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Cultivating Well-Being for the Department of Anesthesia Community

A new academic year has begun, and we are excited to welcome our new interns, residents, fellows, faculty, CRNAs and staff! There are many new faces so please say hello and look out for each other in the hallways and operating rooms.

Our people are the best part of UCSF. The department is committed to your well-being as we enter the busy summer season. In this issue, we have included well-being resources at UCSF. We hope that you find them useful.

For Your Well-Being,

Jina Sinskey, Associate Chair of Well-Being

Photo by Saad Chaudhry on Unsplash

There’s nothing inherently bad about change. Change can be good depending on how you approach it, writes Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D., Professor Emerita of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in her Psychology Today article 10 Ways to Make It Through Life’s Transitions. “It’s how you interpret them that determines their impact on you.”

“There are no inherent life changes other than the basic alterations that occur due to biology and the programming of our genes. The life changes involved in transitions occur because of social, historical and other outside influences…. How you interpret them will determine their impact on you.... No one ever gets through life without undergoing some type of change, so when it happens, don’t fight it.”

In the article, Dr. Whitbourne notes that one of the most memorable transitions is moving one’s home—called the relocation bump by Karalyn Enz and colleagues.* Another transition is called the reminiscence bump, that peak of memories occurring during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood.

Dr. Whitbourne’s tips are based on research involving life-span studies of stressful events and can help you navigate the challenging times with reduced stress and a more positive outcome. Read her article: 10 Ways to Make It Through Life’s Transitions.

*Enz, K. F., Pillemer, D.B. & Johnson, K.M. (2016) The relocation bump: Memories of middle adulthood are organized around residential moves. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 145, 935-940.

Hiking Lands End and Picnic Sutro Heights Park

By Justin Libaw

On May 1, members of our community and their families gathered to hike Lands End Trail and picnic in Sutro Heights Park on a beautiful Sunday. We had a great turnout with staff members, residents, and faculty in attendance. Many brought their loved ones, including a number of pets. We ate delicious burritos for lunch.

Enjoying the camaraderie and sunshine, from left to right Tanner Olson, Justin Libaw and Gabriel Sarah.

Many thanks to the Well-Being Committee for planning this and to Dr. Gropper and the department for supporting the event. Stay tuned for our next quarterly event and reach out to Justin Libaw with ideas you would like to see realized.

Did somebody make your day? This column features stories of our UCSF Anesthesia colleagues going above and beyond! In this edition, we have narratives contributed by Senior Research Associate Deeya Amatya, Senior Clinical Research Coordinator Jillene Sturgess-DaPrato, Dr. Romain Pirracchio, Resident Dr. Laura Pasternack, Dr. Stephanie Lim and Dr. Lee-lynn Chen. If you have a story to share, submit it using this Qualtrics Link or scan the QR Code.

Isha Soni, Postdoctoral Researcher

Isha has taught me so much in my first couple of months here and always has encouraged me to try hard! She has been so willing to lend me a hand whenever I feel like I’m super confused! I'm super thankful for her!

By Deeya Amatya, Senior Research Associate

Grace Wagner, Staff HR Liaison

Grace is an HR Liaison for our department who helps with the onboarding/hiring of CRCs. She has been very helpful in educating and supporting my understanding of the HR process for CRCs. She has been readily available to answer questions and responds very promptly. She is also very easy to talk to and explains topics very thoroughly. I would like to thank her for her kindness, patience, and the wealth of knowledge she's shared that has helped me in my tasks.

By Jillene Sturgess-DaPrato, Senior Clinical Research Coordinator.

Maelani Atken, Project & Event Manager

Maelani did a fantastic job with us at ZSFG. Her dedication was recognized by everyone. In particular, all of us appreciated her commitment to improving the well-being of the team. In a very short period of time, she’s made spectacular changes to our work environment (creation of a new break room, well-being room, etc.) and she’s also helped streamline several critical tasks of the Administrative Business Office to best support our clinical operation. On behalf of the entire group, I would like to express my utmost gratitude to Maelani.

By Dr. Romain Pirracchio, Professor and Chief ZSFG Anesthesia and Perioperative Care.

Thank you MB E1am Group!

