Robert Sapolsky
The Chancellor’s Council on Faculty Life (CCFL) is sponsoring a new Wellness Grand Rounds series, consisting of one-hour lectures, beginning Wednesday, Sept. 17.
Some of the lectures will be linked to wellness and stress reduction programs for faculty; these courses will be offered at a reduced cost. The lectures will take place on Wednesdays during the noon hour.
Robert Sapolsky, PhD, a renowned neuroscience professor at Stanford University and author of numerous books on stress-related topics, will present the inaugural lecture on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008, from noon to 1 p.m. in Health Sciences West, room 302, on the Parnassus campus. Sapolsky’s talk is titled “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers and Faculty Do: Health and Stress.”
This lecture will be simulcast to Genentech Hall, room S 261, on the Mission Bay campus, and a video of the lecture will later be posted on the Academic Affairs website.
The October Grand Rounds lecture, titled “Retraining the Brain for Resiliency and Wellness,” will be presented by Laurel Mellin. It will focus on developmental skills training, a novel method for recognizing and reducing stress.
Two courses for faculty on developmental skills training will start in late October. For more information and to register for a course, please go to the Academic Affairs website.
The Wellness Grand Rounds series is one of the CCFL’s initiatives to create a supportive work environment for faculty. Winter and spring topics will cover mindfulness and well-being and healthy aging for the health professional. For more information about the series, please go to the Academic Affairs website.
Improving the Campus Climate
Chancellor J. Michael Bishop, MD, formed a task force to review the results of a survey on the climate for faculty at UCSF, and to make recommendations for improving the climate for faculty at UCSF. One of the recommendations was the formation of a committee dedicated to improving resources and programs for faculty.
The CCFL was created in 2003 by the chancellor and charged with implementing the task force recommendations and other initiatives that benefit faculty. CCFL members are appointed from all ranks, series, campus sites and disciplines.
Sally Marshall, PhD, vice provost of Academic Affairs, has chaired the CCFL since early 2005. “The CCFL has been working diligently to improve the culture at UCSF for faculty members, and faculty response to the CCFL initiatives has been enthusiastic,” she says.
These initiatives also are in keeping with those set forth in the UCSF Strategic Plan. That plan, released in June 2007, recommended that the University do what it can to “provide a supportive and effective work environment to attract and retain the best people and position UCSF for the future.” To this end, among the strategies called for are ensuring that professional development and career advancement opportunities are transparent and available to all, and grooming and promoting the next generation of UCSF leadership.
In addition to the new Wellness Grand Rounds series, many new programs for faculty have been implemented, including:
• Hosting the annual Faculty Information and Welcoming Week event (the main event is on Wednesday, Sept. 10, with leadership lunches for faculty at San Francisco General Hospital, Parnassus and the Veteran Affairs Medical Center during that week).
• Launching a highly successful leadership training program, in which faculty of all ranks, series and disciplines participate in four to five months of intensive leadership workshops
• Offering the Faculty Mentoring Program for junior faculty, led by the director of faculty mentoring
• Sponsoring the Faculty Development Program, consisting of lectures or workshops on topics of interest to faculty such as leadership, negotiation, finance, and advancement/promotion.
• Upgrading the academic affairs website, which is intended to be the destination of choice for faculty on a wide variety of resources and information for faculty
Photo/Stanford News Services
