CTSI Integral to UCSF Community Partnerships

UCSF Community Partnerships
City program launched by University Community Partnerships at UCSF
Among the highlights of the third annual UCSF Community Partnership Celebration held on October 20, 2011, at the Mission Bay campus, was the Excellence in Partnerships Awards ceremony recognizing exceptional academic-community collaborations. One of the three projects highlighted, Painting Healthier Smiles, received grant support through the Community Engagement & Health Policy (CE&HP) program of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Representing a unique partnership between the UCSF School of Dentistry and the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Painting Healthier Smiles aims to improve oral health of children from underserved families attending low-income preschools in San Francisco, and to raise awareness of the importance of dental disease prevention and routine checkups. Lisa Chung, DDS, MPH, of the School of Dentistry was on hand to accept the award. The event, sponsored by UCSF’s University Community Partnerships, attracted an audience representing a cross section of both the University and the community, including Jeff Bluestone, PhD, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost; and Kevin Grumbach, MD, Director of CTSI’s CE&HP program. The keynote speaker for the evening was Estela Garcia, PsyD, Executive Director of Instituto Familia de la Raza, Inc., and a member of the Coordinating Council for the CTSI-supported San Francisco Health Improvement Partnerships (SF HIP). “The partnership between CTSI and UCSF’s University Community Partnerships has been very productive,” said Ellen Goldstein, Program Manager for CTSI’s Community Engagement & Health Policy Program. “Through their small grants program, the CE&HP program has been able to support 16 new research partnerships with community agencies and institutions.” Other CTSI-supported grant recipients recognized during the event included the STD Exploratory Partnership, Youth Outreach Project, Dimensions Clinic, Teen Centering Pregnancy, Mission Health Promotion Project, and Bayview Better Breathers. Also on display at the event was the UCSF: Committed to the City web project, which features an interactive map, videos, slideshows, and audio clips highlighting the University’s work across San Francisco.