Lessons Learned

Long Beach, CA

I arrived home on Friday night, three hours before I left China, thanks to the 15-hour difference in time zones and crossing back over the International Date Line. Yesterday (Saturday) was the end of the swimming events, and Michael Phelps accomplished the unprecedented 8 gold medals he had set his sights on. What a feat! I weighed myself yesterday and I lost 3 kg; maybe I should get a medal, too!

In addition to the fun I had and the friends I made, this experience has been very valuable to my expertise in doping control. I saw several areas where I can offer suggestions to improve the DC process in the future, and I will send my suggestions to the appropriate authorities. As a pharmacist with expertise in doping control, I was able to offer unique skills and perspective. For example, a team physician from a European country did not want his athlete to disclose the use of oral contraceptives when I was taking a medication history. He told me that oral contraceptives were not medications because they didn’t treat anything. (I realize that ALL pharmacists who read this will raise their eyebrows.). I explained to both him and the athlete, that not only were OCs indeed medications, but some had the potential to complicate the drug test (parent drug and/or metabolites), and that it would be best to disclose. I wasn’t able to convince him that OCs were medications, and I didn’t have the time to debate him, but I did convince him that the athlete should disclose their use. Another example was when an athlete asked a DCO why it was necessary to measure specific gravity of the specimens. A very good question. Everyone in the room looked over at me, so I walked over to the athlete and explained how the urine specimen must be at least a certain concentration because the laboratory cannot detect substances if they are too diluted. Simple chemistry. The athlete told me that it made good sense.

Learning about Chinese culture, and learning the hearts and minds of my Chinese friends was an incredible experience. I have many feelings about life in China, but it is beyond the scope of this blog. But, what I would like to share is that the people are very respectful, they work hard, they have a lot of pride, and they are so loving and caring. They are more Westernized that I expected.

I must thank the UCSF School of Pharmacy, particularly Joe Guglielmo (Department Chair) and Mary Anne Koda-Kimble (Dean) for their support of my Olympic work, and to fellow faculty member, Robin Corelli, for covering my responsibilities while I was away.

Thanks to those of you who sent emails and posted comments to my blog. I was happy to share this experience with you.

Peter.

Phelps Wins Another Gold, and I Say Goodbye

Yesterday, August 14, 2008, was my last day of work. Michael Phelps won his 6th gold medal. Wow! When I checked in at the NAC in the morning, by scanning my credentials, the person manning the computer called out something in Chinese. Was there a problem? The manager of the area walked up to me and pulled me aside. He said that he understood that this was to be my last day at the Water Cube and in China, and he had a gift for me--five wrist bands of the five colors of the Olympic rings. How nice! But, how did he know it was my last day? He laughed and told me that my partner, Li (Linda), came in early to tell him. They continue to amaze me with their hospitality.

There was no diving scheduled for the afternoon, so we had a break between the morning and evening swimming events. Many of the DCOs and chaperones wanted to take photos with me, and they gave me pins, cards, and other gifts. Chen, the young man who showed me around my first day at the NAC, made a calligraphy for me with my name and “Beijing 2008” in Chinese. It is something I will frame. And, the manager of the DC station took all the DCOs to lunch at a Chinese restaurant to thank me for working with them.

DCO's at lunch-Last Day

Gang (pronounced “Gong”) is one of the DCOs with whom I work at the Water Cube. Two nights ago, we were working quite late and still had to finish completing the chain-of-custody forms to send along with the specimens that would be taken by armed guard to the anti-doping lab. At about 2330, Gang offered to stay and finish the forms by himself so that the rest of us could go home since we had to be back at 0800. He told me that Doping Control set up an apartment near the NAC for such occasions and he would go to this apartment rather than take the long ride to his home. I should add that we were all instructed to take taxis home when leaving so late, and now the fare was paid by BOCOG. The next morning, I asked Gang how the apartment was. He told me that there was a large room about 200 square meters and it had five single beds in it. And, not only did he not bring a change of clothes, the air conditioning did not work and there was no shower. I told Gang that I was very grateful that he was not my DCO partner!! Pugh! We had a good laugh. Anyway, after lunch yesterday, five of us played a card game called “pig” which Gang had taught me. It is a game where you can get positive or negative points, and Gang lost both of the games we played--and I was the one who kept passing him the pig (the Queen of Spades). It was pretty funny!

