Benefits: Family Member Verification Audit

In an effort to control costs and in support of UC’s Fiduciary responsibility, all faculty and staff who have dependents enrolled in UC-sponsored medical, dental and/or vision plans will be asked to verify that their enrollees are ‘eligible dependents’. A ‘Dependent Audit Packet’ outlining the required steps to take to will be mailed to employees the week of March 19th.

Faculty and Staff who do not submit documentation by the deadline, May 17, 2012, will be de-enrolled from UC-sponsored insurance. Dependents found to be ineligible for insurance through the verification process will also be de-enrolled. 

Secova, Inc., a third-party administrator will administer the dependent audit on behalf of the University. Secova offers state-of-the-art security and privacy procedures and commitment to customer service.

If you are affected by this audit, please watch for your packet and take action to respond prior to the deadline. The University would like to thank you in advance for supporting this process. For more details, visit At Your Service

Welcome Atom Colton: Kanbar Center Coordinator

Please join us in welcoming Atom Colton as the Center Coordinator for the Kanbar Center. Atom was raised in Northern California and graduated from The Evergreen State College in 2004. His ability as a master puzzle solver has been an incredible resource for scheduling activities and programming coordination in the center. He  demonstrates daily that his work is in synchronization with his professional  motto “Media technology and education are my two great passions". Atom's prior work experience includes video project management as the Creative Director at Rock>it.now media and as a program coordinator overseeing client relations management at A to Z In-Home Tutoring.

UCSF Alumni Weekend & Reunion Celebration

Palace Hotel - April 20-21

Medical Schools and Teaching Hospitals Prepare for Health Care Reform

As part of its Readiness for Reform initiative, the AAMC has developed a new series of case studies to share medical school and teaching hospital strategies for implementing key elements of health reform.  The studies profile institutions implementing diverse programs and initiatives to transform their care delivery models, and demonstrate the competencies required for success in an era of reform.  The site will be updated as new case studies become available.

Training for a Team Model of Health Care

Photo Credit: David Hand

Maura Purcell, a second-year student in the School of Nursing, had her first taste of interprofessional health education (IPHE) in September of 2010, when she attended an all-day session in the Millberry Union gym. Every first-year student in the schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and the physical therapy program – about 500 in all – was present. Divided into 60 small groups, the students discussed topics including patient safety and health care disparities. They also watched skits in which deans of the schools and the physical therapy chair played various roles in treating a patient with a range of health issues.

The goal was to help students from all five professions learn more about each other. Purcell, 27, said the session piqued her interest, but she also had ideas on how to improve it. So last summer as part of the UCSF Summer Curriculum Ambassador program, she and student representatives from the other schools and the physical therapy program worked on a curriculum development team focused solely on UCSF's Interprofessional Health Education program. They were joined by a physical therapy student in the latter half of the summer and the fall quarter. The team’s work served to enhance the continuity and sense of community throughout the yearlong curriculum by focusing all events and activities around a single patient case. It also introduced a new longitudinal project, aimed at giving small teams of students a chance to help a campus or community health organization with a patient education project, like a brochure or video.

"I knew that interprofessional collaboration was important before I came here," Purcell said, "but I hadn't thought about its importance in education settings. If you keep people in their own schools throughout their entire education, by the time they're in a clinical setting, they've had no practice working with other health professionals. They don't know how they're different or where they overlap."

UCSF's Interprofessional Health Education program is part of a national and international movement aimed at teaching students how to work in a more collaborative manner. Read More

UCSF Spotlight: David Rachleff

Born in Springfield, MA, and raised in New Haven, CT, David Rachleff was living in Washington, DC, when he decided to move to California after falling in love with the place when visiting friends. 

Rachleff earned his undergraduate degree in sociology from Clark University in Worcester, MA, and his master's degree in social work at Catholic University in Washington, DC. 

When and why did you come to work at UCSF?

I started in August 2005 in the University Development and Alumni Relations office as a Development Assistant.  I worked for several years prior to that as a social worker at various non-profit social service agencies both in Washington, DC and here in San Francisco. I was ready for a career change and a friend helped me get the job at UCSF.

What do you do at UCSF and how is it connected to the UCSF mission?

For the last three years, I have been Curriculum Coordinator at the UCSF School of Medicine. Working with the medical students and faculty of the School of Medicine is directly connected to the University's advancing health worldwide mission.

What are the most challenging and rewarding parts of your job?

I would say the most rewarding part of my job is getting to work with such fabulous, dedicated colleagues. I enjoy the opportunity to work with the medical students who are the future of our health care system. The most challenging aspect is having so many people involved in projects I work on and committees I staff and making sure that each faculty member gets their input included.

If you chose another career path outside UCSF what would it be?  

My background and education is in social work so I think if I ever left UCSF I might go back to social work in some capacity. I also have a great love of theater and have taken acting classes, but that is more of a dream that I put on the back burner but keep at a low flame!

What's something that members of the UCSF community would be surprised to know about you?

I am a big fan of country music!

What are your favorite things to do with your free time?

Films, films, films. I saw every film nominated for Best Picture, the short films and many others. "The Artist" and "Hugo" were my two favorites films so I was thrilled watching the Academy Awards. Also, I love to exercise. I do cardio exercises five days a week and also take an abs class two mornings a week. I love to sit with a good book. I am currently reading Herman Wouk’s “The Winds of War.” I am also a huge supporter of the green movement and take time out at work to separate and put all the compost, recycleables and trash into the right bins.

Employee Engagement Follow-Up Survey in March

As you may recall from previous announcements on the Employee Engagement survey and workshops held last year, a follow up survey was planned in the Spring 2012 to gauge how well results are being shared. This follow up survey is planned to be launched on March 31st, and will be sent to the same audience as the original Employee Engagement survey. The purpose of the survey is to identify areas and organizations where additional help may be needed in sharing the results and taking action. Only organization demographics and the following 3 questions will be asked:

1. Employee Engagement results were reviewed with employees in my organization (yes/no)
2. My work group developed an action plan(s) to address survey findings (yes/no)
3. I have seen progress on our plan (yes/no)

Work is underway with control point contacts to assemble the survey and verify organizational demographics. Please contact Don Diettinger at 476-4841 if you have any questions on the Employee Engagement survey, or on how to best share results with your team.