Department leadership retreat and wellness initiatives
Last week, we held a department leadership retreat centered on the theme of “One Medicine, One Department.” Together, we discussed our shared vision and strategic priorities for the future of the Department of Medicine.
These goals include aligning measurable incentives with performance, creating consistent financial models and improving financial sustainability, and reducing unnecessary complexity and inconsistent faculty and staff experiences. Our priorities are aimed to ensure that we are well-positioned to support and advance our tripartite mission of clinical care, research, and education.
While we recognize that change is both necessary in the current environment and difficult at times, we reaffirmed several core commitments that will remain constant: continued support for our education and research missions, respect for divisional autonomy, and dedication to excellence in service.
In addition, we outlined a framework designed to support sustainable academic and clinical careers. This work is grounded in a commitment to clinician well-being, autonomy, and support, while strengthening our academic mission and advancing high standards of clinical care delivery.
I appreciated the thoughtful engagement and discussions around these goals, and I am always impressed with our leadership and the innovative ways they have found to make things work despite the challenges and financial constraints over the last several years. I feel confident that, together, we can steer this ship in the right direction. I am excited for the opportunities that I see on the horizon.
Well-being initiatives
A significant focus of the retreat was well-being, particularly during a time of ongoing change and uncertainty. In support of this work, I am pleased to announce that Dr. Cynthia Ko’s role has been expanded to Associate Chair for Faculty Affairs and Well-Being.
In this newly expanded role, she will represent the department in departmental, school, campus, and system-wide discussions on well-being and inclusive climate. She will partner with department leaders and staff, as well as the UW Medicine Chief Well-Being Officer, to advance shared initiatives across the department and School of Medicine.
She will also lead departmental planning and initiatives to support well-being, increase awareness of internal and external well-being resources and programming, and build a network of division-specific champions to create support and energy for this work. Stay tuned for more in the Department of Medicine wellness space!
P.S. Since it looks like I'm very likely to lose my fantasy football match this week in the UW Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine "Low Sats, High Stakes" 16-team league (pending Monday night football), I want to document this moment in time where things are as they should be. 🙂