We finished the day at 2200 yesterday, and it was difficult to say goodbye to my new friends. I told the FINA representative that I had a proposal for a new swimming event--coed relays. He smiled, but I could not tell if he liked the idea or not. If it comes to pass, remember you heard it here first.

My two DCO partners, Li (Linda) and Feng (Kitty), picked me up at my apartment at 5:00 p.m. today and drove me to the airport. I was planning to take a taxi, but they insisted on taking me for one last goodbye. We grew close to each other during my 25 days in China, and we hugged a long time before I finally left them behind as I walked through the security check. I will never forget their hospitality, generosity, and friendship.

Busy Days

The Games are in full force and the atmosphere is full of energy. We have conducted a large number of drug tests. Still, there is time to go poolside to watch the events, and we also have a direct feed on a television in the doping control station. More than 30 world or Olympic records have been broken already, and we also test them to validate the results. All medal winners are tested, as well as some at random. It is very hard to describe how emotional some of the medal ceremonies are. Those are conducted at the pool also.

Because of the work schedule, there is really no time for sightseeing anymore, but I was able to see a fair amount already. There is a parade twice a day at the Olympic Green (a large Park around the National Aquatics Center, the National Stadium, the National Indoor Stadium, and other venues) in the morning and the afternoon, which I saw two days ago. Tonight, I am having dinner with my two doping control officer partners, Feng (Kitty) and Li (Linda).

Olympic Green Parade

I haven't heard much about doping cases, but did hear about one cyclist who tested positive during pre-competition testing and was expelled.

Must go. They need the computer here at the NAC.

American Tourist Killed

I'm sending this again from the doping control venue manager's computer. We have been quite busy with many drug tests. In addition to the usual testing plan, we test whenever an athlete breaks an Olympic or world record. During the past two days, many of the records have been bested. Earlier today, I watched an amazing race of the men's 4X100 freestyle relay. What a comeback for the USA to win the gold medal. I think the team broke the world record, which it set the night before in the preliminaries, by a good 4 seconds! Of course, my Chinese partners root for the Chinese athletes, but they cheer and applaud all winners and especially those who break records. I keep meeting a very delightful athlete from another country who has been quite successful and even set some new records. Every time she is tested, she says it is a pleasure (because of the circumstances).

As I mentioned in a previous note, we are working long hours, and it is exhausting. We are now alternating days of 0800-1700 with 0800-2400. Not a good thing when you need to pay strict attention to detail and accuracy. Today, I am off at 1700, which means I did not get much sleep between yesterday and today.

There was an incident a couple of days ago in which an American tourist was stabbed to death by a Chinese man who then committed suicide by jumping off a building. I saw the headline on CNN International just as I was going to bed: "American Tourist Killed in Olympic Attack;" and that was all the information provided. I needed to call my family, so they wouldn't worry. The American was the father of a former Olympian and the father-in-law of the coach of US men's volleyball team. How tragic and senseless. I can only imagine the anguish the family must be feeling. It was big news here the next day with more details, and my Chinese friends (workers) are now concerned about me taking the bus and subway home late at night, and then walking a good 15 minutes from subway to apartment. I realize it was a random and senseless act, but last night they insisted that I take a taxi home, and one came with me since it was on her way home too (I think she saw my stubbornness and guessed I was still going to take the subway). I was dropped off and then we had a "fight" about who was paying the taxi fare. This is typical of the kindness with which they treat me.

Internet Goes Down, Security Increases, and Games Begin

I have lost my wireless Internet signal at my apartment. So, I am writing this with the hope that I can get Internet access at the NAC tomorrow. Tonight at 8:08 p.m. (consistent with the date of 8/8/08, as the number 8 is a lucky number in Chinese culture) is the Opening Ceremony, and we are meeting the International DCOs to have dinner and watch the show on a big screen TV. Security everywhere has picked up, even at the apartment complex.

