Posts

Showing posts from April, 2014

Philanthropy as Healing Experience


A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending a meeting of the chairs of all the philanthropy/foundation boards across MedStar Health. These are the volunteer leaders working on behalf of each hospital and entity to build a culture of philanthropy.  I was impressed by their dedication and commitment to make a difference for our patients and community through philanthropic gifts.

As one of the few physicians at the meeting, I was asked to share my perspective.  Bruce Bartoo, SVP and Chief Philanthropy Officer for MedStar subsequently wrote about it in his newsletter:  


Neil Weissman, president of the MedStar Health Research Institute, shared with the committee how his perspective on grateful patient philanthropy changed after having attended a philanthropy clinician education session.  Dr. Weissman summarized his own transformation in perspective by stating that, like so many other clinicians, he used to believe philanthropy was about asking a patient or family member for a gift.  Instead, he now recognizes that grateful patient philanthropy is about offering a gift to patients and families: the gift of an opportunity to express gratitude and find healing through a philanthropic investment.  
 
I will admit that it was a shift in thinking for me — to understand how philanthropy can be part of the healing process for patients and their family.  I encourage you to watch some of these very short videos (each are only a minute long and worth viewing in the order below):


 1.  Dr. Yochelson at MedStar National Rehab tells how a family looked to make a difference and bring closure when they lost their son: http://youtu.be/xxIhbhVNG0o


2.  A grateful family share their motivation to give: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo_uhyN0oOo

3.  Dr. Eldadah from MedStar WHC talks about how philanthropy is part of the healing process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic8_0GbYF_4

4.  And last but not least, yours truly discusses the connection between philanthropy and research: http://youtu.be/TTz4ya-z4W4

If you know of a philanthropic opportunity, please contact any philanthropy officer at the MedStar hospital you are working at or contact Katie.N.Carlin@medstar.net at MHRI.

We love to hear from you!

Something we take great pride in at MHRI is our commitment to take employee feedback and apply it to our practices. Recently, at our New Hire Breakfast, we received feedback that we should include photos with our new hire announcements to encourage seasoned employees to reach out and introduce themselves to new hires. Well, if you noticed the most recent issue of HR News that came out last week, you'll see we've done just that!

I encourage all of you to take a closer look at these monthly announcements so you can keep up with the latest happenings at MHRI.

Below I've highlighted other sections of HR News as well as brief overview:
  • Announcements- Latest news at MHRI! We use the front pages of HR News to welcome New Hires, to recognize associate accomplishments (SPIRIT, graduations, etc), and to congratulate our colleagues on significant life milestones (marriage, babies, birthdays, etc)
  •  Kudos Corner- A place where you can recognize your fellow colleagues for their hard work and enter a drawing for movie theater passes!
  • Benefits Corner- An area to highlight the different benefits that are available to MHRI employees.  We want to remind associates of the comprehensive Total Rewards package offered by MedStar Health all year round.
  •  Department Spotlight- A place to educate MHRI team members on each departments' role in advancing health through research.
  •  Career Spotlight: A chance to learn more about your colleagues and hear about their background and career progression at MedStar Health & MHRI.
  •  Current Job Openings- At MHRI we always like to promote from within. We also love referrals! Check here for MHRI job openings for yourself or to pass along to a friend or family member! 
A big 'THANK YOU' to Myisha from Human Resources for doing such a great job putting together HR News each month!

US Lacrosse-MedStar Health Webcast "ACL and Head Inuries"

Its springtime and that means our minds move towards the outdoors and sports!

If someone were to ask what are some of the "hot" topics in the sports medicine world today, at the top of the list would certainly be head injuries and ACL knee injuries.

The US Lacrosse Sports Science and Safety Committee, in partnership with MedStar Sports Medicine, will present two 30 minute informational sessions on Wednesday evening, May 21 featuring a panel of medical experts to discuss both head injuries and ACL knee injuries. Included panelists are MedStar Health Research Institute's own Dr. Andrew Lincoln, ScD with MedStar collaborators  Dr. Andrew Tucker, MD;  Dr. Milford H. Marchant Jr. MD; and Justin Cooper, PT, MPT, alongside a team of highly-esteemed experts from US Lacrosse. The webcast will be moderated by Dr. Richard Y. Hinton, MD, MPH. 

The sessions will be presented via live webinar, starting at 7pm, and will also be recorded for later review following the original presentation. 

Session 1: ACL Injuries: Treatment and Prevention
Wednesday, May 21 at 7:00-7:30 p.m.

