UCSF Forms University-Community Partnerships Council

Striving to strengthen UCSF's connection with the community and to empower the community to partner with the University, UCSF has launched the University-Community Partnerships Program. "If UCSF is to remain a leading university, it is essential that we succeed in our ultimate mission of promoting health and preventing disease," said Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Eugene Washington, MD, MPH, who initially charged the task force that led to the formation of the program. "To achieve this goal, we have formed a council to help us identify needs and develop initiatives to create a more robust, institutionalized community partnership program at UCSF." The program is directed by a 20-member UCSF University-Community Partnerships Council, a group of passionate public service advocates who gathered for the first time on March 9 at the Mission Bay campus.

Barbara French, associate vice chancellor for University Relations, left, greets Sharon Johnson, youth program director at the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House.

Consisting of 10 UCSF representatives and 10 members of the community, the council is charged with the important task of enabling faculty, staff and students to further improve the University's presence and participation in community partnerships. The council is also charged with assisting the community in partnering with UCSF to address community needs. Kevin Grumbach, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, who headed the task force, now serves as co-chair of the council. A co-chair from the community will be named at the council's meeting in June. "I am tremendously excited to see this program in civic engagement taking shape at UCSF," Grumbach said. "Already, from just the first few meetings of the council, it is apparent how valuable it is to have community members as meaningful, empowered partners. It is clear to me that this program is not about window dressing, but about challenging UCSF and the community to find ways to work together more effectively to their mutual benefit." Council members were selected after a comprehensive review process - all have extensive track records serving the community. UCSF members come from a cross-section of the campus, representing the schools and medical center, and include experts in social and behavioral sciences and community outreach. Members from the community include representatives from existing UCSF partners, such as Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, and their professions run the gamut from youth guidance counselors to leaders of neighborhood centers. Community members appreciate the opportunity to share their insights and hope that the partnership will be mutually beneficial. "I joined the council because I have incredible respect for UCSF and want to help UCSF make stronger and more fruitful connections to my population of students and their communities," said Eric Lewis, a teacher at Mission High School. "The new Mission Bay campus is close to both the Mission and Bay View-Hunters Point, where many of my students reside. I hope that by working with UCSF, we can ensure that these two communities benefit from UC's presence and that UC will benefit from the participation of these communities." The council was created from recommendations outlined by the Task Force on Community Partnerships that was convened in July 2004 by Washington. Over the next 13 months, the task force evaluated UCSF partnerships in community-based programs, reviewed evidence about the benefits of academic partnerships in community-based programs and considered the key attributes that make for successful partnerships. The task force issued its final report in August 2005. The task force report is posted online here [PDF]. Among its recommendations, the task force called for:
  • Establishing a University Community Partnerships Program to serve as a centralized unit to promote, support and incubate ideas for community partnerships, and
  • Creating a University-Community Partnerships Council to guide the operations and serve as an advisory board to the University-Community Partnerships Program.
"Excelling at civic engagement - the collaboration between the University and the community for the purpose of improving community health and well-being, as well as empowering community participation - holds measurable benefits for UCSF and the communities in which we engage," said Paul Takayama, executive director of Community and Governmental Relations at UCSF. The UCSF University-Community Partnerships Council and program are part of the office of Community and Governmental Relations and are under the jurisdiction of Barbara French, associate vice chancellor for University Relations, who is an ex-officio member of the council. Day-to-day management of the program is spearheaded by San Francisco native Elba Sanchez, who was hired in April as program director. Sanchez comes to UCSF with more than 10 years' experience in building academic and community partnerships. One of the main challenges facing the newly formed council is looking at how to improve coordination among UCSF's many individual community-based programs. For although many diverse public service programs exist at UCSF, the task force found that poor coordination across individual programs results in duplication of effort, missed opportunities for synergy between compatible programs, and lack of a collective learning and sharing experience. "We should know what the best practices are and how UCSF, as one of the greatest health sciences institutions in the world, can improve to maximize its impact in communities," Washington said. "We want to better leverage our expertise and talent." While the task force uncovered areas for improvement to strengthen public service programs, what struck Washington the most after reading the report was learning about the extensive breadth and depth of UCSF's community-based activities. An initial inventory of the UCSF community partnership activities found more than 60 programs, involving more than 28 different UCSF departments and units. "It is amazing how broadly and deeply engaged we are in Bay Area communities through our current education, research, clinical care and community development programs," Washington said. "We have an opportunity to build on that foundation and to continue to show that we value our relationship with the community."

Council Members

UCSF members of the University-Community Partnerships Council are:
  • Charles Alexander, associate dean, UCSF School of Dentistry
  • Patricia Caldera-Munoz, academic coordinator, UCSF Science & Health Education Partnership
  • Gerri Collins-Bride, clinical professor and vice chair, UCSF School of Nursing
  • Christine Des Jarlais, assistant dean, UCSF Graduate Division
  • Kevin Grumbach, chair and professor, UCSF School of Medicine
  • Dixie Horning, executive director, UCSF Center of Excellence in Women's Health
  • Cindy Lima, director, UCSF Medical Center administration
  • Howard Pinderhughes, associate professor and vice chair, UCSF School of Nursing
  • Lorie Rice, associate dean, UCSF School of Pharmacy
  • Naomi Wortis, assistant clinical professor, UCSF School of Medicine
Community members of the University-Community Partnerships Council are:
  • Tavi Baker, manager, Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco
  • Lynda Boyer-Chu, health coordinator, Gloria R. Davis Academy
  • Larry Del Carlo, executive director, Mission Housing Development
  • Gwen Henry, director, Parent and Family Resource Center, and associate director, Florence Crittenton Services
  • Eli Horn, executive director, Visitacion Vally Community Beacon Center
  • Sharon Johnson, youth program coordinator, Potrero Hill Neighborhood House
  • Dwayne Jones, director, Communities of Opportunity
  • Eric Lewis, teacher, Mission High School
  • John Nickens, clinical director, Progress Foundation
  • Nora Rios Reddick, executive director, Horizons Unlimited of San Francisco.
For more information, contact Elba R. Sanchez, program director, University Community Partnerships, UCSF Community and Government Relations, at 415/502-4966. Photo by Elisabeth Fall/fallfoto.com

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