Dear UCSF Community,
A wave of antisemitic attacks has erupted on social media and against Jewish communities across the nation in the past two weeks, following several years of escalating antisemitic incidents. Like most of you, we find this surge in hatred and violence abhorrent and reflective of the vicious assaults against so many members of our community who are targeted based on their identity.
We are also deeply concerned by the increase in anti-Muslim content on social media, and reports of assaults, harassment, and destruction of both mosques and synagogues.
At UCSF, we condemn discrimination, prejudice, and hatred in all forms, and we pledge to stand in solidarity with all targeted communities as one. For our faculty, staff, and learners who belong to these communities, please know that we support and value you. As President Biden said earlier this week, “It’s up to all of us to give hate no safe harbor.”
This weekend, as we pause to honor the individuals who have given their lives in service to their country, we hope that everyone will find time to reflect and recharge. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to each other and to the communities we serve.
Sincerely,
Sam Hawgood, MBBS
Chancellor
Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Distinguished Professor
J. Renée Navarro, PharmD, MD
Vice Chancellor, Office of Diversity and Outreach
Chief Diversity Officer
Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care
Dear UCSF Community,
Just two months ago, I wrote to you after a week of mass shootings across America. Today, we are left grieving once again over a tragedy that, this time, is much closer to home. As the news continues to emerge, we have learned that this morning’s shooting at the Valley Transportation Authority in San Jose has taken the lives of eight innocent people, plus the gunman. Multiple others are injured.
This is the 15th mass shooting this year across the United States and the deadliest one in the Bay Area in nearly 30 years. I want to acknowledge that for many of you, this may feel different, or add further to the emotional exhaustion of the past year. I invite you to make use of the resources that are available here at UCSF to support you:
Dear UCSF Community,
Nearly one year ago in Minneapolis, on May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin. The way in which Mr. Floyd was killed revealed once again how systemic racism and anti-Blackness reinforce an unjust legacy of oppression that too often results in the death of Black people.
Mr. Floyd’s passing, however, further ignited the growing need to address institutionalized bias and racially-motivated hate in all of its forms. The call for police reform has become louder, the work to address the inequity of health outcomes more urgent, and the intersections of racism and other forms of injustice more obvious than ever.
In commemoration of the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death tomorrow, I encourage all of us to make time in the busy day and observe 9 minutes and 29 seconds of silence—the length of time Mr. Floyd suffered under Derek Chauvin’s knee—to reflect on the changes that have followed his passing and the work that remains.
At 12:30 p.m. tomorrow, you also are invited by the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals (BCH) DEI Council and Spiritual Care Services-SF to join an online space of solidarity and care, to honor all that we may be feeling on the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, as well as to uplift and honor positive signs of change for racial justice. Presenters will include: Corey Jackson, associate vice chancellor for Human Resources; Stephanie Brown from the UCSF BCH Black Caucus; and Special Guest Isoke Femi, Maven for Transformational Learning at GLIDE.
- UCSF Solidarity & Healing – Tuesday, May 25, 2021 – 12:30-1:00 p.m.
Zoom:...
Dear UCSF Community:
We are pleased to announce that UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences’ new home is scheduled to open this fall.
Adjacent to our Mission Bay campus at 675 18th Street, the 150,000-square-foot Nancy Friend Pritzker Psychiatry Building is the culmination of our vision to integrate physical and mental health by eliminating boundaries that have isolated psychiatry and behavioral sciences from other medical disciplines.
Embedding mental health services into the overall health care system also will help reduce the stigma that can be associated with seeking help for mental health. Younger patients, in particular, will be able to go to one space to see their pediatrician, psychiatrist, psychologist, and other key members of their care team.
The five-story, light-filled building is supported by a gift of nearly $60 million from philanthropists John Pritzker and Lisa Stone Pritzker, longtime supporters of UCSF, and named in honor of John’s sister, Nancy Friend Pritzker, who died by suicide at age 24 during a depressive episode in 1972. You can read more about the project here.
As previously communicated, we are relocating outpatient services currently offered at UCSF Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics (LPPHC) at Parnassus Heights, which are located on the planned site of UCSF Health’s new hospital at the UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights. Our inpatient adult care program, which offers acute psychiatric service for adults 18 years and older, will move to UCSF...
Dear UCSF Community,
As more people get vaccinated and the overall level of new COVID-19 cases declines across the country, we are easing out of the worst public health crisis in a generation. We have come a long way in just over a year, developing new ways of working while serving our mission in education, research, and care delivery. One important lesson we have learned is that those whose responsibilities allow them to work remotely can do so effectively.
Looking ahead, I am pleased to announce that UCSF will incorporate a combination of telework and on-site work in our staffing plans for those job duties that can be performed remotely without compromising our mission. We will approach this new venture in the spirit of continuous process improvement, adapting as we learn from our experience.
Telework Guiding Principles
My Cabinet supports telework as part of our vision for the future, and we have agreed upon principles that will guide us in making decisions about telework. One of these principles is to prioritize equity, consistency, and accessibility to ensure that campus control points and UCSF Health leaders make decisions based on business needs. To support this goal, we have developed a standard tool to evaluate and identify positions for telework. In the weeks ahead, we will communicate these details and provide managers with resource materials.
As I mentioned at this past Friday’s town hall, I am extending the work-from-home guidance to October 1, 2021. This extension gives employees currently working remotely more time to plan for child and elder care, provides managers more time to...