This morning, I met with Mike again and saw his pharmacy operation. He is set up at Beijing Normal University, where many of the USOC workers are staying. They are also using the facilities there for athletes to train and practice. There is a pool, a gymnasium, and I even saw a boxing ring set up in one area. Mike was able to secure a one-day pass for me so that I could enter. As I walked out to go back home, a Chinese girl walked up to me and asked in English if Kobe Bryant was there because the team practices in the gymnasium. There were a number of people waiting around the entrance with cameras, hoping to catch shots of the famous athletes. No one seemed interested in taking my photo, though.

Beijing Pride

Today, I started at the NAC at 0830 for pre-competition testing. At 0930, the Doping Control Manager of the venue gave me a ticket to the "Theme Exhibition on Beijing Olympic Games," and was told that I wouldn't be needed until this afternoon. Several of the college students who serve as DC escorts (They notify the athletes of their selection for doping control and escort them to the DC station.) were also given tickets and were told to take me with them. So, off we went: a bus ride and two subway trains to the south of Beijing. The exhibit was very large and consisted of the history of the Olympic Games for China, and how they were first allowed to participate in the Games 100 years ago, and how they aspired to host the games for so many years, before finally getting the selection for 2008. The Chinese people are so very proud to be hosting the games, and the city is so beautifully decorated with so many banners, lanterns and signs. The landscaping is so colorful. It is not uncommon for people to offer their seats to me on a bus or subway; often it is a young woman, and it is against my nature to take the seat, but they will absolutely insist and I realized that it would be an insult if I did not oblige. Most of the young people can speak English, and they often will engage me in conversation when they see me on the bus or subway in my uniform.

We returned to the NAC in the afternoon and were informed that a number of athletes would be selected for testing in the evening during their workouts. In between, we watch the athletes practice - swimming, diving and synchronized swimming. It should be noted that those athletes that have not checked into the Olympic Village yet are still subject to testing. Their whereabouts must be known, and I am aware that WADA has tested athletes in other cities and countries (e.g., Singapore) where athletes have located to acclimate to the time zone and train, rather than to come to Beijing so early. And, we all know the "Dream Team" stays in a luxurious hotel. It will be no refuge for doping control. Sure enough, we had a busy evening collecting blood and urine samples late into the night. The athletes are pleasant and excited. As one athlete walked out of the doping control station, he told me that he hopes to see me again - (meaning that he wins a medal, since all medal winners are tested).

Meeting Mike, A Sports Pharmacist

Due to the increase in pre-competition testing, my work schedule was changed and I lost a day off. That was fine with me, as I want to do as much work as I can while I am here. The people I work with are so enjoyable, the athletes are friendly, and the atmosphere so exciting. After putting in a day's work, I met with Mike who is a pharmacist in the Los Angeles area who works for SportPharm, which services the USOC, as well as many professional and collegiate sports teams. He and his partner are the pharmacists for the US Olympic Team. How is that for an innovative pharmacy practice?! SportPharm is one of the places I take my sports pharmacy APPE students to, so they can learn about the dispensing and therapeutics side of sports pharmacy (My focus and expertise is on performance-enhancing drugs, drug testing and doping control.) Mike and I had a nice dinner together (Chinese food!), and we shared our experiences in Beijing. I will visit him again and see his setup with all the medications that he brought from the US. One of his important roles is to make certain that athletes are not prescribed medications that are on the IOC's banned substance list. Having a pharmacist in the loop would have prevented the prescribing error that occurred in Sydney, where the Romanian gymnast was stripped of her gold medal for a positive drug test after taking a tablet for cold symptoms from her physician that contained a banned stimulant (decongestant). It was an innocent prescribing error, but a costly one, and one that could have been prevented - not so different than other prescribing errors.

Kungpao Dragon Fly

The athletes have been arriving in Beijing and moving into the Olympic Village. Activity at the NAC has picked up as athletes begin to practice and train. Pre-Games testing has begun at the venues and at the Olympic Village. I will not disclose the names of those tested. If there are any positive tests, I am certain it will be all over the media.

