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Vote by November 18

Academic Senate Newsletter

Fall 2024 | Issue 11

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Faculty Voting Is Open!

Vote to Expand Senate Membership & Faculty Voting Rights Systemwide

November 4-18, 2024

In This Edition

Message from the Chair

Steve Hetts

Arguments in Opposition

Read critics' concerns about expanding faculty voting rights

Faculty Highlights

Spotlight Story: Henry Sanchez

Spotlight Story: Tracy Lin

📣 Action Alert

Vote November 4-18 to Expand Systemwide Voting Rights

Message from the Chair

"Your voice in University governance matters, and this year, your vote can help give voice to others." 

—Chair Steve Hetts, MD

UCSF Faculty and Shared Governance Enthusiasts, 

In my last Message from the Chair, I asked UCSF faculty to join me in voting in favor of two Memorials to the Regents that propose expanding Senate membership to faculty in the Health Sciences (HS) Clinical and Adjunct series systemwide. Like many of our colleagues, I believe that all faculty contribute significantly to the University, and all faculty should have a voice in its governance.

In this second special edition of the Senate Check Up, you will read a summary of critics’ concerns about this proposed change to Senate membership. You’ll also find the stories of two faculty members that spotlight the outstanding contributions of our colleagues in HS Clinical and Adjunct series.

While opponents of the Memorials believe that including HS Clinical and Adjunct faculty series in Senate threatens our academic mission by overrepresenting clinical perspectives and deprioritizing scholarship, I believe the Senate of the future needs health sciences expertise, volunteers, and voices to partner with, challenge, and influence one of the largest academic health systems in the world.

Over a decade ago, UCSF amended its Senate rules to allow faculty in the excluded series to vote on UCSF matters and to serve on UCSF committees. Because of this, our Senate and academic community benefited from the contributions of faculty like Henry Sanchez and Tracy Lin, whose stories are featured below. UCSF’s Schools and departments likewise allow faculty from all series to vote on local matters, but systemwide restrictions still limit participation.

Learn more about the Memorials to the Regents by visiting senate.ucsf.edu/voting-rights.

You’ll find the full text of each Memorial to the Regents, including the following:

HS Clinical Memorial (PDF)  | Adjunct Memorial (PDF)

Proposed change to Standing Order 105.1

Arguments in Support

Arguments in Opposition

Rebuttals

Don’t forget to check your inbox for an email to vote or click the button below to vote now on this important issue! Your vote is your voice.

Acknowledgements: Thank you to my colleagues, Andrea Hasenstaub and Mark Seielstad, for providing the arguments in opposition to expanding Senate membership to HS Clinical and Adjunct faculty series.

Arguments in Opposition

"Importantly, we are not making judgements on the worth, importance, or significance of the work performed by faculty in the various series; instead, we are distinguishing work that is primarily healthcare versus work that is primarily academic or scholarly."

— HS Clinical Memorial Packet, Arguments in Opposition

(Full Text)

Maintaining the Status Quo

As discussions continue regarding the proposed expansion of voting rights for HS Clinical and Adjunct faculty, some faculty members have voiced concerns. Here, we outline the key arguments against these proposed changes.

Representation Imbalance

One major concern is that including a large number of clinical faculty could shift Senate discussions toward healthcare-focused agendas, potentially sidelining critical academic and research priorities. This influx may lead to imbalances in representation, particularly favoring the School of Medicine at UCSF, which could undermine the diverse academic mission of the institution.

Critics also argue that the Senate already includes Clinical X faculty, who sufficiently represent clinical concerns. Thus, the proposed changes may be unnecessary, as adequate representation is currently maintained.

Growth Driven by Corporate Interests

The rapid growth of the HS Clinical series—234% since 2014—raises concerns. Many believe this expansion is driven by UCSF Health’s staffing needs rather than genuine academic or programmatic requirements. There are fears that such a focus could lead the institution to prioritize healthcare services over scholarly pursuits.

Academic Quality and Rigor

There are concerns about the academic rigor associated with HS Clinical faculty appointments. Critics note that many are appointed without rigorous open searches, potentially limiting diversity of thought and experience. Additionally, the minimal requirements for teaching and scholarly work within this series raise questions about whether faculty advancement is sufficiently tied to academic performance. The influx of new HS Clinical faculty has strained academic review processes, leading to concerns that evaluations are becoming cursory and arbitrary. This trend could undermine the overall quality of academic standards across the faculty.

Adjunct Professors present similar issues. They are not mandated to hold the highest degrees in their fields and often have primary employment elsewhere. Their appointments are typically fixed-term and do not require departmental votes or Senate reviews, which contributes to the flexibility of the series.

