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Showing posts from November, 2018

MHRI Around The World...Who Wants To Win?

We work quite a bit at MHRI, and sometimes it's important to step back and have a little bit of fun.

The MHRI Associate Engagement Committee presents "MHRI Around the World"! I know most of you have created a rather extensive collection of MHRI gear - so, let's have some fun with it!  It doesn't require much to participate, just some humility and creativity. 

I was invited to kick-off the contest at the recent Town Halls. In case you missed it, here's my contribution.



So, how do you particiapte in the contest?

  1. Take a photo in your MHRI gear and submit your photo to research@medstar.net by Thursday, November 29th.
  2. There are four categories:  Furthest Location, Most Swag in One PhotoMost Associates in one Photo and Most Creative
  3. Photos will be shared and winners will be announced at the Year-End Celebrations. 
I know we've gottten a few submissions so far, so don't miss your chance to join in the fun.


Happy Thanksgiving!

What a year it's been!  Thank you all for advancing health through research at MedStar! We've been able to accomplish so many awesome things this year and we couldn't have done it without you!

I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with family, friends and all of the memories that make you grateful.  I'm thankful for all you do!


Celebrating Thinking Differently at the MI2 Forum

Guest Blogger:
Emily Paku
Program Coordinator
One of my biggest takeaways from the MI2 Forum, was during Steven Johnson’s session. Johnson, innovation expert and author of ‘Farsighted’, stressed the importance of mapping out alternate scenarios when making decisions and shifting from “whether or not” to “what if”. An example he shared was the High Line in Manhattan, NY. The High Line was a high traffic railroad where freight trains transported food. In the 1980s, use of the train dwindled leaving city council asking “whether or not” they’d demolish the structure. At the same time, a resident of the community rallied neighbors encouraging the city council to preserve the structure and asked “what if” they turned the structure into a park. Today, the High Line is one of NYC’s most popular park and has stimulated real estate development in adjacent neighborhoods increasing real-estate values near the park. The decision to turn the old structure into a park was made by community members with diverse background and experiences. Johnson further clarified the importance of diversifying your own interests and hobbies to which consequently diversifies your own approach to making decisions (e.g. a MedStar Investigator during the day, a rock star at night).
With the High Line success story in mind, I left the forum thinking differently and understanding the importance of diversifying my hobbies and making future-oriented decisions. Who knows, one day you may find me performing on stage with the Foo Fighters!

Eva Hochberger
Communications & Planning Manager
Each year that I attend the Mi2 forum, I find something to takeaway with me and apply to my regular work and life. This year, I had the pleasure of attending with other MHRI associates who had never experienced the event and their fresh eyes found different parts important.
For this year, I found a few things that really resonated with me:
  • Diversity trumps ability in teams, with those teams that include a wide variety of members out-performing and producing more than teams on one type. This is tied to thinking about teams as more than just those in the room: is your idea of team inclusive enough?
  • A well designed city park can have the same long-term impact as street grids.
  • Is the 3- to 5-year plan the right approach? Perhaps using a 6-month plan and a 15-year plan, like most of silicon valley, will get me closer to where I want to be.
  • It’s not always what question you ask: it’s what causes you to ask the question in the first place.



If you are interested in learning more, the entire event was live-streamed and the videos archived. The archives of the Forum live stream videos are available here.  And over the next few weeks, the official videos of the presentations will be posted on the same site: mi2.medstarhealth.org//forum

Seeing Innovation in Person: MedStar MindLab Events

Have you made a visit to the incredible MIND Lab at the corporate MedStar offices in Columbia? If not, I’d like to invite you to check it out soon!

Don’t miss the MIND Lab live stream presentation of Challenging Conventional Wisdom, the theme of this year’s MedStar Institute for Innovation (MI2) Innovation Forum on November 7, 2018. The live stream will begin at 7:30 a.m. ET with Brain Tai Chi and a light breakfast, followed by a very exciting program with speakers from both inside and outside MedStar until 3:30 p.m. ET

I encourage you to check out the #medstarmindlab on Twitter for photos and the latest excitement throughout the MedStar system! 

How Are We Using Our Time?

Below is my monthly message for the November 2018 edition of the MHRI newsletter, Focus. You can view Focus online at MedStarResearch.org/FOCUS.




Dear Friends and Colleagues,


Today is the 100th year that American’s set their clock back one hour for daylight saving time. Initiated by an act of Congress to save on energy costs, it has become a mindless (and somewhat annoying) ritual of fall. 
Yes, it’s nice to have a little sunshine each morning on your way to work but other than that, is it really worth it? Well, perhaps that depends…
on how you use that extra hour!

Time is a precious commodity. No one, no matter how rich nor how powerful, has the ability to buy more time in their life. And what’s more, we all know how quickly time flies by–for those who have been reading these monthly messages over the years will share my surprise that my son (who I often write about such as his little league experiences or first days of school) turns 17 this month and already drives himself to school each day. How often have you said ‘where has the time gone!’

This morning when we woke up, we have gained an hour to our day. What are you going to do with that priceless gift of time? Perhaps use it to focus on your health and get some much needed sleep or some extra time at the gym? Maybe read something new and acquire the gift of knowledge. Perhaps use the time to give to others? Which loved one would relish for an extra hour of your time? If nothing else, recognize you gained an hour today and use it with purpose…even if you need to ‘bank it’ for later in the week.

The month of November brings us closer to the holiday season when we spend time with family and friends, take vacations, travel to new places, or give back to the community through donations or volunteerism. It is all about using your time with purpose.


I write this column while attending the annual AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) meeting with our Georgetown partners. The meeting opened with the inspiration of making a difference with the Dallas Street Choir (who brings homeless to stages around the world through song). Throughout the meeting, I heard about academic advances and am so proud to see how we are at the forefront with our activities at MedStar-Georgetown, from physician wellness to creating an academic health system that truly brings together the best of academics and real-world medicine. At MedStar, we are using our time wisely and we are making a difference.

Daylight saving time: it may be 100 years old today but it can be brand new for each of us by using the hour with new purpose. Enjoy the fall colors and upcoming holiday season.

Thank you!
Neil


Read Focus at MedStarResearch.org/FOCUS.