Workplace Culture

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 of our office creates a direct line from faculty across the institution to both departmental leadership and the Office for Professional Engagement and Development. Each department has a well-being champion to regularly gather departmental data on well-being, burnout, and faculty satisfaction and to identify well-being priorities for action. 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 instrument assesses measures of faculty burnout and well-being and the drivers that impact each. The findings of these surveys are provided 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: These workshops were developed 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, Leveling Up Praise and Appreciation, and more.
• 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 provide a variety of services specifically designed for residents and clinical fellows, including:

• The Office of Graduate Medical Education (GME) Well-Being Survey: This biannual, anonymous, online survey assesses burnout, well-being, and mental health. It also includes program-specific questions about Health System-level initiatives, such as use of wellness days and mental health resources. 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 residencies and fellowship programs.

Our offerings for medical and graduate students include:

• Resources and 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.   
• Peer Advising and Mentorship: Facilitated by more senior peers, medical and graduate students can 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. It also collaborates 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. The group’s work is guided by a holistic model that 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.  
• The Student Council Health and Wellness Committee: Consisting of one representative from each medical school class and multiple representatives from the graduate school student body, this committee facilitates the resolution of any student health issues by working with the student bodies of the medical and graduate schools, the schools’ administrations, and hospital staff. 
• Harm reduction and de-stigmatization efforts: 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 Dr. Hargrove, the Interim Director of Student Well-Being, at jacqueline.hargrove@mountsinai.org.  

Resources for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows include the following:

• Trainee Health and Wellness Committee: Through the Trainee Health and Wellness Committee (THAW), PhD students, master’s students, and postdoctoral fellows work to improve training environments by implementing well-being programs and resources. THAW also includes 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.