Ken Dill believes biology needs a shot in the arm, a theoretical boost of the first magnitude. And to make that leap scientists need to get off the treadmill, step out of the stream, dream a little again.

Doug Fredrick, MD, director of pediatric ophthalmology at UCSF Children's' Hospital, joined a medical mission to Vietnam, sponsored by the non-governmental vision care organization ORBIS. Fredrick's week-long visit will have lifelong effects for the dozens of children he treated while there for conditions that are treated easily in developed countries like the United States.

Kavita Mishra vividly remembers the Algerian motorcycle accident victim she met while volunteering at a hospital in Madrid. "A large portion of his brain and skull was gone, but he could still speak four languages," Mishra, 23, recalls. The incident became a turning point in her life.

With the breadth and depth of its research enterprise, UCSF is in a position to play a significant role in laying the foundation for stem cell research.

Now in its ninth year, the Osher Center has been a steadfast role model in this health care revolution in San Francisco.

Most scientists agree that increased risk to breast cancer is more strongly associated with environmental and lifestyle factors.

Cancer, diabetes, inflammation, malaria. The list of diseases ripe for new treatments is long. Yet the pace of drugs coming to market is actually flat.

Gender equity, sexual harassment, conflict resolution and ethics. These are a few of the challenging issues that UCSF has tackled over the years as it tries to make the University a better place for faculty, staff and students.

UCSF Today highlights a few of the people and programs that make this University a place of hope and promise.

UCSF postdoctoral scholar Elizabeth Fair is helping to shape the future direction of Global Health Sciences (GHS). Since GHS began only three years ago with the vision of Executive Director Haile Debas, Fair has been working alongside about 65 researchers from UCSF and UC Berkeley on strategic planning to determine the institute's mission and future goals, as well as to devise models for applying basic science to global health work over the next five to 10 years.