes science so exciting – the joy of discovery, the beauty of nature, and the promise of a better tomorrow. This episode will focus on exploring the past, present, and future of HIV/AIDS research and care at UCSF, from the early 1980s to present day.

Following the Opening Session, enjoy a fun reception with live music, dancing, and hors d'oeuvres, featuring a look back at UCSF’s historic past with UCSF Archives and an opportunity to peer into the future of UCSF: The Campaign.

An elegant, seated breakfast featuring remarks from UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood, followed by The Telomere Effect authors Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD, UCSF professor emerita and 2009 Nobel laureate, and Elissa Epel, PhD, postdoc alum and professor in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry.

Winners of the 2019 UCSF Campaign Alumni Awards also will be announced. Awards will be presented to 15 alumni in the categories of The Audacious, The Innovators, The Compassionate, The Dedicated, and The Pathfinders.

Join the UCSF Alumni Book Club! In this online community, alumni can connect with each other and enjoy books on healthcare and science. There is no cost to participate – you just have to get a copy of the book to enjoy. Our first book will be The Telomere Effect by UCSF’s Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD, UCSF professor emerita and 2009 Nobel laureate, and Elissa Epel, PhD, postdoc alum and professor in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry. Please sign up to join the club by February 3.

Join moderator UCSF Graduate Division dean Elizabeth Watkins, PhD, for a jam-packed hour of TEDx-style talks showcasing renowned UCSF faculty innovators describing their transformative research and discoveries.

Join us for four dynamic and interactive programs exploring UCSF’s core missions and the grand challenges of UCSF: The Campaign. Each one-hour experience takes place at 2:00 pm and again at 3:15 pm. Select one program per hour; capacity is limited.

Experience #1, Seacliff A
Healthy Aging, Healthy Life Span  
Saul Villeda, PhD 
The search for the fountain of youth is making progress in a UCSF lab. Scientists are working to solve one of the grand challenges of UCSF: The Campaign – Decoding Life to Improve Health – by exploring aging and its effects on the human body, from muscle to blood to neurons, in an effort to reverse those effects and eventually prevent them from even beginning.

Experience #2, Seacliff B
Probiotics for Kids?: Applying Probiotics for Colic and Asthma    
Michael D. Cabana, MD, MPH
Probiotics are defined as “live microorganisms that, when ingested, confer a health benefit to the host.” However, how much information about these products is science-based, and how much is just hype? This presentation will review some basic facts about probiotic supplements – for example, what to look for on the label – and discuss recent studies at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco on using probiotics for common pediatric issues such as colic and asthma.

Experience #3, Seacliff C
Your Microbial Universe: Using Microbes as Medicine    
Susan Lynch, PhD, Sergio Baranzini, PhD, Postdoc Alum, Tiffany Scharschmidt, MD, Resident Alum, Marina Sirota, PhD
The bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms that live in and on our bodies create a universe unique to each of us: our microbiome. The interaction between microbial and human cells may determine whether your child develops asthma and allergies; how easily you can lose weight; and your susceptibility to skin diseases or oral health problems. This engaging and interactive program will help you learn more about how our individual microbiomes work and how UCSF researchers are decoding life to improve health, one of the three grand challenges of UCSF: The Campaign.

Experience #4 , Seacliff D
Innovation Sprint    
David Charron, MBA
*This program runs for 90 minutes and does not repeat.
Do you want health care in 2030 to be exactly the same as it is in 2018? We didn't think so! Find out how to revolutionize the health care landscape with David Charron of UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and national faculty for innovation with the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health I-Corps programs. Participants will go through an ‘Innovation Sprint’ over the course of 90 minutes using the same processes and tools that successful health care startups have adopted to ideate, validate, and commercialize their ideas. Everyone is welcome, and no experience is necessary.

Join us for three dynamic and interactive programs exploring UCSF’s core missions and the grand challenges of UCSF: The Campaign. Each one-hour experience takes place at 2:00 pm and again at 3:15 pm. Select one program per hour; capacity is limited.


Experience #1, Seacliff A
Healthy Aging, Healthy Life Span  
Saul Villeda, PhD 
The search for the fountain of youth is making progress in a UCSF lab. Scientists are working to solve one of the grand challenges of UCSF: The Campaign – Decoding Life to Improve Health – by exploring aging and its effects on the human body, from muscle to blood to neurons, in an effort to reverse those effects and eventually prevent them from even beginning.

Experience #2, Seacliff B
Probiotics for Kids?: Applying Probiotics for Colic and Asthma    
Michael D. Cabana, MD, MPH
Probiotics are defined as “live microorganisms that, when ingested, confer a health benefit to the host.” However, how much information about these products is science-based, and how much is just hype? This presentation will review some basic facts about probiotic supplements – for example, what to look for on the label – and discuss recent studies at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco on using probiotics for common pediatric issues such as colic and asthma.

Experience #3, Seacliff C
Your Microbial Universe: Using Microbes as Medicine    
Susan Lynch, PhD, Sergio Baranzini, PhD, Postdoc Alum, Tiffany Scharschmidt, MD, Resident Alum, Marina Sirota, PhD
The bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms that live in and on our bodies create a universe unique to each of us: our microbiome. The interaction between microbial and human cells may determine whether your child develops asthma and allergies; how easily you can lose weight; and your susceptibility to skin diseases or oral health problems. This engaging and interactive program will help you learn more about how our individual microbiomes work and how UCSF researchers are decoding life to improve health, one of the three grand challenges of UCSF: The Campaign.

All alumni and guests are invited to close out the weekend's festivities with drinks, dancing, and dessert. We will also reflect on UCSF: The Campaign and the role of our alumni in helping UCSF make the biggest possible impact on the health and well-being of everyone!