University-Community Partnerships Offer Training Series

The University Community Partnerships Program, Community Partnership Resource Center, and Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s Community Engagement Program are offering a series of free workshops on topics related to University-community partnerships. Participants may bring their brown bag lunch and join UCSF faculty, staff and students, as well as community members from throughout San Francisco, to learn about the power of partnerships in shaping the health of San Francisco. The first two workshops in the series will examine the basics of partnership building. On Wednesday, Sept. 17, Marshall Welch, PhD, director of the Catholic Institute for Lasallian Social Action at Saint Mary’s College of California, will give an interactive presentation on the building blocks of partnerships, including how to find a partner, how to set partnership goals, and how to work with university and community colleagues. As a follow-up to Welch’s presentation, University Community Partnerships Program will host a partnerships roundtable facilitated by Roberto Vargas, coordinator of the Community Partnership Resource Center. At this roundtable, a panel of both UCSF and community members who are actively involved in partnerships will be on hand to speak about their experiences with University-community partnerships. Both of these workshops will include time for participants to network. The workshops are scheduled as follows: • Wednesday, Sept. 17, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Women’s Building, 3543 18th St., no. 8, San Francisco, “Fundamentals of Partnerships: How to Form a Successful University-Community Partnership,” presented by Marshall Welch. • Wednesday, Sept. 24, noon to 2 p.m., Women’s Building, 3543 18th St., no. 8, San Francisco, “Fundamentals of Partnerships: Partnership Roundtable,” presented by University and community members active in partnerships. To RSVP, send an email to [email protected] or call 415/476-5589. Space is limited. The University Community Partnerships Program (UCPP) was established by Executive Vice Chancellor Eugene Washington, MD, in spring 2006 to coordinate the many existing partnerships between UCSF-affiliated individuals and groups and San Francisco-based community organizations and to support new partnerships. The mission of the UCPP is to build collaborative relationships between UCSF and the community, promote civic engagement, foster community health and well-being, and enhance the environment for education, research, employment and patient care at UCSF. The UCPP serves as a bridge between UCSF and the community, emphasizing partnerships that value and respect the assets and diversity of both. Serving the community is one of the seven strategic directions outlined in the UCSF Strategic Plan, which was released in June 2007. That plan specifically calls on UCSF to serve the local, regional and global communities and to eliminate health disparities. One specific strategy calls for “promoting civic engagement in all facets of activities at UCSF to strengthen partnerships between the campus and the community.” These workshops are part of a series. Information on other workshops in this series is available here.