Build Your Community

Reaching out to your peers and making friends is important for your well-being, and having a strong support network and building collaborative relationships – inside and outside of your discipline – will ensure your success at UCSF and beyond.

Campus Organizations of Special Interest to Graduate Students

There are over 100 registered clubs and organizations at UCSF that can help you connect with others who share your personal, professional, political, or creative interests.

  • Interested in science advocacy and communicating science? Get involved in Carry the One Radio. Founded by a group of UCSF graduate students, Carry the One has developed a series of short, accessible podcast interviews with scientists, in order to bridge the gap between the scientific community and the public.
  • Concerned about science policy? Check out the Science Policy Group, dedicated to educating UCSF students and postdocs about science policy issues as well as taking action to support science advocacy.
  • Are you in a social science program? Or are you interested in learning more about the social and historical context of your research in biomedical sciences? Check out the Social and Population Health Sciences Consortium, which regularly holds events bridging social and basic science disciplines.

Diversity and Inclusion

Do you want to be part of creating a community where every individual feels valued and supported? From whatever angle you are drawn to this effort, you are warmly invited to be part of it. Be sure to check out diversity and inclusion efforts in the Graduate Division.

Student Government – Associated Students of the Graduate Division (ASGD)

The ASGD is made up of UCSF graduate students in the basic, social, and translational sciences programs. Its mission is to improve the quality of graduate student life, to represent diverse student needs and to advocate for student rights and interests. Visit the ASGD's website for monthly meeting schedules and more information about the group's activities.

Note that some students who are in programs offered by the Graduate Division are represented by different student government bodies; nursing master's students, for example are represented by the Associated Students of the School of Nursing, and students in the physical therapy programs are represented by a new student government, Associated Students of Physical Therapy. Visit the website of the umbrella student government organization, the Graduate and Professional Student Association, for an overview. 

International Students

If you are an international student, there are lots of resources and programming available to you through the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO). Visit the ISSO website to find out more about what the ISSO does, and be sure to check out the great list of resources that the ISSO put together especially for international students and postdocs.