Professor Lee-lynn Chen gave his praises for the MB E1am group saying, "They are fun, approachable and always helpful to surgeons, nursing and anesthesia. They've shown us a great way to collaborate and make things go smoothly. Thank you! Pictured above from left to right: Mae Yap, Peter Yeh, Stephanie Lim, Joyce Chang, Lee-lynn Chen, Rondall Lane and Oana Maties.

Solmaz Manuel, Associate Clinical Professor

Dr. Manuel, thank you for always believing in me and for being a bright light in the Anesthesiology Department.

By Dr. Laura Pasternack, Resident

Veronica Segredo, Associate Physician

Veronica is really sweet and kind. She wants to make sure that my resident and I take proper breaks during a busy day.

By Dr. Stephanie Lim, Assistant Clinical Professor

Well-Being Resources at UCSF

The WHO characterizes burnout as an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition. This means we need to focus on fixing the organizational culture and work environment rather than the person who is experiencing burnout.

ICD-11

UCSF has a one-stop shop on wellness resources and services offered to you as a member of the UCSF community. You'll find links to wellness stories, events and services for each of the 7 PIllars of Wellness: emotional, physical, social, financial, environmental, career and spiritual. Learn more about each of these pillars and the services provided at the UCSF My Wellness Resource Hub link below.

Meet Dr. Lindsey Huddleston!

Associate Professor

UCSF Profile

Meet Ken Chew, Staff Retiree!

PI Portfolio Analyst

Ken Chew recently retired after 12 years with UCSF. He was one of eight Portfolio Analysts supporting approximately 123 principal investigators (PIs). He and his teammates support all aspects of intra- and extramural awards. He leaves behind seven members in his unit including Phillip Evans, Lynn Ha, Joice Karyadi, Frida Stone, Maribel Pineda, Giang Vu and Marissa Sunga. His manager is Dulce Mohler.

Share what brings you joy.

There are two things that bring me immense joy. Eating good food is a pleasure I've always enjoyed made even better when I go to my favorite restaurants. And, I simply love being with my family. I love visiting my sons and playing with my grandchild. In a few months, I will be a grandpa to two grandchildren. Life should always be so good!

When did you join UCSF?

I started working at UCSF in 2010 with the Controller's Department, Contracts and Grants. About three years ago I joined the Department of Anesthesia as a Portfolio Analyst. Among the PIs I supported were Drs. Philip Bickler and Seema Gandhi.

What is your favorite part of being at UCSF?

My wife and I had an incredible experience with an OB/GYN doctor at UCSF, Dr. Mary C. Martin. Her compassion and commitment to providing us with the best of care left a lasting impression. That experience made me realize how much more satisfying it would be to work in such a dedicated environment supporting the work of researchers and health practitioners who are seeking innovative treatments and committed to providing excellent care.

What is a little-known fact about you?

I used to run half marathons. A trainer at my gym encouraged me to give it a go. The first two were Rock and Roll Marathons in San Jose with bands playing every mile. Another was in Anaheim which included running through Disneyland with some of the park's most iconic characters cheering us on.

Do you have a favorite quote to share?

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” Desmond Tutu

Any ideas on how to spread kindness and well-being in our community?

“Treat others how you want to be treated.” This quote goes beyond simply being kind to people. Think about others the way you want to be thought of. Feel about others the way you would want others to feel about you. Speak to others the way you want to be spoken to. That’s what I was referring to. I think most people in anesthesia and UCSF try their best, but sometimes we have bad days. You really want to treat people the way you want to be treated.

What are your retirement plans?

The first thing I plan on doing is to clean-up my paperwork and home computer. Next, I look forward to just relaxing and taking care of the grand kids. Hopefully, I'll eventually be able to sleep in. Right now, I'm still waking up at 4:45 am.

What memories will you take away from your career at UCSF?

The camaraderie. The water cooler chats. The people you meet during your career.

Save the Date: July 28 from 2 pm to 4 pm. The Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (HDFCCC) Office of Education and Training presents a leadership and career development seminar on "Demystifying the Climb: Promotions at UCSF."

Open to senior fellows, residents and faculty, this seminar is part of the HDFCCC K12 Physician Scientist Program in Clinical Oncology (PSPCO). Learn more about the full program.

