Our lives have been forever changed as a result of the worldwide spread of the coronavirus. Even if we can resume some of our normal activities, our view of the world and what we think is important has shifted.
Over the last two months, we have learned new ways to work, play, socialize, and reduce stress. We have had to because the usual ways of doing all these things were unavailable. And while I can sometimes find myself focusing on all the negative impacts of this pandemic, I have been inspired by the many, many great things that are happening at the IHP that demonstrate the resilience of faculty, staff, and students and the innovative spirit that permeates our community. Our community does not accept good enough or average. There is a hunger for excellence, even in the face of adversity. This President’s Message is all about the incredible programs, innovations, and joys that have been occurred over the last two months.
Faculty and staff didn’t waste any time when we made the decision to close the campus and move to a virtual education model. In the first few weeks of the pandemic, our faculty and staff launched into a series of innovations that would support on-line education, create virtual simulation opportunities, and develop approaches to education that supported our student’s clinical learning. Last month, I shared the work of our instructional designers in developing supports for faculty and the delivery of a virtual interprofessional simulation at the Sanders IMPACT Practice Center for 60 students in the first week of the pandemic. These kinds of innovations continue, and others have been added. For example, one of our most active centers in the IPC is the Aphasia Center. Because we closed the IPC to patients, faculty from the Speech and Language Pathology program launched a telehealth program allowing patients from the Aphasia Center to continue their therapy as well as remain connected to the members in the Center.
This is what excellence in the face of adversity looks like.
Even though our students are not on campus, they have expressed a strong desire to aid those in need, contribute to the IHP community, and develop their leadership skills. Through student leadership, two programs, Teddy Talks and Big Buddies, have been developed. In the Big Buddies program, IHP students are matched with Harvard-Kent students to provide mentorship, support for learning, and friendship. The Teddy Talks program is modeled after Ted Talks for adults. IHP students record an educational video that parents can use to support a child’s education or provide for independent learning. There are more than 30 IHP students engaged in these two programs. Students leading students has continued through the Student Government Association and the IHP clubs. These are places where students can grow in their leadership skills.
I also want to share the incredible work that our students are doing in the Mass General Brigham system to support the workforce and provide necessary care to patients. From both the School of Nursing and the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, we have more than 350 faculty and students working at MGH, Boston Hope, the Assembly Row Call Center, Chelsea Quality Inn, and Spaulding Cambridge. Our students and faculty have been amazing in the way they have stepped in to be helpful to our partners.
Finally, our community has figured out ways we can feed our soul. For so many of us, the best part of the IHP are the people. And while we are now used to the “Hollywood Squares” approach to conducting our business, it is not the same as running into someone in the hall, having coffee with a colleague at Dunkin Donuts, or meeting, in person, to discuss a thorny issue. So, in addition to the regular schedule of Zoom meetings we all have, the IHP added virtual social events that have helped us to stay together as a community and support our members. The Staff Council hosts Tea Time, an informal Zoom gathering where people can play trivia games and socialize in small groups. Human Resources has sponsored meditation and mindfulness sessions and just last Friday evening, the Office of Student and Alumni Services hosted IHP Together: Connecting through the Arts. Organized by Kerry Kearns and Katie Mulcahy and cleverly emceed by Russ Abbatiello, IHP faculty, staff, students, and alumni showed us all that the IHP is a very talented community. From singing, to dancing, to instrumental performances, I think we were all impressed that these current or future health professionals have incredible talent as well as an uncompromising commitment to health care. We are lucky to have them as part of the IHP community.
In these difficult times, it’s easy to focus on the negative but I choose to look for the silver lining, those moments of joy that we can share as a community. Those are what will sustain us and allow us to come out of this challenge better than when it started.
Please stay well and be healthy.