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Home
Who We Are
Principal Investigators
Mentees and Trainees
Staff
Where We Work
What We Do
Overview
Current Projects
Cancer Screening and Survivorship
Cardiometabolic Disparities
Digital Health Equity
Language Access Gaps
Patient Safety
Social Media
Resilience and Equity in Academic Medicine
Past Projects
Recent Findings
Get Involved
Contribute
Submit Interest
Careers
Events
Blog
Latest
Collaboration
Resilience
Productivity
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rsz_sfgh.jpg

Thriving in Academia

Urmimala writes a monthly blog about navigating academic life. Feel free to share widely—all we ask is that you provide an attribution (Urmimala Sarkar, www.ignitelab.ucsf.edu, Creative Commons).

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  • Latest
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  • Resilience
  • Productivity
Featured
Jun 2, 2025
Phone A Friend
Jun 2, 2025

Dear friends,

Summer is right around the corner, and I can’t wait for life to slow down just for a little while. Somehow we are still here, five months into a very challenging year. I’ve alluded several times to a grant that has loomed too large over this entire academic year, and I am glad to say it has finally been submitted.

Read More →
Jun 2, 2025
May 5, 2025
Find Your Fun
May 5, 2025

Dear friends,

Somehow, it’s May. It is hard to overstate how difficult these times are, and I’m glad you’re still with me! The only way we will get through this is together. Many of you know that I am having an exceptionally challenging grant-writing experience right now. Given that my non-work life is always eventful, I have been overworked and tired. My solution- schedule time for fun!

Read More →
May 5, 2025
Apr 4, 2025
Always Hopeful
Apr 4, 2025

Dear friends,

It has been a tough month, hasn’t it? At this time of year, I am usually enjoying the longer days and coming out of my winter hibernation. Since I last wrote you, though, I have been caught up in the chaos of our federal government. Even though I know it is their strategy to throw us off balance, I have still been affected by all of their terrifying and disheartening actions.

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Apr 4, 2025
Mar 4, 2025
Resistance Ikigai
Mar 4, 2025

Dear friends,

Sending strength and solidarity to you in this time of upheaval. In the face of such broad-scale dismantling of our values and institutions, I have been pondering how to effectively resist. I do think the most important form of resistance is to carry on our work in the face of these existential threats, but I want to do more. Like many of you, I have been signing petitions and calling my representatives and making donations and showing up at protests. Taking these actions has not brought me the same energy that it did in the past. The problems are so overwhelming that taking any action at all can feel futile. Is this the most effective way for me to stand up for my values?

Read More →
Mar 4, 2025
Feb 3, 2025
Ocean Swimming
Feb 3, 2025

Dear friends,

I am writing this message on January 29th, and it will post as my February blog. I am sure there will be more executive orders and directives in the next few days, and I expect our stress and uncertainty will continue to be in high gear. It’s hard to know what to say, so I will start simple: you are not alone. Seek out your people and be in community.

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Feb 3, 2025
Jan 3, 2025
Fewer Goals More Wins
Jan 3, 2025

Dear friends,

I hope this message finds you rested and recharged! For me, the turning of a new year sparks a confusing and contradictory mix of feelings. The opportunity for a fresh start appeals to the optimist in me, and at the same time, my inner critic reminds me that I have inevitably fallen short of my ambitious goals for the year before. I feel the urge to make resolutions, even though I always aim to resist the relentless, burnout-inducing cultural push to do more and be better.

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Jan 3, 2025
Dec 4, 2024
A Lingering Season
Dec 4, 2024

Dear friends,

We are closing in on the end of a rollercoaster year, and I hope you have some rest ahead. I know the future seems very uncertain right now, and I have been alternating between distracting myself and feeling paralyzed by existential dread. The best comfort I have found is in community, focusing on what matters. We are lucky to be doing work that can make the world better, which is its own form of resistance.

Read More →
Dec 4, 2024
Nov 4, 2024
In Defense of Email
Nov 4, 2024

Dear friends,

Happy fall! How are you? My favorite season has brought a flurry of activity on all fronts, and I am feeling thankful and tired in equal measure.

