BUILD YOUR NETWORK 10 NURSES STAND BY PATIENTS 12 DISCOUNT TO NC SYMPHONY 15
NE W S YOU CA N USE • F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2022
Editor’s Note
CONTENTS
LEANORA MINAI
Crazie for Coach K In my 17 years as a Duke staff member, I’ve been fortunate to attend a few Duke men’s basketball games. One of those games came in 2006 when Paul Grantham and I wrote “Behind the Scenes: Battle of the Blues,” the cover story for the second issue of Working@Duke. The story featured the dedicated staff who worked the rivalry game against Carolina before a sell-out crowd in Cameron Indoor Stadium. I got goose bumps that day as fans erupted when head coach Mike Krzyzewski walked on the court. I had the same reaction in the stands at a game this past December – six months after Krzyzewski announced his retirement. This time, when he walked onto the court as the stadium lights flashed, I raised my iPhone and followed his stride to the Duke bench, but in my excitement to capture a historic moment, I forgot to press record. I’ve always appreciated Coach Krzyzewski’s fundamental commitment to excellence and pride, and I’ve often referenced these traits as the Working@Duke team collects and shares employee stories with the Duke workforce. As you’ll read in “A Coach for All” on pages 4-9, staff, and faculty – most of whom have never met Krzyzewski – have also been influenced by the coach. We asked you to share how he has made a difference in your work at Duke, and a few dozen responded with personal stories. For the story, senior writer Stephen Schramm interviewed some of the staff and faculty, including associate head coach Jon Scheyer who will succeed Krzyzewski in the 2022-23 season. Schramm brings a special perspective, Designer Paul Figuerado, editor Leanora Minai, and senior writer as he does with Stephen Schramm discuss the many stories. Coach K story in December. Prior to joining the Working@Duke team in 2017, Schramm spent a decade covering Duke basketball for area newspapers. No matter the outcome, he said, Krzyzewski’s authentic passion for the game and his team were undeniable. “Led by curiosity, a mission of service, or simply a desire to do good work, I see so many of us who bring Krzyzewski’s same passion to what we do,” Schramm said. “I believe it’s what fuels the excellent work that happens here. We cherish the good days and persevere through the hard ones, but like Coach K, we always care deeply.”
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4 A Coach for All
This spring, Mike Krzyzewski, the winningest coach in college basketball history, will lead the Blue Devils for the final time, ending a tenure that began when Duke hired him in 1980. At Duke, Coach K’s legacy extends well beyond the court.
10 How to Build Your Network in a Hybrid World
While COVID-19 has changed interactions, find new ways to connect.
11 A Big Crossword Stage
Crossword puzzle by a math associate professor appears in The New York Times.
12 Through it all, Duke nurses stand by COVID-19 patients 14
Fostering the advancement of Black faculty
15 Discount to the North Carolina Symphony Contact us Editor/Executive Director of Communications: Leanora Minai (919) 681-4533 leanora.minai@duke.edu Assistant Vice President: Paul S. Grantham (919) 681-4534 paul.grantham@duke.edu
Graphic Design & Layout: Paul Figuerado (919) 684-2107 paul.figuerado@duke.edu
Jack Frederick Writer (919) 681-9965 jack.frederick@duke.edu
Stephen Schramm Senior Writer (919) 684-4639 stephen.schramm@duke.edu
Working@Duke is published four times annually by Duke’s Office of Communication Services. We invite your feedback and story ideas. Send email to working@duke.edu or call (919) 681-4533.
Visit Working@Duke daily on Duke Today: working.duke.edu
Cover: Duke Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski during Countdown to Craziness in October 2021. Photo courtesy of Duke Athletics.
2017, 2014 Gold, 2019, 2015, 2013, Silver, 2016, 2009, 2007 Bronze, Print Internal Audience Publications and 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008, 2007 Gold Medal, Internal Periodical Staff Writing
BRIEFLY Stay ahead of workplace tech with live webinars
Get the most out of the Duke Event calendar
Learn IT @ Lunch, a series of hourlong webinars offered at no charge by the Office of Information Technology (OIT), is underway, giving staff and faculty opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of digital tools we’ve come to rely on during the pandemic. The live sessions streamed on Zoom run to May 4 and include training on LinkedIn Learning, Zoom for team building, web accessibility, video production and more. “Even though we’ve been using Microsoft Teams since the beginning of the pandemic, our workshops on it still draw 50 or 60 people,” said OIT Training and Education Coordinator Trina Rodriguez. “I think that shows that people are always seeking new answers. I see this as a resource for people to get that information and learn more about the things they touch.” See the full schedule: duke.is/cnx6c
Usually featuring about 2,000 upcoming events, the Duke Event Calendar is where you can see the breadth of what’s happening on campus. Whether a virtual panel discussion, musical performance or athletics event, you’ll find out everything you need to know. Search for events on the calendar using a drop-down list of 23 topics, ranging from “Teaching & Classroom Learning” to “Civic Engagement/Social Action.” “It’s a tool that communicates the diversity, and vibrancy of the things happening at Duke,” said Anne Light, a project manager with University Communications and part of the team that oversees the calendar. “It helps people know what we’re all doing and how to find opportunities to learn.” Light holds training sessions each semester for Duke community members who are tasked with posting their unit’s events on the calendar. Find an event at calendar.duke.edu.
