For everyone For researchers For medical educators and clinicians
Anti-racism and/or diversity, equity and inclusion
Resources for everyone
COVID-19 operational updates:
- Mask updates in SMPH: Since March 2022, masks have no longer been required in most campus spaces, including many in SMPH. However, masks are still required in some areas of the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR), such as its entrance, central elevators, basement, and patient imaging areas, due to patient care occurring in these spaces. Masks are also still required inside the Clinical Teaching and Assessment Center on the third floor of the Health Sciences Learning Center (HSLC) to enable clinical simulation learning scenarios for health professions students. Pay attention to signage to know if a mask is still required in a specific area. See this map’s highlighted areas to know where to wear a mask in WIMR and HSLC.
- Be respectful of individual choices about mask wearing. We encourage those who want to continue to wear masks to do so.
- See this Q&A from campus on the mask policy changes.
- When you work or learn in a health care setting, follow the requirements of that health system. When in UW Health facilities, the VA Medical Center, or engaged in patient care or clinical learning in our statewide campus locations, follow the requirements in that setting.
- Workspace personal protective equipment (PPE): Order items like face masks, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, mask fitters, or face shields from the MDS warehouse through ShopUW+ (available at no cost to campus units until existing inventory is distributed). Contact your department fiscal specialist for help. For questions on accessing ShopUW+, contact your department fiscal representative or the Dean’s Office transaction team.
- A cart with PPE is in the HSLC atrium near room 1335 (see photo). Employees are welcome to take supplies for their unit. Hand sanitizer dispensers are present in all common areas and building entrances.
- UW Health COVID-19 requirements, announcements, and alerts for employees and affiliate individuals are available on U-Connect (requires UW Health login or VPN to access). Read more
Non-COVID policy, procedure, guidance, and operational news:
- Action item for faculty, staff, and students who engage in global health activities: Please review a message from Dean Robert N. Golden, MD, about policies and procedures that are designed to provide protection for those in SMPH who participate in global health activities outside of the United States, including teaching or supervising learners, performing clinical outreach or service, presenting at a scientific meeting, or participating in a research project. Read the Dean’s letter and learn more about international health policies and procedures for the school on the Office of Global Health website.
- The med.wisc.edu website is being redesigned over the next year. This important project will ensure the site effectively supports the school’s strategic goals and aligns content with target web audiences including prospective SMPH students. Additional goals include improving user experience, optimizing content maintenance, and ensuring that the site to can be accessed by all users regardless of factors such as visual, auditory, or neurological ability, device type, or internet speed. Learn more at the SMPH Web Strategy site
- First-round parking offers for 2022-2023 will go out via email beginning today through Tuesday, July 26. Offers will also be listed in the eBusiness portal at transportation.wisc.edu/ebusiness and must be accepted by August 2. If you do not receive an offer email but believe you should have, email the health sciences parking desk. Second-round applications may be submitted July 21 through Aug 2.
- Training session on Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program: Employees who have at least 10 years of public service can participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program for student loans. The program was significantly altered for one year in October 2021 to make more people eligible for forgiveness. The university’s Office of Human Resources is conducting a training session in August to help eligible individuals navigate the process. Read more and register
- Action required: Complete SMPH staff annual reviews and update position descriptions in PMDP (Performance Management and Development) by August 15, 2022. The 2022 annual reviews are for the period of July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022. Supervisors should also integrate the new standard job descriptions from the Title and Total Compensation Project (TTC) into PMDP for all of their staff employees. Read more
- Central compensation program implementation in SMPH: The school is developing a formalized process and timeline for using recently announced central funding for selected faculty and staff. The school has received its funding allocations from the university for the various programs, and SMPH HR is reviewing the approach for optimal utilization and distribution to departments. Departments will be receiving their budget allocation in the coming weeks. Supervisors are encouraged to begin their summary performance evaluations, which will be due August 15, 2022. Read more
- Make a habit to check and update your emergency contact info and other personal information in MyUW periodically. Faculty and staff can update their information in HRS by signing into MyUW, selecting the “Personal Information” tile, and clicking “Update My Personal Information.” Students can update information in SIS in the Student Center in MyUW. Read more
- Subscribe to ATP Touchpoints to receive updates on the Administrative Transformation Program: The objective of this large-scale initiative is to rebuild HR, finance, and research administration systems and services at all UW System campuses, an aim of reducing the complexity of the current administrative environment and refocus valuable personnel time on UW’s missions. Read the first issue of ATP Touchpoints and subscribe to receive future issues. Use the Tell Your Story form to submit feedback on the program and see the list of SMPH Ambassadors for ATP at UW–Madison to contact with questions.