Read More →
Nov 4, 2024
Oct 1, 2024
Tricks and Treats
Oct 1, 2024

Dear friends,

How are you? I hope fall is bringing you joy, as it is for me! I am looking forward to festooning my house with Halloween decorations and thinking about how to bring spooky spirit to work. This month I have some random musings rather than a singular topic, and I hope these words are still useful to you. I am on the airplane, flying back from an energizing workshop on Diagnostic Excellence and Health Equity at the National Academy of Medicine.

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Oct 1, 2024
Sep 3, 2024
Beginner's Pluck
Sep 3, 2024

Dear friends,

Here we are, back to school! Hope you are bidding a fond farewell to summer and diving into a lovely fall routine. For me, this always feels like the start of the year, as I’ve written about before.

Read More →
Sep 3, 2024
Aug 1, 2024
The Buck Stops Where?
Aug 1, 2024

Dear friends,

How are you? We’re deep into Fog-ust here- I haven’t see the sun in days! I do have some vacation ahead, and I hope you too have a chance to savor the last days of summer. Lately I have been thinking about who holds the ultimate responsibility for our work, and why that matters.

Read More →
Aug 1, 2024
Jul 1, 2024
Chaos Theories
Jul 1, 2024

Dear friends,

Happy summer! Even in San Francisco we are enjoying some lovely sunshine, and I hope you are too. How is your work pace? I was looking forward to a summer lull, but it hasn’t happened yet. My days seem more packed than ever, and my usual planning strategies are not keeping me from falling behind. So let’s talk about coping with, if not exactly embracing, work chaos. I’m talking about that feeling of having multiple demands come at you unexpectedly, going from meeting to meeting without surfacing long enough to think through a logical plan, and burning through the work time set aside on your calendar without getting the important stuff done.

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Jul 1, 2024
Jun 3, 2024
Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
Jun 3, 2024

Dear friends,

We made it through the crazy month of May! I hope you are looking ahead to some downtime this summer. An early-career faculty member with young kids recently asked me a great question: how do you decide how much to travel? Is there a magic number of trips per year or nights away from home?

Read More →
Jun 3, 2024
May 6, 2024
Score A Goal
May 6, 2024

Dear friends,

Here we are, in the challenging month of May, when end-of-school-year parent commitments collide with the pre-summer rush at work and the June NIH grant deadline. Fun times! I hope you are setting some boundaries this month. I’m working on it.

Read More →
May 6, 2024
Apr 1, 2024
The Long View
Apr 1, 2024

Dear friends,

Does it feel like spring yet? I’m writing this on yet another cold and rainy day, cheering myself up with a cup of tea and wildflower daydreams. I hope April brings sunshine to all of us!

Read More →
Apr 1, 2024
Mar 7, 2024
Don't Be Eaten
Mar 7, 2024

Dear friends,

It’s rainy, cold, and gray as I look out the window of my home office, and I find myself searching vainly for some inner sunshine. I expect I am not the only one looking forward to longer, warmer days! I hope this March finds you thriving, or at least getting by. The title of this month’s post comes from a saying in Bengali, my first language, which translates to, “If you do people favors, you’ll be eaten by tigers.”  Let me tell you the story that brought this colorful expression to mind.

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Mar 7, 2024
Feb 1, 2024
Resolution Do Overs
Feb 1, 2024

We are one month into the new year, how are you doing with those resolutions? In case your best intentions have fallen by the wayside, I would like to suggest some resolutions that I wish my mentees and colleagues would take on.

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Feb 1, 2024
Jan 8, 2024
Careless Mistakes
Jan 8, 2024

May this new year bring peace and rest for all of you. The post-holiday part of winter tends to drag for me; I hope you are finding ways to enliven the short dark days! Today I am sharing an end-of-December experience that may resonate with you.

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Jan 8, 2024
Dec 1, 2023
Your Boundaries Or Mine?
Dec 1, 2023

Hope the cold dark winter days find you warm, cozy, and safe! I find the month of December to be particularly challenging, as everyone tries to clear their to-do list before taking a break. Over the years I have tried several strategies to mitigate this year-end game of hot potato. Here are three practical ideas: (1) block off some work time pre-vacation; (2) put your auto-reply up a couple of days in advance of leaving this office; (3) set a turn-around time with your team and collaborators (e.g., any requests I receive after December 12th will be addressed in the new year.)

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Dec 1, 2023
Nov 3, 2023
You Are Here
Nov 3, 2023

Dear friends,

These are hard times. The suffering in Palestine and Israel is devastating, and it's hard to go about our lives knowing it is happening. Please seek out the support you need and give yourself grace.