"This Memorial imposes a one-size-fits-all approach that does not work across the entire UC system. It will reduce the flexibility of the Adjunct series, create a mismatch of voting rights and faculty competencies in many departments, and concentrate authority in department chairs. Further, while faculty diversity is an important objective, the Memorial will not meaningfully diversify the UC faculty."

— Adjunct Memorial Packet, Arguments in Opposition

(Full Text)

Voting Rights and Responsibilities

Including Adjunct Professors in the Senate would require all departments to confer voting rights on them for substantial departmental questions. This change could allow faculty without scholarly research backgrounds to influence critical academic decisions. Additionally, it could reduce the flexibility of the Adjunct series by requiring votes from tenured faculty for adjunct appointments, potentially concentrating authority over key departmental issues in the hands of department chairs.

Concerns About Equity

While the inclusion of Adjuncts may seem to improve diversity, opponents emphasize that Adjunct faculty often lack the same protections and resources as Ladder Rank Faculty. Meaningful improvements in equity would necessitate hiring and supporting permanently-appointed underrepresented minorities (URM) and female faculty, rather than simply expanding Senate membership.

In summary, opponents to the Memorials believe that, while the goals of inclusivity and representation are important, the proposed changes could introduce significant challenges. Maintaining the status quo may be necessary to uphold the integrity of academic governance at UCSF.

Faculty Highlights

Faculty Voting Rights | SPECIAL EDITION STORY

“The inclusion of the HS Clinical/Adjunct faculty in the UC Academic Senate will only add greater perspective, insight, understanding, and reflect the rich diversity of its staff and student body.”

For decades, Henry Sánchez, MD, MS, Professor of Pathology, has been a respected HS Clinical faculty member at UCSF. Because UCSF expanded its local Senate to include HS Clinical and Adjunct Faculty series, Sanchez’s service has shaped critical decisions at UCSF, within the broader University of California system, and at our public schools. 

Sánchez has served on various UCSF and systemwide committees, at UCSF this included the IT Committee on Educational Technology (2014-17), and the Committee on Educational Policy, which he chaired (2002-05). At the systemwide Academic Senate, he served as the chair and vice chair of the Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS) from 2016-2018 and 2014-2016, respectively; chairing/co-chairing the systemwide UC Taskforce on Standardized Testing; chairing and vice chairing the Committee on Educational Policy (2005-2007 and 2004-2005, respectively); chairing the Student Health Advisory Committee (2009-present); and numerous other committees.

Note: Due to existing exclusions, UCSF facilitated Sánchez's systemwide service by providing him with a temporary work without salary (WOS) faculty appointment in a Senate series during his time on BOARS.

His work has also allowed him to engage with a diverse group of exceptional faculty across departments and contribute to BOARS, where he helped oversee matters related to undergraduate admissions and served on a task force that revamped high school science education requirements. Sánchez’s broad experiences reflect his commitment to enhancing the University’s educational, research, and clinical missions.

In his teaching role, Sánchez has made significant contributions to UCSF's medical, dental, and health sciences curricula, developing innovative instructional tools like web-based learning modules and virtual microscopy, which have enriched student learning experiences. His research endeavors have spanned various fields, including neuropathology and AIDS-associated cancers, contributing valuable insights that have advanced UCSF’s clinical care and research protocols. Sánchez also plays a vital role mentoring students and participating in outreach programs that benefit both UCSF and the broader community.

Sánchez ’s advocacy for expanding voting rights to Health Sciences Clinical and Adjunct faculty is rooted in his belief that these faculty members are integral to UCSF’s success and its ability to fulfill its academic mission. As he has seen firsthand, these faculty contribute to teaching, research, and service in impactful ways. Expanding their representation in the UC Academic Senate, he argues, will strengthen governance, promote diversity, and further enrich the perspectives and policies that shape the University’s future.

Read on to learn more about Sánchez’s impact as a dedicated teacher and proponent for making education relevant and engaging for today’s current and future college students. 

Q&A With Henry Sánchez 

When you think of your UCSF Senate Service, what are you most proud of? 

During my time as BOARS chair, I was the chair/co-chair of the UC Academic Senate Standardized Testing Task Force, which examined the use of standardized tests in UC freshman undergraduate admissions resulting in a seminal report regarding standardized testing in UC undergraduate admissions. The report was endorsed by the University of California Academic Senate and presented to the Board of UC Regents in May 2020.

As chair of the BOARS subcommittee on Subject Area D (formally known as Laboratory Science)—part of the UC High School graduating subject requirement—we changed the name to “Science” and included approved interdisciplinary or earth and space sciences coursework. In addition, we recommended an optional third year of science, which could include computer science, engineering, or applied sciences. These Subject Area D changes broadened the field of science beyond biology, chemistry and physics, and better aligned with the adoption of the California Common Core State Standards (CA CCSS) and California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS).

