Recapping the Staff Forum

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us last Wednesday for the staff forum. I appreciate that it is not easy to find time in the day. If you were not able to be there, what I really want to tell you is that as a representative of the Medical School, I am profoundly grateful for the tremendous support of our staff. Nothing can exist without you.

In this time of change, what we need is a shared purpose, a collective understanding that we are able to internalize and use to give us motivation, to guide us in the decisions we make, and to bring us all together. I think our shared purpose is to make this Medical School—and through it this world—better than we found it. We do this through educating the next generation of exceptional practitioners, by researching new therapies, and by extending care to our community.

As a Medical School, we have the resources and the responsibility to focus our practice, research, and education programs toward improving the methods and delivery of healthcare. If we stay in the same place, if we do not change as populations and the health industry change, we are moving backward. In many places, the assumption is that standard of care is enough. However, standard of care is just the best level of care we can provide right now. We need to develop a better standard of care. We are driving the future of healthcare. 

When I talk to my patients, they tell me there are three ways we can improve healthcare. These ideas can also transfer to what we want in our Medical School.

  • Keep me safe. Everyone has the right to an equitable, safe, and productive workplace.
  • Keep it simple. The work here is already complex. Look for ways to streamline, simplify, and reduce workload.
  • Keep me healthy. We all want work that gives us purpose and a workplace that allows us to balance personal health (of all kinds) and our private lives.

We understand that it takes time to process, implement, and adapt to change. Please embrace it when you can and point out the problems when you can’t. Each of you has unique skills, a unique workload, and a unique perspective. Please continue to share your thoughts with me. I value and appreciate your feedback.