The environment one lives in directly impacts one’s health — common sense tells us this. If someone knowingly harms another’s health, clear grounds for reparations exist. What happens, then, if our ...

Originally published in Synapse on March 15, 1984. The women’s movement in this country must be broadened to address issues relevant to Black and working-class people, political activist Angela Davis ...

Hunger is a natural part of life, but have you ever stopped to consider why you’re feeling hungry? Understanding the difference between physiological and psychological hunger can help you make more ...

In the quiet uncertainty of an emergency department, a woman in gut-wrenching pain arrives, unable to catch a breath. Within a matter of minutes, Dr. Sally Graglia completes a point-of-care ultrasound ...

Third place winner in the Synapse Storytelling Contest poetry category. They walked long and sinuous paths Alone on the roads, away from the past Shoulder to lean on at the inn A hand to hold tight in ...

The refrain “In a healthy individual like you or me” is one I commonly hear as a medical student from residents and attendings on the wards. Yet the underlying assumption is false — physicians and ...

Synapse is the UCSF student newspaper. We seek to serve as a forum for the campus community. Articles and columns represent the views of the authors and not necessarily those of the Board of ...

Originally published in Synapse on September 22, 1988. Our colleges and universities have come under highly critical consideration of late from scholars, legislators, and university administrators ...

At the age of thirteen, my genetic disorder caused my growth to accelerate, leading to an unusually tall stature. My pediatrician predicted a height of at least 6' 4" after puberty, whereas the ...

After years of internal debate, I finally got my first tattoo. He’s a small lizard, with a topological map design inside, scaling the outer edge of my left ankle. His fine lines and tasteful detail ...

When the brutal apartheid regime of South Africa refused to heed the call from the international community to end its racist, immoral and illegal treatment of Black South Africans, the global ...

The social determinants of health are the underlying factors that influence our health outside of the doctor’s office, including the environments in which we work, live, and play. And the science is ...