- Did you know? Lactation rooms are available in many SMPH facilities, such as the UW Medical Foundation Centennial Building (MFCB), Health Sciences Learning Center (HSLC), and Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR). There are also numerous lactation rooms in UW Health facilities. A list of SMPH and nearby UW Health lactation rooms is available here
- Review guidelines on advocacy, political campaign activity, and lobbying at our public institution: They describe helpful definitions, dos and don’ts for SMPH employees, and how to get more information. Read more
- Policy released: SMPH Policy 4070, Influenza Vaccination, details the school’s requirement for all employees and students to either receive an annual vaccine or provide a waiver by a deadline established at the beginning of the flu vaccine season. While the influenza vaccination requirement is longstanding, this SMPH policy brings into one document important information about how it relates to employees and learners. Read the policy
- SMPH policies have a new digital home: In January 2021, the UW–Madison Policy Library launched as a repository for nearly 900 policies that are university-wide in scope, bringing policies together in one place so users can quickly locate the most accurate, up-to-date version of a policy. It now also houses the 36 official policies of the School of Medicine and Public Health. Read more
- Wisconsin Medicine launches “The Future Needs Us Now” campaign: Wisconsin Medicine is the philanthropic partnership between SMPH and UW Health. Together, we are embarking on an ambitious, comprehensive philanthropic campaign to raise $500 million from 100,000 donors by the end of 2025. The campaign launched publicly on May 2, with the chance to learn more and take advantage of a generous dollar-for-dollar match opportunity. Read more
Gathering, giving, and connecting:
- Save the date for the 2022 SMPH Ice Cream Social on Friday, Sept. 9 from 1:30-4:30 p.m. at the Health Sciences Learning Center: All SMPH staff, faculty, and learners are invited. The event is part of the Building Community program. More information is forthcoming.
- SMPH Community Pulse survey results — How does someone’s gender identity impact their experience in the school? See the results of the January survey of SMPH staff broken down by gender. Results will be used to inform action steps and plans being developed by the Office of Diversity and Equity Transformation and the Building Community Steering Committee. Read more
Leadership searches:
- Find the latest information here.
Resources for researchers
- Applications open Monday, August 1 for the Paster Family Foundation Innovation Award: Do you have a project, system improvement or initiative that has made a difference in the lives of patients and their families? You could receive $5,000. Learn more
- Submit your women’s health equity and health disparities research today: Researchers across campus are invited to share their work through a “Brief and Brilliant” talk or the poster session during the 2022 Women’s Health and Health Equity Research Lecture and Symposium on October 20. Brief and Brilliant talk applications are due August 21; poster submissions are due September 11. Learn more
- The Wisconsin Partnership Program invites eligible faculty to submit a preliminary application for a New Investigator Program grant: Awards are up to $150,000 over two years. This grant program has a history of supporting early-career faculty in all SMPH departments to initiate new, innovative research or education projects. To date, 76 investigators have been supported through grants totaling $8 million. Learn more
- Save the date for the second installment of SMPH Collaborate on Friday, Sept. 30 from 3-5 p.m. in the Health Sciences Learning Center: All individuals from across campus involved in research — including undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, research staff, and faculty — are welcome to attend to hear innovative speakers and make connections during a social hour. Stay tuned for more information. Read more
- Spotlight on SMPH Basic Sciences Strategic Plan priorities: The next featured priority is Prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to enhance recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty, staff, and learners. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, MA, CDM, associate dean for diversity and equity transformation, is co-leading an implementation team for this priority. She notes, “An intentional and authentic investment of time and resources in diversity, equity, and inclusion is essential in dismantling structural barriers that have created an underrepresentation of people of Color in basic sciences. We have a responsibility and a commitment to be leaders in this area so we can create a path for success for underrepresented faculty, staff, and learners.” Read more
- Announcement from medRAMP: The school’s Research Administration and Proposal Development Services unit has instituted a nominal fee structure for single-investigator proposals to increase staffing capacity and provide additional support. Established in 2015 with a charge to promote cross-disciplinary collaboration and multi-investigator projects, medRAMP offers specialized services focused on overall pre-award project management for multi-PI, multi-project, and/or multi-institutional proposals from inception to submission at no cost to departments. Research administration services for single-investigator proposals are available for a fee. Visit the medRAMP website to learn more about its services and the new fee structure.
