UCSF Clinical Research Librarian Nora Franco recently concluded her role as a mentor in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) Mission Bay Hub Scholars pilot program. The 2022-23 pilot was designed as a one-year advanced bridge for San Francisco high school students into health sciences, biotechnology, and other STEM-aligned fields. Students had opportunities to work alongside interdisciplinary health care and community partners, including ZSFG.
Some of the other mentors in the program included Bilal Chaney, program coordinator and DEI lead for the ZSFG Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging and Vishal Kumar, MD, assistant professor of clinical radiology at UCSF. During the program students toured and observed a variety of departments and units across UCSF and ZSFG. This included ultrasounds, x-rays, interventional radiology, and the emergency department. The students then selected one of the areas they visited and determined a research topic for their final project. One student researched how to create greener hospital environments, citing ZSFG’s work to reduce the use of plastics in operating rooms and departments.
Nora introduced the students to UCSF Library resources, such as eBooks and study tools within AccessMedicine (see image below). Nora also discussed research strategies, searching and evaluating medical literature for accuracy and validity.
Inspirational leaders
Coinciding with Women’s History Month, the students met with ZSFG’s chief executive officer, Susan Ehrlich, MD, MPP, and chief operating officer, Andrea Turner, JD, MBA, CNMT, ACHE. When asked about the challenges of working in a male-dominated sector such as healthcare leadership, Ehrlich explained that she is one of the few women in the country who is a practicing MD and a hospital CEO. She reflected on the difficulty of finding a role model in the same position. Ehrlich credits her resident directors and clinical faculty for encouraging her. Turner expressed that leadership and workplace culture starts from the top down. She also shared that Ehrlich is one of the first bosses that she (Turner) has had who continuously supports her in her current role.
A successful first year
The program concluded with a celebratory event at the JP Morgan Club within the Chase Center. All the participating students presented to their families, friends, and partners about their work throughout the year. The UCSF and ZSFG Libraries thank the Mission Bay Hub team for this opportunity. We look forward to mentoring the second group of students next year!