At the end of the work day, we went to the Olympic Park and walked through the Park. Only workers with credentials can get into the Olympic Park at this point, but soon it will be opened to the public and will be filled with people from all over the world. Many will have face paint, carry flags, and yell cheers for their teams as the Games commence.

Had another good laugh today. I was asked if I was hungry and wanted a snake to eat. A snake?! So, I moved my arm in a sidewinding motion and asked if they were going to eat a snake. Ooops, she meant “snack.” I also learned that “chicken” sounds very similar to the Chinese word for Dragon Fly. That might explain the strange looks I have received from servers in restaurants when I point to the menu and ask if an item is chicken. Is it possible that I have had Kungpao Dragon Fly and didn’t know it? Well, it all tastes like chicken, anyway, so who knows.

The Beijing Subway

I took a taxi to the hotel where the Norwegian DCOs were staying, because one of them was to work at the Aquatics Center, but she had not been there. So, I picked her up and I showed her the security gate to enter, and how to check in and get our lunch passes. The morning began with another meeting in Chinese, with my DCO partner interpreting for me. Then we did some more training, and were waiting to hear if we were to do some pre-Games testing. Today is the first day the athletes can move into the Olympic Village, so I was not surprised when we finally got word that no actual testing was to take place today. We had another DCO meeting (in English) at the NAC and discussed how to deal with different scenarios of the doping control process (e.g., if an athlete declares medication use after (s)he has already told us “none” and we completed the form as “none”. The forms are “forensic” and we cannot just simply cross out and correct information.

While I was meandering around the facility, I happened to come across a military installation with soldiers guarding. They were camouflaged, but very visible – radar stations and missiles. I had been told that the air space around the National Stadium (Birds Nest) and the NAC (the Water Cube) was protected, and I saw this for myself. Not surprised at all, but it stuns a bit to actually see it.

I was also given my schedule, and found out that I have a few days off between now and the beginning of the Games (Aug 9), as we do pre-Games testing of athletes at the NAC, and then I will work every day during the Games while I am here. Also, during the Games, I will alternate days of working 0800-1700 and 0800-2400!! That is quite a work schedule during the Games, but I came here to work and participate, and I don’t mind. Plus, we watch the events, and have the best seats in the house – poolside, in my case. My experience from prior Olympic Games is that we will also not get out at 2400 because some athletes cannot produce a urine sample right away and must sit and drink. When I did Athletics in Sydney, it was not uncommon for me to get out at 0200 from Athletics, and once (in Atlanta in 1996) I had to accompany a German athlete back to his room in the Olympic Village until he could produce a sample. He didn’t mind then, and I enjoyed spending the time with him because he had just won a gold medal in Kayaking and was obviously happy and received a lot of attention back at the village. The schedule is exhausting though.

I told my Chinese DCO partner that I wanted to learn to take the subway from my apartment to the NAC because it takes longer with a taxi in traffic, and the subway and buses are free if we show our Olympic credentials. So she offered to show me. She took me to the bus line outside the NAC and showed me what bus to take, and she went with me. As we exited the NAC, a family stopped and asked (motioned) if they could take a photo of me with their young daughter. They must have mistaken me for Michael Phelps, I think!! Feng took me to the subway and she got on the train with me and showed me where to get off, etc. After several stops, she was to transfer to the train to take her home, but she asked if I wanted her to take me all the way. How nice!!! But, I was comfortable in finding my way at that point. I feel a lot more comfortable as I have learned my way around and don’t feel lost any more. I realize, though, that Beijing is an enormous city, with over 20 million people and a large territory. Since I have tomorrow off, I plan to catch up on sleep and work, and do some laundry. I will likely venture out to get more groceries.

Burritos Beijing Style

I met up with fellow DCOs from Norway and UK and we ventured to the Forbidden City. It was a hot day, but there was a bit of a breeze. It was amazing to see how the Emperors, Empresses, concubines, etc., lived in this compound. We then met up with Michele and other DCOs from Greece and Australia, and Michele took us to a big clothes shopping area – where the ladies wanted to go. We then went to a pub (the Rickshaw Bar) and had Burritos (close, but not quite the same!), while watching rugby on an Australian channel. After the game, music came on for the night life, and I was astonished and amused to hear Canned Heat (On the Road Again) and Curtis Mayfield (Pusher Man).

