Focus on Faculty

With many, often conflicting, demands as a medical professional, we know how crucial it is to maintain focus on your personal health and work-life balance. Throughout the year, we offer programs, such as Pros4Peers, as a way to exchange professional expertise among our medical community, improve well-being, foster a caring and connected culture, and strengthen a sense of belonging among faculty, staff, and students across the health system. Pros4Peers was developed by OAPD and the Chief Wellness Officer from the YSM-YNHHS Aligned Clinician Enterprise.

A recent survey among the YSM and YNHHS communities identified child mental health as a primary concern for parents and caregivers at home and in the healthcare setting. To address this, Pros4Peers produced Child Mental Health: Fostering Wellness in Children, a four-part webinar series, exploring new insights and the latest research findings from the Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) with panel discussions moderated by Linda Mayes, MD, chair of YCSC with faculty members from the child study center. The full series can be viewed on the OAPD Health and Well-being website.

Amy Sceery, PhD (right), and Rebecca Colasanto, LCSW (left), are part of Yale’s Personal Wellness benefits program offering confidential, one-on-one consultations at no-cost to you and your family members. Amy and Rebecca are available to support you in developing communication strategies to improve interpersonal effectiveness at work or home, and addressing work-life issues, such as stress management, anxiety, burnout and depression. You can schedule confidential appointments with Rebecca or Amy through Optum's Employee Assistance Portal. Amy is available for in person or virtual sessions, while Rebecca is currently available for virtual sessions at this time, with in person appointments coming soon.

Optum offers virtual training programs to Yale members on topics related to workplace and work-life issues. Each session is conducted by experienced training professionals and include topics, such as building resilience, addressing professional concerns, and developing strategies to prevent burnout. You can find a catalog of training options available for you and your teams.

June Featured Training - Creating a Respectful Workplace

This free member training will be offered throughout June. You can register for a live training session or use the on-demand option to watch the training at your convenience. Registration is required using the access code YALESB.

Ethel Nalule, MS (pictured here), research associate in psychiatry, became interested in photography when she was seven years old. She currently has three self-portraits chronicling her life on display in YSM's Program on Art in Public Spaces (PAPS) art exhibition “Mindful: Exploring Mental Health Through Art."

Ethel's photos, along with other powerful pieces, can be found in the lobby outside the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library. Visit the exhibit, which runs through August.

We look forward to welcoming our newest ladder and research rank faculty members who join an esteemed cohort of medical professionals dedicated to the missions of YSM. The Incoming Faculty Orientation on Aug. 21 is an all-day program for those who joined YSM between Sept. 1, 2023 through Aug. 31, 2024 and offers the opportunity for faculty to meet one another, network, and learn about valuable resources available to help you get started in your careers at the medical school.

This time of year provides an opportunity to reflect on your career accomplishments and goals through the faculty development annual questionnaire (FDAQ) process. YSM introduced the FDAQ to help you engage in meaningful conversations with your supervisors or departmental leader. We encourage you to participate in these important conversations, as they offer the chance to review your career progression, define goals, and enhance communications to support your overall career satisfaction.

Recently, we have defined areas of concentration and paths through which research faculty may advance in their careers. To learn more about these areas, including guidelines for assessing promotion readiness, click on the link outlining career opportunities within the research ranks.

Join us for the last faculty workshop of the academic year on June 12, at 4 p.m. "Developing and Sustaining Academic Reputation" will be presented by Samuel Ball, PhD, and Jonathan Grauer, MD, YSM associate deans for faculty affairs. While geared toward assistant professors and research rank faculty, all faculty members are welcome to attend.

We will share the upcoming 2024 - 2025 academic year schedule in the fall, in the meantime, please visit the OAPD website to view previous workshops from the year.