May 25, 2021
Dear Friends of the UCSF - East Bay Surgery Program,
After years of receiving fundraising letters from the UCSF East Bay Surgery Program, I am excited to now pen my first as the new Executive Director for the East Bay Foundation for Graduate Medical Education (EBGME). Like many of you, I have vivid memories of our beloved training program, our close-knit family of residents, and our mentors and teachers. When Dr Rich Godfrey approached me at the American College Meeting a few years ago, he outlined the important role of the foundation in its support of the training program. I was excited for the opportunity to re-connect, and give back to the program that has given me so much.
The East Bay Foundation for Graduate Medical Education is the funding organization for the Surgery Residency Program. “The Foundation” provides financial and operational support to the program by administering contracts with the affiliated training instiutions: Alameda Health Systems, Kaiser Permanente, Children’s Benioff, the Veterans’ Administration, and UCSF Health, and providing resident salaries and health benefits. The foundation Board of Directors brings together the collaborative of training institutions to provide our one of a kind flavor of residency education, as well as steer the program and govern the foundation assets. In addition to these important roles, the EBFGME also fundraises to support critical programs for resident support and recognition, such as orientation and training programs to welcome our fantastic new interns, and Graduation dinner to celebrate our accomplished graduates.
Clearly this has been an especially challenging year given the Covid pandemic, with major disruptions in surgical training and programs. There have been fewer meetings, fewer opportunities for camaraderie and collegiality amongst trainees and mentors. Many surgical residents nation-wide have reported increased isolation and depression during the period. While many social activities and professional gatherings have been put on hold this year, the residents still need our appreciation and our unwavering support.
Would you consider making a donation to support our training program? At this time of year, we usually ask you to contribute to our graduation celebration. With Covid-19 again changing our “normal” routine, I am asking you to help us continue the legacy started by our founder, Dr. Claude H. Organ, carried forward by Dr. Alden Harken, and now embodied by our Progam Director Dr. Barnard Palmer and our Chair of Surgery, Dr. Gregory Victorino. Help us empower our newest surgeons, encourage innovation, and train bold leaders with a gift to the UCSF East Bay Surgery Program.
With your donations we hope to do a few things. First, we would like to celebrate our Graduates in grand and safe style, likely again using a hybrid-model with in-person and virtual festivities. Second, we would like to continue to work on important initiatives and programs around Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Justice. UCSF East Bay has successfully recruited diverse faculty and residents since its founding by Dr. Claude H. Organ. The majority of our current residents identify themselves as people of color, and half identify as women. Beyond diversity, we need to do more to empower groups that have been underrepresented in medicine. This is the hard work of challenging the systems holding back talented young doctors because of their origins. We would like to continue to fund ongoing faculty and resident DEI training led by medical decision-making expert Dr. Kimberly Papillon. We would like to increase support for our residents to attend national meetings such as the Society for Black Academic Surgeons, National Medical Association and the Society for Asian American Surgeons.
Thank you for supporting the UCSF East Bay Surgery Program. Whether you trained with us as a resident, served on our Board, or have worked with our surgeons at a training site, you are part of our unique program. I sincerely appreciate your commitment to graduate medical education and am so proud to be a part of the Foundation. This year I invite you to help us continue to support our fantastic residents. Please make your tax deductible donation to the East Bay Foundation for Graduate Medical Education. Any donation you made will go towards supporting our fantastic residents.
You may use the link below or mail a check to our office at Highland Hospital, 1411 E. 31st St., Oakland, California 94602.
Jessica E Gosnell MD FACS
Executive Director
East Bay Foundation for Graduate Medical Education
Professor of Surgery
UCSF Department of Surgery