Meeting My Fellow DCOs

Got up early and took a taxi to the NAC. Traffic was a zoo (even though cars are now limited to odd/even based on license plate), but I left early enough. I ran into the NAC DC Manager who I met on Wednesday, and he showed me how to check in when I entered the facility and get my lunch pass. We began the morning with a two-hour meeting – in Chinese. The DCO with whom I will be paired Feng) sat next to me in the back of the room and would translate when something important was said. The DC Manager of the Aquatics Center asked me to get in front of the group and introduce myself and my background. The DCOs are young doctors and the chaperones (the ones who notify the athletes that they have been selected for drug testing and escort them to the station to the DCOs) are medical students and other college students, and their English is very good. Several came up to me afterwards to ask me questions about pharmacy and UCSF. Then we had a meeting just for the 12 DCOs at the NAC, and the head of the meeting stated that they agreed to hold the meeting in English out of respect for me.

Next we had lunch – McDonalds again! – but a number of the female DCOs brought food from home and they all wanted me to try theirs. I was trying to be careful about what I ate, as I was warned that if I can’t peal it or cook it, then don’t eat it. Many of them brought fresh vegetables that they wanted me to try, so I would try small bites.

After that, I began training with the new collection kits and forms. Some of the athletes will be tested additionally for EPO, which requires both a urine and blood sample. I was amazed that they are still using a paper system, with is prone to people making many mistakes in transcription, reading handwriting and so forth. They were very surprised when I told them that we have a paperless system with a handheld computer and scanner when we do NCAA drug testing – just scan ID cards and bar codes and the names and ID numbers, etc. are automatically entered in to the computer. Hmmm. You would think the Olympic system would be the most advanced system.

I had to leave at 1:30 to go to the DC Command center for a meeting, but I had no idea what the meeting was all about. I had to get a special pass to get in, and when I got upstairs, the room had a big table with people sitting around it with name cards, and a larger group sitting in the back of the room. I took a seat in the back of the room and someone came up to me and told me that I had a place at the table, and sure enough, there was a name card for me. It turned out the meeting was for all the international DCOs and was run by the head of the Anti-doping program. I recalled that his name and email address was the one given to me by my colleague at the Anti-doping Research Lab in Los Angeles when I first told her that I was looking for a contact. She got me right to the top. There were about 8-10 International DCOs who were representing their country’s anti-doping organizations (and were being paid to attend) and only 6 international DCOs recruited by BOCOG; me being one of the six. Also, I was definitely the only American DCO; no one was there from USADA. I met several people I had met at the Sydney Games. The International DCOs were from Canada, Norway, UK, Australia, and Greece that I recall. A very friendly group. We were told that there will be 4500 tests conducted and 633 that include EPO. There are a total of 197 DCOs. A fair amount of the meeting was to discuss policies and procedures, and I finally met Xuan, the International Doping Control Coordinator, who had been my Beijing contact while I was home.

I happened to see the Anti-doping Laboratory, but it was heavily guarded by soldiers with weapons and fenced off, and my credentials did not allow me access. I am sensitive to the high security, so I asked a soldier if I could take a picture (“asking” meant bowing and showing him my DC credentials and camera and pointing to the building). He nodded “yes” after thinking about it and pointed to where he wanted me to stand inside the fence.

After the meeting, a group of us went to an area of Beijing called Houhai (“Oh Hi”) and it was quite crowded, but had a lake where people were swimming, paddle boating and fishing, and had many shops and restaurants all around. The lights and lanterns were very colorful. We went to a Vietnamese restaurant and the food and company were great. I found out that I had tomorrow (Saturday) off because they were evacuating the NAC to sweep for explosives. So, I have tomorrow off and I found out that two others did too, so I asked if they wanted to do something tomorrow. So, we are tentatively planning to go to the Forbidden City. Been a long day.

