What started as a way of getting together at the tail end of the pandemic is now a yearly tradition attracting dozens of members of the MGH Institute community. Students, staff, faculty, and alumni with their families sat on picnic blankets and tables while enjoying refreshments, playing games, getting to know each other, and doing arts and crafts during the Mission, Values, and Community Excellence (MVCE) Office’s annual MVCE at the Park on the Shouse Lawn yesterday.

“Building community over food and getting to know our rebranded office has been really wonderful,” shared Michelle Wallace, MVCE department coordinator. “Meeting new people, welcoming them into our space, and just getting to share our new name and remind folks why we are here and what we stand for is the best part about MVCE at the Park.”

First-year Physician Assistant Studies (PA) student Janelys Torres attended the event with fellow students. While enjoying food and refreshments, Torres appreciated the chance to relax outside.

“It is definitively a nice, refreshing event for us to rejuvenate after a long lecture and before going into another lecture,” she shared.

Besides serving as a break for students and the chance to connect with others while enjoying Dominican and Mediterranean food and games like Jenga and Cornhole, the event is an important part of the Institute’s mission to educate health professionals and researchers to drive innovation in the delivery of equitable and interprofessional care for a diverse and complex society.

“People may ask, ‘How does this connect to our values and mission?’ But if we're truly committed to community excellence, and if we really want to support everyone and live out our values together, then this is what that commitment looks like in practice," explained Callie Watkins Liu, the MVCE’s director of Community Excellence, Education and Programs. "It's just a really amazing community opportunity to come in informally and connect, meet with each other, and just fuel in community.” 

The event offered a “get to know me” bingo, with winners getting to choose from MVCE merchandise like t-shirts, sweatshirts, and umbrellas.

“This is really what the IHP community is about,” shared President Paula Milone-Nuzzo. “It's about bringing people together to support each other, to build community, to elevate each other. This is a perfect example of what the IHP community stands for.”