March 27, 2020 COVID-19 SMPH Update

Top news:

  • Many fiscal and transactional processes have changed due to a telework environment. Read an update from the SMPH fiscal team
  • All are invited to join a campus-wide virtual town hall at 12:00 pm today in support of Asian and Asian American faculty and staff. More information
  • Title and Total Compensation Project implementation timeline has been delayed at least three months
  • Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership (ICEP) offers COVID-19 resources, including accredited activities. ICEP also wants your feedback on CME and CE topics.
  •  Weigh in on the idea of a future SMPH COVID-19 blog that would feature contributions from SMPH faculty, staff and learners on a full spectrum of health and medical disciplines and points of view. The earliest this blog would launch is likely in a few weeks.  Take a 4-question survey

Shout-outs:

  • Kudos are pouring in. So many SMPH colleagues and learners are rising to the challenges of this intense time. Honor someone at go.wisc.edu/shoutout and we’ll share the stories. Here are a few we’ve received so far. Stay tuned tomorrow for more!

“I’m a new employee on the Fiscal Affairs team in the Dean’s Office, and Carla Fischer & Jay Beiser have been endlessly patient answering my questions via email and Microsoft Teams. It’s certainly challenging to be new to SMPH and training from home, but these two have remained positive, helpful, and kind throughout. I’m grateful to both of them, and the rest of the team as well. Thank you!” – Sandy Peterson, financial specialist

“Dr. Ann Sheehy’s amazing leadership skills have been on full display over the last few weeks. I think I can speak for many other hospitalists that we feel so grateful that she has kept us so in the loop to what is being planned. She provides nightly updates, and always starts with messages of gratitude towards how hard everyone is working and how much we all care. I couldn’t imagine a better leader to shepherd us all through this tricky time. Thank you Ann for all your hard work!!!” – Samantha Murray-Bainer, MD, assistant professor (CHS), Department of Medicine

“[Senior administrative assistant] Ashley Hinrichs has prepared our group very well for the transition to web-based communications.” – Mark Schiebler, MD, professor (CHS), Department of Radiology

“I am so grateful to work with a group of wonderful humans who are staying upbeat and positive while following restrictions as well. We are a great team at the Biomedical Research Model Services breeding core and are very fortunate with regard to how we are all handling this. Our boss has done her best as well to check on us to make sure we are all physically and mentally doing ok and has kept us in the loop with everything happening. I am so lucky to have a work family at this time.” – Fox Coenen, animal research technician

“[Email received by Virginia Snyder, PhD, PA-C, Physician Assistant Program Director]: Thank you so much for all the extra hard work you have been doing for us over these past few weeks under so much pressure. You have always had us students’ best interests in mind, but now especially in this unprecedented and turbulent time, your efforts do not go unnoticed or unappreciated! I can’t imagine how stressful all this organization and reorganization has been for program directors and faculty. Now more than ever, we’re learning what we’ve been told since interviewing for the program: Trust the process. We’ll get through this together! Once again, a huge thank you for making this as smooth as possible!!” – Master of Physician Assistant Studies student

Telecommuting:

  • Here are some teleworking tips that we’ve received from SMPH colleagues in response our call for suggestions. Have others to recommend? Let us know.

“My husband and I are thankful to be home with our almost 5 year old twins, but it can get dicey, so we use our whiteboard in the kitchen to do a schedule for the kids that works around our virtual meetings, then he and I switch off in our “office” throughout the day. On Magic Monday this week, the kids made unicorn horns and learned cool magic tricks. Then we all try to go for a sunset walk every night to get some fresh air and see signs of spring.” – Jessica M. Arendas, marketing director, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Staying strong & supporting one another: 

For parents, guardians, and health care providers to youths: “An alum of the UW Collaborative Center for Health Equity’s Health Equity Leadership Institute (HELI), Dr. Anthony Santella, has developed two free COVID-19 webinars for youth & adolescents.” – Caitlin Scott, communications specialist, Collaborative Center for Health Equity