- New recommended training for those working in laboratory environments: A new training from UW Environment, Health & Safety specifically for SMPH can help orient or refresh lab members on how we approach safety on our campus and school regarding facilities, operations, and personnel. The training is recommended for anyone working in a lab environment, including research staff, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduates. Find the training here
Resources for medical educators and clinicians
- Submit an abstract for UW Health Clinical Simulation Program’s (CSP) annual Simulation Days on September 8-9: Anyone from UW Health or SMPH who has partnered with the CSP is invited to submit an abstract for consideration. Authors of selected abstracts will be invited to present brief (up to 10 minute) presentations. The submission deadline is July 21. Learn more and submit an abstract
- Continuing medical education opportunity with Wisconsin Medical Journal (WMJ): Gain American Medical Association credit for free with any of the WMJ courses available in the ICEP Portal. Topics include rural residence as a predictor of better health outcomes, quality of diet in children with developmental disabilities, and how faculty and medical students’ perceptions of learning differ.
- The latest quarterly issue of Wisconsin Medical Journal (WMJ) is now available online. Volume 121 Issue 2 includes research and commentary published by SMPH faculty and learners, and features a collection of articles that focus on social determinants of health. WMJ is a peer-reviewed, indexed journal owned jointly by SMPH and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Access the full issue here. If you’d like to receive email updates when new content is posted online, sign up to subscribe
Resources and Upcoming Events:
Anti-Racism and/or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- AAMC publishes medical education competencies for diversity, equity, and inclusion: These cross-continuum competencies help educators design or adapt curricula and aids educators and learners in their individual professional development and diversity, equity, and inclusion journeys. In August, AAMC will host two forums to discuss these medical education competencies. Read more
- SMPH diversity, equity, and inclusion web-based modules now available: 22 modules developed by the Office of Diversity and Equity Transformation are open for self-enrollment on Canvas. The learning modules cover antiracism, equity tools, and bias in healthcare. Enroll on Canvas and click “Go to the Course” to access the modules
- “Badge backer” card provides tips for preventing and responding to microaggressions: Developed by the Office of Diversity and Equity Transformation, this resource is a printed, foldable card that can fit right into your ID badge holder. The card includes key response strategies to interrupt microaggressions, discrimination, and bigotry to make it clear that we value and stand behind our learners, staff, and faculty. Request badge backers using this form
- How can I help make the university more inclusive to our community members with disabilities? A new campus website called Accessibility @ UW–Madison provides a central location for campus accessibility answers. Read more
- Office of Diversity and Equity Transformation launches Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) at SMPH: ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups that foster a diverse, inclusive workplace aligned with organizational mission, values, goals, business practices, and objectives. ERGs do this by focusing on the experience and perspectives of people of a particular race, ethnic or cultural background, gender, gender identity, religion, age cohort, sexual orientation, history of disabilities, military services, or similar parameters. This program, which has been operating successfully at UW Health for two years, is now open to SMPH employees. Learn more
- Inclusion of learners with disabilities: In a commentary published in Academic Medicine, Dean Robert N. Golden, MD, and Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Elizabeth Petty, MD, urge medical schools to provide inclusive education for learners with physical and sensory disabilities. Read more
- Looking for insights on inclusive language? Read the SMPH Presenter’s Guide. Originally written by a group of medical students in fall 2019, it is reviewed annually, revised as needed, and has been endorsed by the Building Community Steering Committee. The Presenter’s Guide gives examples of how to talk about underrepresented identities in medicine. Read the guide
- New resources added to the Racial Equity Tools collection: Racial Equity Tools is a website designed to support individuals and groups working to achieve racial equity. It offers resources, research, tips, curricula, and ideas for people who want to increase their understanding and to aid those working for racial justice in systems, organizations, communities, and society at large. Search the collection and see the expanded RET Glossary.
- Treaties: How we come to be where we are: View the recording with Ho-Chunk Nation’s leading legal experts about treaties and how our ongoing nation-to-nation agreements with the Ho-Chunk Nation are fundamental to daily life here at Teejop (day-JOPE), the place currently known as Madison, Wisconsin. Watch the video and read more