Photo by Susan Merrell, University Communications
Tracy Lin, PhD, center, assistant adjunct professor in the UCSF Institute for Health & Aging, chair of the School of Nursing Faculty Council, and faculty mentor in the Global Health Sciences (GHS) program, chats with GHS master’s students Hayley Bry, far left, and Jasmine Hanna in Mission Hall at the UCSF Mission Bay campus. Lin also co-leads the multi-phase Time Use Study.
UCSF Time Use Study Aims to Shed Light on Invisible Faculty Labor
Share Your Time, Gain Insight, and Shape Institutional Change
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and it’s shedding light on what many UCSF faculty already know: burnout is real—and not everyone is impacted equally.
At UCSF, a multi-phase Time Use Study is tackling this challenge by examining how faculty actually spend their time—and how institutional policies might better support their well-being.
“We’ve seen consistent disparities in salary and workload that reflect broader societal inequities,” said Jenny Liu, PhD, MPP, who chairs the Faculty Time Use Study Task Force and is the former chair of the Committee on Faculty Welfare.
Preliminary findings from Phase 1 suggest that women and faculty of color disproportionately perform uncompensated and undervalued work, such as mentoring, committee service, and emotional labor. Phase 2 of the study will begin soon, pending IRB approval. If you're interested in being involved in future phases of the study, please email [email protected].
What’s Really Taking Up Your Time?
“This is a time-and-motion study in the most literal sense,” said Liu. “We’re looking at how every hour and every minute is spent—particularly on invisible work that supports the University but often goes unrecognized, like mentoring, committee work, and informal advising.”
This simple act of documenting your calendar can be surprisingly eye-opening—and could be the first step toward systemic change. The study is low-burden and high-impact. Faculty participants will:
- Share their UCSF calendar for a one-month period
- Categorize activities into buckets like research, teaching, administration, mentoring, and service
- Provide optional reflections on how their time aligns with their goals
“This project is deeply personal for many of us,” said Tracy Lin, PhD, co-lead of the study and chair of the School of Nursing Faculty Council. “It’s not just about improving data—it’s about changing the conditions that lead to burnout. If we understand where time goes, we can start designing systems that support faculty, not deplete them.”
Taskforce Member and Senate Analyst Kristie Tappan, JD, MPH, added, “This isn’t just data collection—it’s a chance for faculty to understand and reflect on how they actually spend their time and how many ways they are supporting the University.”
Lin emphasized the long-term goal: “Our hope is that this will lead to fundamental policy change that focuses our investments, as a University, on the workforce who is generating public good and knowledge.”
From Individual Reflection to Structural Solutions
This project is part of a larger, three-pronged initiative:
- A systematic literature review on invisible faculty labor
- The current calendar study
- Upcoming ideation sessions with faculty and institutional leaders to develop policy solutions
“We’ll be pressure-testing potential policies—both quick wins and long-term fixes,” said Tappan.
It Counts—In More Ways Than One
“Members of this task force have a unique opportunity to participate in service and research at the same time,” said Senate Analyst Liz Greenwood, PhD, who leads the Senate’s support of the task force. “This kind of Senate service can support your CV, contribute to publications, and demonstrate a commitment to shared governance.”
Interested in helping or want to learn more? Contact Liz Greenwood at [email protected].