Walking the Great Wall

Robin called at 0445. Thanks, Robin! With my free day, I took a taxi to the China Cultural Center for a tour to the Great Wall. I printed out a page from the CCC website to give to the taxi driver. The page said, "please take me here ...." in English and Chinese. The bus ride to the Great Wall was 1.5 hours. I decided to take the Tram up to the top rather than walk for a variety of reasons, including the fact that it was so hot, and I know I need to be careful of my back. At the top, I walked a good distance until I reached a place to walk down (you can walk, tram, or bobsled down) and since I had 90 minutes before the bus departed, I decided to walk back up to the tram and take it down. MISTAKE! It was all up hill, and a rather hard climb. I was exhausted and the steps were sometimes very high, and it was so hot and smoggy, but I didn't have trouble other than my legs were very tired and I was drenched, just like all the others who walked. After the Great Wall visit, the tour included lunch at the Great Wall Hotel. We had trout, Kungpao Chicken, several green bean dishes, and a bunch more. Couldn't eat it all. Then we departed for another 90-minute ride to the tomb of the Emperors of the Ming dynasty. A lot more walking and a lot more steps. Whew!! At the Great Wall and at the Tomb, they have booths of people selling shirts and souvenirs, and they are annoying and very aggressive.

Labor is obviously a great resource in China, and there are so many people whose jobs seems to be sitting and observing – not at Olympic venues, but everywhere, even at the apartment. Then there are security guards, people washing the walls and floors, standing at doors to open them for you, and all the landscaping seems to be hand watered with a hose and huge lawns are also watered with a hose and mowed by a push mower. I even saw several people hosing down the leaves of a huge tree. I’m sure labor is cheap, and it keeps the masses employed. People seem content and I understand that crime is low.

Getting My Credentials and Uniform and Meeting Feng

Had a diet coke for breakfast (as my coffee). The remote controls for the air conditioners, television, and the control panel for the washing machine are in Chinese. For those of my fellow UCSF faculty members who have been to Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science to teach, you will appreciate what that means. For those who have not been, it means we can’t figure out what button does what.

Michele got CNN International on TV, which is the only English channel we can get. I exclaimed, “Good on you!” I haven’t heard or said that phrase since I left Sydney, 8 years ago, and have no idea how that came out of me, but obviously the Aussie influence of Michele has already been drawn out of me. We have also picked up a wireless signal from somewhere, which makes this blog possible. I hope it continues to be available.

We took a taxi to go to the police station to register. Foreigners who do not stay in a hotel must register with the local police within 24 hours. It was a challenge to communicate with the taxi driver as to where we wanted to go, even though we had someone at the apartment building write it down in Chinese.

We also went to the Doping Control Command Center, where we were told to get our credentials. We could not enter without credentials, so we had to phone when we arrived, and someone came out to meet us. Michele was given her credentials, but they told me I needed to go to the National Aquatics Center (NAC) to get my credentials and my uniform. We had the people there write on the back of my business card the address and directions to the DC Command Center and to the Aquatics Center so I could give it to the taxi drivers to show them where to go. We took another taxi to the NAC, but Michele couldn’t go in with me because her credentials did not allow access to the NAC, and I sent her home rather than have her wait for me. She made sure I was comfortable with that. Immediately after I got out of the taxi, a young man and women walked up and asked me if I was Peter Ambrose. Hooray! They gave me my credentials to get in, and they took me to the Doping Control station. There were quite a few young people in the DC station. They have been training since July 5, every day without a day off. Most were going to be chaperones (about 20 of them) and 12 of us were to be Doping Control Officers. I was then given my uniform – three shirts, two pairs of pants, a hat, side pack, socks, shoes, jacket, and water bottle. I was then told to report to the NAC on Friday morning and was told that I also had some sort of meeting at the Doping Control Command Center on Friday afternoon. I met Feng (“Fung”) who told me she will be my partner in the DC station at the NAC. I was given a bag of McDonalds for lunch – a chicken sandwich and nuggets and a bottle of water. Afterwards, a young man (Chen) asked me if he could show me around. How nice. So, he showed me all around the Aquatics Center. At the end of the day, I asked him to show me where to get a taxi, and he walked a long distance with me to where taxis were allowed because access to the NAC was limited. I was very impressed and appreciative of what he did. He will be a chaperone and the check-in officer. He told me that he graduated from a university in Beijing in International Relations and he wants to go to graduate school at UC Berkeley. I gave the taxi the note with the address that Michele gave me, and it worked like a dream.