Session 2: The Facts On Head Injuries in Lacrosse
Wednesday, May 21 at 7:30-8:00 p.m.

You can find more information on the webcasts here:

Face2Face™ gives hope to patients with Bell's palsy

Guest Blogger: Stephen Kinsey, MBA is the Director of MedStar Inventor Services at the MedStar Institute for Innovation.

As Director of MedStar Inventor Services, I meet many creative people who are passionate about their inventions. Jodi and Gincy are two of the most passionate, enthusiastic and fun inventors I work with.


Jodi Barth, PT and Gincy Stezar, PTA care for patients suffering from idiopathic facial palsy. The condition, also known as Bell’s palsy, paralyzes half of the patient’s face virtually overnight; but patients who exercise their facial muscles recover more quickly. Jodi and Gincy noticed that their patients were emotionally distressed while practicing facial exercises with a mirror. The psychological impact of seeing a newly asymmetric face leads patients to avoid looking in mirrors and, as a result, avoiding exercise. To address the emotional impact of exercising with a mirror, Jodi and Gincy invented a book with mirrors on both inside covers called Mirror Book which allows patients to focus on the goal of a symmetric face. The patient positions the book such that the healthy side of the face is reflected in one mirror while the other mirror is aligned with the nose along the sagittal plane. The Mirror Book creates the illusion of a symmetric, “normal” face by reflecting the unaffected side onto the sagittal mirror. Using this technique, patients become enthusiastic and hopeful as they perform their exercises.

Knowing that this product needed to reach more patients, Jodi and Gincy contacted MedStar Inventor Services. In evaluating the commercial potential for the product, the MedStar Institute for Innovation team decided to commercialize not only the Mirror Book, but also develop additional technologies based on this concept that will track the patient’s progress and allow virtual off line interaction with Jodi and Gincy through instructional videos.

See www.mirrorbooktherapy.com for more details.

To learn more about MedStar Inventor Services, please go to mi2.org/inventor-services.

Jokes for Nerds


For the science nerd in each of us ...... 

Popular Science magazine asked its Twitter followers for the best 140-character science jokes. Chemistry and physics jokes were more popular (and funnier):

Chemistry—"I was going to tell a joke about sodium, but Na."


Physics—"A photon checks into a hotel. The clerk asks if he needs help with luggage. The photon replies, 'I don't have any, I'm traveling light.'"


Biology—"Use chromosomes in advertisements—because, you know, sex cells." 



See more at this link to Popular Science website


Stress Happens!

Guest Blogger: Myisha Henry, Human Resources Generalist MedStar Health Research Institute

Whether we like or not …stress is inevitable! Stress happens in all areas of life— it is how we manage it that makes a difference. In recognition of Stress Awareness month, I want to share a recent personal story of how stress happened to me.

Last month I had the honor of helping to plan a wedding.   The goal of this joyous occasion was not just to have the marriage certificate signed, but the couple wanted the ceremony to be an embodiment of their values; and as the planner I was committed to delivering!

In planning the infinite amount of molecular details that would lead to the spirit-filled harmonious experience, I became overwhelmed and stressed.  During those stressful moments, I paused,  took a deep breath and whispered to myself “I am free from tension, stress and strain”.   You may ask yourself, why? How does that help? Well, I have researched different tactics for managing stress and through practice I know that a brief moment of  silence and positive affirmations are tactics that work best for me!

It is important to educate ourselves about the mental and physical impacts of such distress.  Stress is very powerful in that it not only causes mental distress but your physical health can suffer, so remember to take time for yourself.  As members of the MedStar Health community it is especially important to us to practice what we preach. This month I acknowledge, I must take time for me when necessary because stress happens!

What are you going to do to  ensure your are empowered with the tools necessary to effectively manage stress?  I encourage you to join me in participating in the below upcoming webinars.


Stress ManagementPresented by: Denia Kramer, BHS Program Manager
Date/Time: Thursday, April 10th @ 2:00pm EST
Duration: 30 minutes
Tune in for a 30-minute interactive webinar that will teach you how to prevent unhealthy stress, and find lasting solutions for enhancing your lifestyle
Click here to register.

A Mindfulness MinutePresented by: April Crowell-Thurfield, BHS Business Development Manager
Date/Time: Friday, April 25th @ 12:00pm EST
Duration: 30 minutes
Feel the stress melt away while you relax and focus on your breathing during a 10-minute chair yoga and guided meditation sequence - Enjoy a bonus Q&A session to follow!