Read More →
Nov 3, 2023
Oct 3, 2023
Climb Every (Career) Mountain
Oct 3, 2023

Dear friends,

How are you? You made it through the unofficial start of the year, September. Now spooky season is upon us, and I, for one, can’t wait to dress up and hand out candy!

Read More →
Oct 3, 2023
Sep 1, 2023
If It Ain't Broke, Fix It!
Sep 1, 2023

Dear friends,

Well, the new (school) year is here, and it’s time for fresh starts and new ideas! Wishing you well as work picks up after the summer. I recently took on a new role at work, leading a successful program with a long and illustrious history. I’ve been really excited about this new gig, partly because I think the best time to make change is when things are going well. When we decide not to fix things because they’re not broken, we fail to reach our potential.

Read More →
Sep 1, 2023
Aug 1, 2023
Go And Stop
Aug 1, 2023

Dear friends,

Hope you’re enjoying the last long days of summer! I am in that pre-vacation rush, fighting to get as much done as possible before I leave. I’m going on a hiking trip, and I have been training for the last couple of months to get ready physically. In increasing the duration and intensity of my exercise, I had two realizations that apply to intellectual work as well.

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Aug 1, 2023
Jul 3, 2023
TGIF
Jul 3, 2023

Dear friends,

Hope this message finds you being kind to yourself amid all the tumult in the world right now. Can you believe 2023 is half over? I find myself thinking that time is too short to spend on trivialities. Let’s keep committing to the work we are called to do, every day, in the second half of 2023.

Read More →
Jul 3, 2023
Jun 2, 2023
Fun Or Fundable
Jun 2, 2023

Dear friends,

Summertime is here! Can you believe it? For a minute there I wasn't sure I would make it through the always-hectic month of May. I hope all of you have time away planned this summer. I've written before about how important it is to pay attention to, and align our work plans with, seasonal rhythms that affect our body and mind. 

Read More →
Jun 2, 2023
May 5, 2023
Don't Follow Your Instincts
May 5, 2023

May is upon us, and it’s still raining in San Francisco! The weather is reflecting my mood as I am still trying to shake off the cold, dark, long winter. I hope all of you are embracing spring and seeing some wildflowers. My recent travel to the American College of Physicians meeting last week inspired this post. At the meeting, I had informal and impromptu discussions with two midcareer physicians who are interested in working at UCSF.

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May 5, 2023
Apr 4, 2023
Guilt Doesn't Mean Guilty
Apr 4, 2023

Hope the start of April finds you thriving. After enduring a long, dark, stormy start to the year, I’m looking forward to a green and luxuriant spring!

Read More →
Apr 4, 2023
Mar 1, 2023
Satisfied Or Maximized
Mar 1, 2023

How are you? I am looking optimistically towards spring, and I hope you are too. This month I am going to talk about buying towels. Not kidding! I promise there’s a career lesson in my recent quest for new linens. In discussing this purchase with my spouse (scintillating conversations in my house, I know!), he suggested that it would be more efficient to buy towels online. While I saw his point, the idea of sitting down in front of my computer to search made my heart sink. Our contrasting approaches made me want to dig deeper.

Read More →
Mar 1, 2023
Feb 1, 2023
Whack-A-Mole
Feb 1, 2023

Here we are, February 2023. I am sending solidarity to all of you as we contemplate mass shootings, anti-Asian hate, and the terrible police-perpetrated murder of Tyre Nichols, among other injustices and crises. There are no words- just remember that you are not alone. Reach out to me anytime, be kind to each other, and be patient with yourself. Everything going on in the world continues to make it hard to focus on work.

Read More →
Feb 1, 2023
Jan 3, 2023
Resolve To Do Less
Jan 3, 2023

I hope all of you had an opportunity to take a break at the end of 2022 and are as well as possible. This time of year, with cold weather and short days, can feel challenging. For me, it is not a natural time to make resolutions or feel motivated. I feel out of sync with the culture- everyone is packing the gym or setting out to maintain their daily meditation streak, and I just want to read in bed with a cup of tea.

Read More →
Jan 3, 2023

 

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This work by Urmimala Sarkar and Elaine Khoong is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License . Based on work at ignitelab.ucsf.edu.