Seminar learning objectives:

• Describe the basic principles underlying appointment (series and rank) and advancement (merit and promotion) at UCSF.
• Review the criteria for advancement, components of the advancement packet, strategies for success, and pitfalls to avoid. 
• Understand the review and evaluation process (and why it takes so long). 
• Discuss strategies for navigating a change in series, accelerated action, or disagreement regarding your advancement (series, the timing of promotion and more). 

Broadway Show Ticket Discounts

Harry Potter, Oklahoma, Moulin Rouge, the Temptations and More!

UCSF faculty, staff and students receive a discount on tickets for Broadway SF shows. Ticket prices and discounts vary per show with savings of up to 25% with the discount code: UCSF.

Now Playing through January 2023

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Curran Theatre

$99 center orchestra seats for Wednesday/Thursday evenings.

Upcoming Broadway SF Shows

Oklahoma

8/16 - 9/11

Moulin Rouge

9/7 - 11/6

To Kill A Mockingbird

9/13 - 10/9

The Temptations

11/9 - 12/4

Visit Broadway SF for additional information

From Comic Books to Streaming Shows

by Ed Mathews

Eons ago, I was editor in chief of a comic book journalism site. With the abundance of streaming shows and movies coming out on various services, I thought you’d like to see some of the recommended source materials for these shows that have managed to entertain us at home.

The Umbrella Academy

Let’s start strong with this show that is now in season 3 based on the original American comic book series created and written by Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance) and illustrated by Gabriel Bá. The Umbrella Academy is a brilliant twist on the superhero genre and the series has all the tropes done in a fresh new way, including time travel, conspiracy theories, and talking chimpanzees. It’s worth revisiting the source material and noting that there some significant changes in the Netflix TV series starting at the end of season one. Strongest performance: Elliot Page.

The Doom Patrol

HBOMax is your home for most things related to the DC Universe (see Justice League, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman). One of the quirkier series to translate to the small screen is the amazing Doom Patrol, based heavily on the popular runs by Grant Morrison and Rachel Pollack, but not ignoring source material by Arnold Drake, this series is about a group of misfits that would seem to mirror the X-Men; seem to as the original comic came out at the same time as X-Men and had a wheelchair-bound professor, and a group of outcast metahumans. That’s about where the similarities end. The joy of this show is how it is unafraid to jump right in and make the source material come to life, up to and including a Charles Atlas analog and a sentient non-binary street (you will have to watch the show to find out that the previous sentence is not word salad). Strongest performance: tough call, but I’m going with Timothy Dalton.

Ms. Marvel

On Disney +, we are introduced to Jersey City’s superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This series is based on the comic book my G. Willow Wilson and is about a Pakistani teen growing up in Jersey City who is the ultimate fangirl of Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel. This show embraces the fact that it comes from a comic as the visuals become part of the storytelling. The graphics department needs to be acknowledged for the incredible work done, but it is also grounded as we get a brief overview of Muslim life in modern America. There are some significant changes to the origin of the character so it is worth looking at the source material, both for how strong it is and to see the interesting twist at the end of the series. Strongest performance: Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan.

Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers

I’m going to cheat here. This was based on a cartoon from the 90’s, but it is so chock full of animated goodness, that this direct-to-streaming movie on Disney + may have fallen off of people’s radar. In what can only be considered inspired casting, the voices of Chip and Dale are done my John Mulvaney and Andy Samberg. There are so many animation styles and cameo appearances used in this film it might be reason enough to watch it (I mean, I would go to see BATMAN VS. E.T.), but in all honesty you must watch this film and then ask yourself “Who gave this the greenlight at Disney??” Because Disney is not known for being able to poke fun at itself and I frankly look forward to the documentary on how this movie got made in the first place! There is even a nod to San Diego Comic-Con in this movie so that’s my justification for including it here. Strongest Performace: John Mulvaney.

That’s it for this installment. There’s so much material out there that I promise we will revisit this at a future date. Until then, Excelsior!

Ed Mathews, Systems Administrator

The Recommendations column is open for contributions from our readers. It's a space where you can share your favorite things. The sky's the limit with your suggested favorites, like your favorite restaurant, great things to do, best reads, podcasts, films, or suggestions about Best Delivery or Best Pet Friendly places. The point is to bring out your favorites and bests to share with all of us!

WELL-BEING QUARTERLY is a publication of the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care @ 2022 UCSF. All rights reserved. You can contact me at our department mailbox, Anesthesia Well-Being, or Jina.Sinskey@ucsf.edu.