Diana Chiang Cooke (Associate University Ombud, UW School of Medicine) introduces herself and provides an overview of what the Office of the Ombud offers to faculty, staff, trainees, and students. They are thought-partners for anyone who feels unsure of next steps related to conflict with a colleague, work performance, team dynamics, and more. The Office of the Ombud helps with brainstorming ideas, setting goals, providing feedback, and planning action items. They also provide resources, trainings, and mediated conversations for both individuals and groups, and Diana walks through what those processes entail. For folks seeking a confidential, supportive space for any challenge or resilience skill-building at UW, consider setting up a consultation with the Office of the Ombud.

Schedule an appointment with the Office of the Ombud here. 

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Dr. Chris Goss (Medicine, Pediatrics; Associate Dean for Clinical Research) discusses ways faculty can partner with industry to fund clinical research, serving their patients with cutting-edge science. Dr. Goss recommends working with your department and the UW Clinical Trials Office who can help with the entire study process including conversations with industry partners, IRB questions, and site-specific resources. He walks through the timeline and responsibilities involved with being a principal investigator in a clinical trial and provides tips for how to be successful amidst common bottlenecks and challenges. Clinical research at UW has grown significantly and may be an excellent pathway for faculty looking to diversify their research funding.

Learn about the UW Clinical Trials Office here.

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Dr. Sahar Rooholamini (Pediatrics; Assistant Dean for Faculty Recruitment and Retention) continues her discussion on recruitment by diving into applicant assessments. Start with a rubric that uses clear, uniform criteria in a handful of domains agreed upon by the search committee. Dr. Rooholamini delineates the differences between policies at UW and emphasizes compliance with Executive Order 81 (EO81) in search practices when assessing applicants' potential contributions. Finally, she provides examples of prompts from the UW employment checklist to assess diversity statements from candidates. 

Important UW links mentioned in the episode are below:

EO81

Handbook of Best Practices for Faculty Searches

Online Toolkit for Faculty Searches

Employment Practices Checklist

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Dr. Somnath Mookherjee (Medicine; Director, CLIME) and Melissa Deabler-Urben (Faculty Affairs Events and Education Specialist) combine their expertise to provide tips on how to create an excellent workshop. They recommend starting with your goals for the workshop, then dive into alternate approaches to creating learning objectives while keeping the needs of the learners paramount through the process. Finally, we learn about a variety of tools to engage learners and increase interactivity for both online and in-person events. 

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Matt Lund (Chief Contracting Officer, UW Medicine) walks us through the models behind how we get paid at UW Medicine. He delineates the CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) methodologies for determining reimbursement amounts for different hospitals, clinics, and providers. Factors considered include the amount of medical education conducted, the amount of uncompensated care provided, complexity of procedures, and locality of the hospital among others. Matt explains the intricacies behind why we don't always get reimbursed at the amount for which we bill, adding examples of how providers can ensure we receive the best reimbursement for any care given. Finally, he considers fee-for-service and value-based care as we continuously move towards our financial and mission-driven goals. 

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Dr. Nancy Connolly (Medicine; Executive Director for Community Health and Well-Being, US Chamber of Connection) provides context around the current widespread issue of loneliness in the US and solutions to both prevent and alleviate it. A strong sense of belonging and social connectedness are the keys to immunization against chronic loneliness. Dr. Connolly walks us through the data-driven six points of connection and encourages us to evaluate our own opportunities for growth in any of these points. Finally, she recommends checking out and joining the US Chamber of Connection for local events, trainings, and ideas to increase our own connections. 

Click here to get involved with the US Chamber of Connection.

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Dr. Stefanie Simmons (Emergency Medicine Physician; CMO, Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation) explains ways we can shift the mindset around licensing and support for mental health care. She commends UW Medicine for receiving the All In Credentialing Champions Challenge Award for removing stigmatizing language and adding support resources in credentialing applications related to mental health and substance use disorders. Dr. Simmons promotes expanding our definition of patient-centeredness to include self care and our holistic identities outside of our jobs. She walks through a color-coded framework for folks worrying about their own mental health or substance use and delineates resources available to anyone seeking support. Finally, she reminds us all that compassion without self-compassion is incomplete.

A few resources mentioned in this episode can be accessed at the links below:

• WA EAP (Employee Assistance Program)
• UW Medicine Peer to Peer Program
• WPHP (Washington Physicians Health Program)
• UW Well-Being and Support Resources

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Dr. Genevieve Pagalilauan (Medicine; Co-Lead for Service Learning; Lead, Interprofessional Service Learning) provides tips for getting involved in advocacy in whichever areas you work. She gives background on finding her current roles, and demonstrates how accessible it can be to engage on a local or national level, including strategies for success when advocating with your legislative representatives. UW rules for engagement and External Affairs are important resources for additional guidance. Whether it's through speaking or writing, Dr. Pagalilauan encourages everyone to explore and join groups and communities to share in advocacy efforts for long-term progress. 

For information about UW's rules for engagement, visit the UW External Affairs website here.

Review the AAMC Academic Medicine Advocacy Guide here for additional resources.

Read the episode transcript here.

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Dr. Kimberly Ma (Obstetrics and Gynecology; Assistant Chief Clinical Information Officer for UW Medicine) shares tips for organizing and customizing your EPIC inbox to save you time. Start by understanding how you use your inbox and your most commonly accessed features, then focus on optimizing those sections. Reduce time in EPIC by setting daily email reminders to notify you of messages. Set up the "results" section to prioritize the most relevant columns for your workflow, and edit out those you don't use. Get to know quick actions for your most frequent tasks without opening the patient chart. Finally, Dr. Ma highly encourages folks to schedule a 1:1 session with Practitioner Liaison Support (PLS) Services to optimize your personal EPIC inbox. 

Contact Practitioner Liaison Support (PLS) Services to schedule a 1:1 session:

WEBSITE: Practitioner Liaison Support (uwmedicine.org)

TEAMS CHANNEL: Practitioner Support & Optimization Forum

REQUEST FORM FOR EPIC OPTIMIZATION SESSIONS: Follow this link

Read the episode transcript here.

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Dr. Neha Deshpande (Medicine, General Internal Medicine) shares best practices for how to effectively teach in small group settings. She recommends setting the session up for success with enthusiasm, shared goals, and planned interactive components. She then provides examples of some of her favorite prompts and intentional strategies for elevating quieter voices, as well as approaches to avoid. Finally, Dr. Deshpande encourages increasing your confidence in small group teaching with continued practice and iteration. 

Read the episode transcript here.

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