1. Well-Being and Workplace Experience Core
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Workplace Culture

We strive to create a workplace culture where faculty, employees, and trainees feel valued and supported. Workplace culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, and normative behaviors of the learning and work environments. This culture, we believe, is largely driven by leadership behaviors, communication, and team dynamics. Our goal, and that of the Mount Sinai Health System, is for our workplace culture to be psychologically safe and supportive. We promote this culture through leadership training, coaching efforts, communications tools, and role modeling.

To optimize the workplace culture for all faculty members, the Office for Professional Engagement and Development’s (OPED) Well-Being and Work Experience Core oversees several programs and initiatives, including:

  • Faculty Well-Being Champions Program: This signature program creates a direct line from faculty across the institution to both departmental leadership and OPED. Each department has a well-being champion who helps to regularly gather departmental data on well-being, burnout, and faculty satisfaction, and to identify well-being priorities. See the list of Faculty Well-Being Champions by department or email owbr@mssm.edu for more information.
  • Faculty Well-Being Survey: Our anonymous, institution-wide, biennial survey assesses measures of faculty well-being and the drivers that affect and influence well-being. We provide the findings of our surveys to all faculty and to individual department chairs and champions to help inform departmental plans to address well-being. Additionally, the surveys assess current and needed resources for mental health, well-being, belonging, and career development across the Health System. Email owbr@mssm.edu for more information.
  • Physician and Scientist Leadership Workshops: We have developed these workshops in response to our faculty survey responses. We now offer four to eight workshops twice annually on topics including: Coaching for Growth, Psychological Safety, Challenging Conversations, and Leveling Up Praise and Appreciation.
  • Coaching for Faculty: We believe that coaching is a powerful and effective tool to promote health care worker and learner well-being. Our office, in partnership with colleagues across the Health System, supports and enables several coaching initiatives. Email owbr@mssm.edu for more information.

We offer a range of services for residents and clinical fellows. These include:

  • The Office of Graduate Medical Education (GME) Well-Being Survey: This biannual, anonymous, online survey assesses burnout, well-being, and mental health. Email owbr@mssm.edu for more information.
  • GME Well-Being Subcommittee: This group gives a voice to residents and clinical fellows, faculty members, and administrators to promote trainee well-being and prevent or mitigate job burnout. Email Mica Muir mica.muir@mssm.edu for more information. 
  • GME Well-Being Champions Program: In this program, faculty members work toward promoting a culture of well-being within residency and fellowship programs.

Through consultations and support, OPED collaborates with both the Office for Medical Student Affairs and the Office for Graduate Student Affairs to enhance student well-being. We develop resources and programs to promote a culture of well-being among medical and graduate students. Our offerings include:

  • Peer Advising and Mentorship: Facilitated by more-senior peers, this program enables medical and graduate students to connect with peer advisors and mentors to support their personal and professional journeys. 
  • The Well-Being Working Group: Consisting of medical and graduate school faculty and staff, this group oversees the development, implementation, and evaluation of student well-being initiatives and support services. We collaborate with Student Affairs offices, Curricular Affairs and program leadership, service providers, and student groups to identify wellness-related gaps and ensure meaningful, sustained programming improvements. Our holistic model defines well-being as a sense of flourishing—experienced or aspirational—across nine interconnected dimensions: psychological, social, physical, financial, spiritual, intellectual, environmental, occupational, and cultural.
  • Harm Reduction and Destigmatization: Working with student, faculty, and staff members of the Harm Reduction Task Force, we support a culture of destigmatized care, compassion, and safety for our student community through education, harm reduction initiatives, and enhancing a harm-reduction culture among students, faculty, and staff. For more information, please contact Jacqueline Hargrove, PhD, Interim Director of Student Well-Being, at jacqueline.hargrove@mountsinai.org.

Programs tailored to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows include:

  • Trainee Health and Wellness Committee: Through the Trainee Health and Wellness (THAW) Committee, PhD students, master’s students, and postdoctoral fellows work to improve training environments by implementing well-being programs and resources. The committee offers an extensive peer-mentoring program that is open to all trainees. 
  • Graduate Student Peer Support: This group offers a peer-support system for PhD and MSBS students, a session during orientation devoted to preparing students for graduate training, THAW Lunch and Learn series, and a workshop series called Thriving in Graduate School. Email owbr@mssm.edu for more information.