How has your service, extended beyond the Senate?

I continue to participate in educational outreach programs sponsored by UCSF Diversity and Outreach Office as well as local public schools. I have participated every year in the UCSF Cardiac Physicals for Bay Area high school athletes sponsored by the UCSF Departments of Sports Medicine, Cardiology and Pediatric Cardiology, and CPMC Pediatric Cardiology. I was an elected school board member on the San Bruno Park School District (TK-8) from December 2009 to November 2022. I was recently appointed to the Community Health Investment Committee to award public monies to support health services to the Peninsula Health Care District in San Mateo County during the COVID-19 pandemic and on the board of directors of the Peninsula Health Care District for a 4-year term and the Sonrisas Dental Health board as vice-chair.

What value have you personally gained from participating in Academic Senate?

Participating in the Academic Senate has broadened my understanding of the meaning of “shared governance” in making important decisions on critical issues in the UCSF Academic Senate and at the systemwide level. Another personal gain was working with a broad range of exceptional faculty outside my own department across the UCSF campus and participating in the UC Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS), which oversees all matters relating to admissions of undergraduate students at the systemwide level of the Academic Senate.

How do you contribute to health sciences?

My time is spent teaching and signing-out autopsy cases with pathology residents and rotating medical students. I also present the autopsy cases to various house staff and attending conferences at UCSF Moffitt Hospital including Cardiology Grand Rounds, UCSF Moffitt ICU Morbidity and Mortality. Other conferences occasionally include Pediatric ICU Morbidity and Mortality and Neonatology at Mission Bay, Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Conference, Cardiothoracic Surgery Conference, Pediatric Neuroradiology Conference, Pediatric Infectious Disease Conference, Pulmonary Grand Rounds and Radiation/Oncology Teaching Conference.

Please share a bit about your contributions to teaching:

My teaching responsibilities have included teaching pathology in the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, and Physical Therapy. I am currently lecturing first-year dental students in BMS 116, 117 and 118 covering mechanisms of disease and organ systems-based pathology relevant to dentistry in the second new dental curriculum at UCSF School of Dentistry. I was the deputy director for Pathology 101, 102 and 103 which involved creating examinations, coordinating faculty participation and syllabus publication, attending course committee meetings, lecturing, and serving as the laboratory leader. I have focused on building capacity to support UCSF students, including coordinating 7 review sessions annually, exam prep materials, a histopathology atlas for 2nd year medical and dental students, and more. 

I have developed essential curricula, web-based learning modules, and exam resources, including serving as co-director of Life Cycle/ Epilogue and director of the former Integration and Consolidation Block, which involved developing new labs in the Cancer and Metabolism & Nutrition blocks with web-based learning modules, new lectures, small group sessions, laboratory exercises, and web-based examinations. I have directed, co-directed, and designed pathology courses offered to pharmacy, physical therapy, and dental students and helped develop and implement a structured USMLE Step 1 Prep course for the UCSF School of Medicine second year medical students. Currently, I give multiple lectures to second year medical students preparing for the USMLE Step I0 exam, which includes a pathology review manuscript of 225 pages.

I introduced podcasting in the fall of 2005 as a means of providing lecture and laboratory content in the schools of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy, and division of physical therapy. I received a UCSF Instructional Grant for digital virtual microscopy to be used initially in the schools of medicine and dentistry at UCSF, which was implemented in fall 2009. Since then, I have incorporated the digital virtual microscopy in the curriculum in the schools of medicine and dentistry through UCSF Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE) sponsored and supported by the UCSF Library.

Finally, I have been teaching in the new UCSF Bridges Curriculum as a small group pathology leader to first year and second year medical students starting in August 2016 through December 2024. During the COVID-19 pandemic when UCSF distance learning occurred, I developed and implemented successfully with the help of Drs. Raga Ramachandran and Marta Margeta gross pathology labs via Zoom to first year UCSF medical students (2020-2024). 

What are highlights from your research?

Project: POstmortem Systemic InvesTigation of Sudden Inpatient Death (POST SID) via a biweekly Adjudication Committee meetings to study all inpatient cardiac arrests without immediate survival after attempted resuscitation that receive a UCSF autopsy. Working with PI Dr. James Salazar, my role is to interpret the autopsy findings in conjunction with pre-mortem clinical findings. The goal of the study was to better define the actual cause(s) of inpatient cardiac arrest to potentially improve medical care of acute and underlying medical conditions, refine resuscitation protocols, and reduce the future incidence of inpatient cardiac arrest.

