UCSF to Highlight Public Service at Alumni Weekend

By Lisa Cisneros

John Najarian, a graduate of the UCSF School of Medicine class of 1952, talks with Sam Hawgood, dean of the School of Medicine, James Hamill, a graduate of the medical school's class of 1957, and his wife, Joan Hamill, at UCSF's All-Alumni Kickoff Reception held at the Palace Hotel last year.

UC San Francisco will welcome about 2,000 graduates and friends from 24 states and China, Brazil, Australia and Chile to Alumni Weekend on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

All UCSF alumni and friends are invited to the weekend’s festivities, which take place at San Francisco’s iconic Palace Hotel and on both the Parnassus and Mission Bay campuses. For all the details, go to the Alumni Weekend website.

Esther Alcorn, Allan Moss and Oliver Kuzma, from left, from the UCSF School of Medicine's class of 1952, and Susan Huscroft, from the class of 1969, enjoyed the Almuni Weekend Kickoff Reception at the Palace Hotel last year.

More than 60 activities are on tap for the three-day weekend including:

  • The Last Lecture, featuring beloved faculty member Dan Lowenstein, MD, vice chair of the Department of Neurology and director of the UCSF Epilepsy Center who was selected by hundreds of students to deliver a lecture as if it were his last on Thursday, April 25 in Cole Hall Auditorium;
  • The All-Alumni Kickoff Reception featuring a live performance by Grammy-nominated legendary percussionist Pete Escovedo on Friday, April 26;
  • Breakfast with Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH, who will present an overview of recent University highlights on Saturday, April 27; and
  • Graduate Division Discovery Talks, a series of outstanding short talks from renowned UCSF alumni and faculty innovators who will talk about their transformative research and discoveries on Saturday, April 27. Jeffrey Bluestone, PhD, executive vice chancellor and provost, will discuss precison medicine, an emerging field aimed at revolutionizing health care.

With an overarching mission of advancing health worldwide, UCSF is devoted to serving the public. In recognition of this tradition, the theme of this year’s Alumni Weekend is its public mission, highlighting service in education, to underserved populations, and through community partnerships, locally and globally.

UCSF School of Pharmacy alumni, from left, Bettie Crane, class of 1992; Audrey Jae, class of 1991; and Cathy Chan, class of 1992, posed for a photo last year.

Alumni will have an opportunity to participate in weekend service activities such as providing essential medical supplies to communities in underserved areas. They have been asked to donate their unused surplus supplies to the UCSF student-run organization called REMEDY (Recovering Medical Equipment for the Developing World.) And nurses, pharmacists and primary care physicians have been asked to work with the UCSF partner, Glide Health Services Clinic, to volunteer to offer special education for clinic health care providers.

Photos by Cindy Chew

Topics