Tried on my uniform at home, and the pants are about 4 inches too long, so I will get them hemmed somewhere. They zip off at the knees to make shorts, so I will wear them as shorts until I get them tailored. The shirts fit fine, and the shoes seem a bit tight, but will do. I didn’t bother trying on the hat, the jacket, the hip pack, the socks or the water bottle.

Beijing at Last

Arrived in Beijing at 0440, almost an hour early. Getting the luggage and going through Customs was easy. There were Olympic visitor/info booths throughout the airport, and the young people spoke English. I walked around the new terminal and finally sat at the Starbucks, which is where Michele told me to meet her. Michele is an Australian DCO who lives and works in Beijing, and I am renting a room from her. She so graciously offered to greet me. I told her I would probably be ready at 7 a.m. because I didn’t know how long it would take to get through Customs and I didn’t want her getting up earlier than she needed to, just to wait for me. But, she showed up at 0630. I saw her looking at me as she walked towards me, and we said each other’s name at just about the same time. We took a taxi to the apartment, and after we got settled, we went to the grocery store to stock the apartment because she had been on “holiday” in Australia and only arrived back to Beijing the night before. She had moved to this apartment just prior to her leaving for holiday, over a month ago, and left shortly after.

Traffic is amazing; very aggressive – almost haphazard – and the right of way goes to the car, bike, or pedestrian that gets there first. Rather unbelievable to me, but I guess they don’t have lawyers in China!! The smog is phenomenal. WOW! Even buildings a half-mile away are hazy. As of Sunday, construction sites are closed and cars can only drive on odd/even days, based on their license plates.

Michelle speaks a bit of Chinese, so she seems to be able to get around sufficiently. She had someone write in Chinese characters the address of the apartment on a piece of paper for me, so I will keep that in my wallet to show to taxi drivers to get me home. I learned a few words in Mandarin from one of the Los Angeles/Orange County pharmacy students whose practice experience program I oversee (thanks Lily!), and that has been so helpful too.

I have had no sleep in about 48 hours.

Backgrounder on Doping Control in Sports

I am packing and finalizing plans to fly to Beijing to work as a Doping Control Officer (DCO), recruited by the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG). It is volunteer work; I do not get paid for this additional work, but it is a terrific experience and adds to my area of practice and expertise in sports pharmacy and doping control, thanks to the UCSF School of Pharmacy where I am a member of the clinical faculty. For those interested in exactly what a Doping Control Officer does, see: Ambrose PJ. Doping control in sports: a perspective from the 1996 Olympic games. Am J Health-Syst Pharm 1997;54:1053-7. It is very detailed work, and simple mistakes can have international consequences. Here is the abstract of the article:

Doping-control (DC) procedures, particularly as used at the 1996 Olympic Games, are described, and the role of pharmacists in DC is discussed. DC procedures must be strict and precisely followed to avoid contamination of samples, the appearance of bias, and breaches in security and confidentiality. The process of selecting athletes for testing can be random, nonrandom, or a combination of the two. Escorts are used to notify athletes of their selection, verify their identity, and accompany them to the DC station. When urine specimens are obtained for DC, the voiding process must be directly observed. The specimen is checked for pH and specific gravity and then processed for shipping to a laboratory to be analyzed for banned substances. Medication histories are also obtained, giving athletes the opportunity to declare any substance that has been taken for legitimate medical purposes. Laboratory analysis involves screening and confirmation phases. During the Atlanta Games, roughly 50 pharmacists participated in the DC program as escorts or technical officers. It is logical to involve pharmacists in DC programs because they can develop and conduct drug-testing protocols; educate athletes, coaches, and trainers about drug use and abuse; and help ensure the safe and effective use of medications. Sophisticated doping-control procedures have been developed for athletic competitions, and pharmacists have much to offer DC programs.