Project: Neuropathology of Prion Diseases. Working with PI Dr. Stephen DeArmond, my role was looking at animal models of prion diseases (histoblots and neuropathologic changes) to create a database for prion diseases in patients and assist in computer graphics. Supported by a National Institute of Aging contract, I looked at autopsy cases involving Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease infectivity in blood and visceral organs and assisted in developing autopsy protocols on patients with suspected prion diseases where tissue samples are collected for analysis.

Project: Molecular Analysis of AIDS-associated Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas. Working with PI Dr. Michael S. McGrath and Dr. Brian Herndier, my role was to identify autopsy cases at UCSF Medical Center that are related to AIDS-associated non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas and collect tissue samples for the San Francisco General Hospital AIDS Malignancy Bank.

Why should faculty vote to approve the Memorials to the Regents to expand faculty voting rights?

The HS Clinical/Adjunct faculty are major contributors to the success of the University of California in teaching, research, health sciences and university service at UCSF, which exemplifies the University of California Academic Senate’s mission “to support the University’s mission by strengthening the university, advancing its academic and public mission and ensuring the excellence of its educational and research programs.”

“The inclusion of HS Clinical/Adjunct faculty in Academic Senate will exemplify the adage ‘Together Everyone Achieves More,’ which resonates the missions of the University of California and UC Academic Senate.”

—Henry Sanchez, MD, MS

Faculty Voting Rights | SPECIAL EDITION STORY

"Shared governance is only truly possible when all governed have representation at the table."

Expanding Voting Rights Recognizes Contributions of HS Clinical and Adjunct Faculty

Tracy Lin, PhD, Associate Professor of Health Economics, has dedicated nearly 10 years to UCSF, beginning as a graduate student research assistant in 2014 to her current role in the Institute for Health & Aging in the School of Nursing. She began her Senate service this year as the chair of the School of Nursing Faculty Council.

One of her key contributions to the Academic Senate has been fostering discussions around faculty time use and burnout, emphasizing the need for fair compensation for faculty members. Lin collaborated on the Time Use Study with other standout Senate members like Jenny Liu, PhD, MPP, former Chair of the Committee on Faculty Welfare and fellow Adjunct Professor, which documented, evaluated, and quantified faculty time spent on various university-related activities, with a focus on the often-unrecognized 'invisible work' and systematic disparities affecting women and underrepresented individuals in health professions. 

This was only possible because UCSF Senate expanded UCSF voting rights locally for faculty in the Adjunct and Health Sciences Clinical series over a decade ago! 

Lin believes expanding voting rights systemwide to include full-time HS Clinical and Adjunct faculty like her is critical to achieving the purpose of true shared governance-- representation for all who contribute to UCSF’s mission.

Reflecting on her involvement, she says, "Having access to governance platforms is crucial for driving meaningful policies that benefit both faculty and staff in teaching, research, and clinical practice."

Read on to learn more about Lin’s impact in the field of health sciences and her advocacy for inclusive governance at UCSF.

Q&A With Tracy Lin

“Given the close working relationship and the criticality and contribution of their involvement in UCSF missions, HS Clinical and Adjunct faculty deserve voting rights and have a say on important issues at the University.”

Thinking about your involvement in the Academic Senate, what are you most proud of?

Being fairly new to the Senate, I am still learning the ropes. However, I am proud to have contribute to the dialogue on understanding faculty time use, satisfaction, and burnout, and working to determine ways to ensure faculty members are fairly compensated.

Please share a little bit about your research and scholarly contributions:

Over the past five years, I have collaborated extensively with governments and non-governmental organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the World Bank, focusing on evidence-based policy-making in health. Key projects include research with the Office of the California Surgeon General on the indirect health effects of COVID-19 and cost-effective interventions, leading to publications in PLoS One. I have also contributed to workforce assessments and health system projections in Saudi Arabia, resulting in several publications addressing healthcare needs and labor market dynamics. Additionally, my work examines health system resource allocation and healthcare delivery in conflict-affected settings, including studies on the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on health systems in Libya and systematic reviews on healthcare worker retention and emergency care in post-conflict settings. These collaborations underscore my commitment to improving global health outcomes through rigorous research and policy support.

“Shared governance is only truly possible when all governed have representation at the table.”

Why should faculty vote "yes" on the upcoming Memorials to the Regents to expand faulty voting rights?

Shared governance is only truly possible when all governed have representation at the table. HS Clinical and Adjunct faculty at UCSF have worked alongside of faculty members in other series that are already included in the Senate to enhance research and healthcare. Given the close working relationship and the criticality and contribution of their involvement in UCSF missions, HS Clinical and Adjunct faculty deserve voting rights and have a say on important issues at the University.

By the Numbers

Lin's Mission Impact

6 mentees annually

50 students annually

14 first authorships

3 current PI/Co-PI studies



1 research lab

Action Alert

Faculty Voting Rights | SPECIAL CALL-TO-ACTION