University of California San Francisco

Expanding Voting Rights Recognizes Contributions of HS Clinical and Adjunct Faculty

Jenny Liu, PhD, Professor of Health Economics and Director of the Institute for Health & Aging, has spent nearly  8 years as an Adjunct professor in social and behavioral sciences. And for nearly 8 years she has served in UCSF Academic Senate. Her substantial record of service includes four years on the School of Nursing Faculty Council (2016-20), the Committee on Faculty Welfare (2018-13), and one year on Executive Council when she was the Chair of CFW. She is currently a member of the Senate’s Committee on Research. 

One of her standout achievements was the faculty time use study (see below), which documented, evaluated, and quantified faculty time spent on various university-related activities, with a focus on the often-unrecognized “invisible work” and systematic disparities affecting women and underrepresented individuals in health professions.

This was only possible because UCSF Senate expanded UCSF voting rights locally for faculty in the Adjunct and Health Sciences Clinical series over a decade ago!

Liu's Senate service has enabled her to initiate and lead efforts that address critical issues such as funding disparities, minority tax, and salary inequities—work that directly impacts both the professional environment and the ability of faculty (and staff!) to excel in teaching, research, and clinical practice. Without access to these governance platforms, she says, "My capacity to drive impactful policies and structural reforms in the field of health sciences, as well as within UCSF, would have been diminished."

Read on to learn about Liu's impact on teaching, research, and service and her call to action to vote on November 4-18 to expand voting rights and membership for Adjunct faculty like her across the UC system.

Visit Faculty Voting Rights Website

Q&A With Jenny Liu

Thinking about your involvement in the Academic Senate, what are you most proud of?

During my tenure as Chair of the Senate Committee on Faculty Welfare, we launched a study with two primary goals: 1) to document, evaluate, and quantify faculty time spent across a range of university-related activities; and 2) to identify systematic disparities in the distribution of invisible work among UCSF faculty.

We presented the results at the Senate retreat last month:

The “minority tax” is very much present (also known as the cultural tax or extra responsibilities assumed by underrepresented groups). Black/African American and female respondents were significantly more likely to engage in invisible work.

While those engaged in uncompensated service reported higher job satisfaction, these same individuals also reported higher levels of burnout.

My research team is actively disseminating these findings with campus leaders and beyond. There has been significant interest, and we are collaborating with leadership to explore creative solutions. I’m optimistic that this effort will lead to meaningful change.

Grand Rounds: Learn More About Time Use Study Findings

Please share a little bit about your trendsetting research in health economics:

First, my research aims to materially change the lives of vulnerable populations by finding ways to deliver high-impact public health products and services to those in need. With our teams of multidisciplinary researchers, government and private sector partners, and members of local communities, we are integrating human-centered design with behavioral economics, to co-design more equitable and highly promising interventions for women’s health—from adolescent girls in Tanzania to rural women in Malawi. We further leverage innovative health service delivery channels (e.g., community-based delivery programs, e-commerce and digital interfaces, private community drug shops and pharmacies) to reach these highly disempowered and unconnected populations and foster greater agency and self-care.

How does being excluded for systemwide Senate membership impact you?

As an Adjunct faculty member, I have engaged deeply in mentoring students worldwide and taken on significant teaching commitments, including co-developing open-access courses and guiding global health research projects. The exclusion implies that the critical work done by non-Senate faculty is not fully recognized or integrated into the broader mission of the university, which in turn affects how we advocate for resources, equity, and professional development opportunities for ourselves and the students and mentees we support. Expanding voting rights would affirm that all faculty contributions, regardless of series, are essential to advancing the institution’s goals and ensuring a more inclusive and equitable academic community.

Why should faculty vote "yes" on the upcoming Memorials to the Regents to expand faulty voting rights?

These faculty members play a vital role in research, teaching, and service, contributing significantly to the university’s mission. Including them ensures that their unique challenges and contributions are recognized in governance decisions, fostering better representation, and enabling the university to respond more effectively to the diverse needs of all its faculty. Expanding rights aligns with the goal of supporting professional development and equity across all faculty ranks.

• By the Numbers

• 8 years of UCSF Senate Service
  $36M in grant funding
  9 PI/Co-PI studies
  22 senior authorships
  2 research labs
  10 mentees annually
  24 graduate students annually