2022 | A Year in Review
As 2022 comes to a close, it will be another one for the history books. We started the year the same way it is ending, with a major Omicron surge and COVID infections managing to catch up with many of us who had previously managed to avoid it. As such, it has been a year of getting comfortable with a new normal. What a thrill it was to be back at conferences in person this year and—as of last Tuesday—with coffee and food (& masks) in the room! Old and new combining in real life has been so refreshing!
I continue to be in awe of everything you accomplish as individuals and collectively. We hit record numbers of organ transplants, brought in significant new extramural funding, celebrated presidencies and professorships, graduated incredibly talented trainees, and held an energizing junior faculty retreat. As we continue to adjust to our new hybrid work environment, I am so grateful for the amazing partnership between our faculty and our incredibly talented and dedicated staff. The downsides of 2022 with record inflation, interest rate hikes, capacity challenges, and a nursing strike have challenged us. Yet, I saw first-hand how so many of you reached out to support each other; we truly are a family. I hope you are as proud as I am to be part of Stanford Surgery!
For 2023, I hope our department continues our work toward a more inclusive, cohesive, supportive, creative, and collaborative community! In the meantime, take so incredibly well-deserved time for yourself and your loved ones to savor all that we have to be grateful for.
Warm regards,
Mary
JEDI Update
2022 Stanford Med Pride Parade
Latin American Food Fair
AAPI Food Fair
Advancing diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging are critically important goals for our Department and a first step in moving forward is understanding our community’s concerns. This year, a department-wide survey identified areas in which we excel, as well as those areas where challenges remain.
Dr. Hawn charged the JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Council to focus attention on strategies to promote a respectful workplace, to ensure diversity in our trainees and faculty, and to improve transparency regarding advancement and promotion. JEDI committee members include staff, trainees, and faculty from all Divisions who then prioritized efforts and advanced issues and recommendations to our Department leadership in support of a number of new initiatives:
- In collaboration with Terrance Mays and REACH, the Department is sponsoring our first cohort of HBMC visiting medical students, arriving summer 2023;
- Our first JEDI grant recipients Drs. Carlie Arbaugh and Micaela Esquivel have initiated work towards formalizing a health disparities track, and Lakshika Tennakoon has begun her pilot study on barriers and performance among academic surgeons;
- A reproductive wellness event, co-sponsored by Wellness and DEI led by Dr. Dung Nyugen in partnership with Dr. Brenda Bavan, provided an insider’s perspective on fertility options for medical trainees;
- JEDI leadership has submitted two external grants to gain support for under-represented minorities (URM), first-generation, low-income, and other historically disadvantaged groups to pursue their interests in Bioengineering and Biology, and two internal Stanford initiatives to support diversifying healthcare professions.
These are still early days. While much work remains to be done, it is worth reflecting on our progress and recognizing the shift, both in mindset and action, towards our collective DEI goals. The new year will be new opportunities for recognizing and acknowledging how we can individually and collectively create an environment of belonging in our Department.
-Dr. Jill Helms
Vice Chair of Diversity
Wellness Update
In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.
Over the past year the Surgery Department's kudos/ gratitude nominations have increased from 1-6 nominations per month. These are recognized in the monthly department newsletter, “The Scrub.”
I'm grateful to Rachel, Kathleen, Anita, and Catie for making this happen!
-Dr. Brooke Gurland
Director of Wellness