Find virtual accountability with the Duke Run/Walk Club Organized by LIVE FOR LIFE, the staff and faculty wellness program, the Duke Run/Walk Club returns for the spring season beginning March 14 with a virtual version of the fitness offering. To take part, participants track and report running and walking and can earn LIVE FOR LIFE dollars to use on fitness items such as reusable water bottles, yoga mats and Fitbits. Holly Hough, a research program leader for the Office of Clinical Research, participated in the Run/Walk Club for the first time in 2021. Hough met with a coworker near her home, and they walked together several times together each week. “Just the act of reporting my activity helps keep me motivated,” Hough said. For more information about Run/Walk Club, visit hr.duke.edu/runwalk. In addition, LIVE FOR LIFE offers Wellbeats, which provides unlimited access to more than 1,000 online fitness, mindfulness and nutrition classes from one to 50 minutes. Membership through Duke is $5 per month. For more information, visit hr.duke.edu/wellbeats.
Choose from 104 professional development courses Staff and faculty can pick from 104 courses on a variety of time management, communication, leadership, and technical topics taught by Learning & Organization Development (L&OD) in 2022. Courses range from $49 for single-day technical courses to $600 for multi-day management courses. In addition to individual courses, L&OD, a unit in Duke Human Resources, offers coaching, performance improvement, and strategic planning consultation services. This year, for the first time since the pandemic began, employees can register for two courses with in-person instruction. The courses are Personality & Effective Communication on June 18, and the three-day Train the Trainer Boot Camp on October 17, 24 and 31. Among the 104 courses are 41 technology sessions, which teach basic skills and advanced strategies for programs such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and PowerPoint. Diane Satterfield, manager of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center’s biorepository, has used Microsoft Excel for decades but took two courses on the spreadsheet program last year so she could get more efficient with the program. “I just thought, let’s just see what other tricks I can learn and find out how to work more efficiently,” she said. “With some of the calculations and actions that we do, you may have taught yourself how to do it. But when you learn there’s an easier way to do it, it’s like ‘Wow, that’s easy.’” Learn more at hr.duke.edu/training.
Photo courtesy of Wellbeats. working.duke.edu
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After retirement, Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s lessons will continue to guide Duke colleagues
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ew people at Duke can appreciate the wisdom of Mike Krzyzewski quite like Jon Scheyer. For half of his life, Scheyer, associate head coach of the Duke men’s basketball team, has leaned on the guidance of Krzyzewski, who has led the Blue Devils program for more than four decades. As a high school basketball star, Scheyer talked with Krzyzewski about where his life could go. As a Blue Devils player, he saw first-hand how Krzyzewski’s lessons about trust, communication and collective responsibility built championship teams. Now, as a 34-year-old father of two with a third child on the way, and the person who will succeed Krzyzewski this spring, Scheyer still relishes opportunities to hear the Hall of Fame coach’s insights on basketball and life. “I’m trying to soak up every single day with him,” said Scheyer, part of NCAA championship teams in 2010 as a player and 2015 as a coach. “I know when the time comes in April, we won’t have as many of these moments. So, I cherish the times when we’re traveling, or when we’re in here early in the morning, and those natural organic conversations pop up and we just start talking about life. I’m thankful for those.” This spring, Krzyzewski, the winningest coach in college basketball history, will lead the Blue Devils for the final time, ending a tenure that began when Duke hired him as a 33-yearold in 1980. Krzyzewski, who turns 75 in February, leaves behind a program that he built into a global brand, and gold standard. And at Duke, Coach K’s legacy extends well beyond the court. His ability to build and motivate teams, stay nimble amid change, and never lose sight of the people who make success possible, set an example for the Duke community. “It’s so important to have leaders like Coach K who can model the values and behaviors that an organization aspires to in its culture,” said Sanyin Siang, leadership expert, author and founding executive director of the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE) at Duke University. “The more visibility we have for leaders throughout the organization who embody those values, the more organizations can create enduring success.” From Duke’s frontline caregivers to those at the heart of the university’s educational mission, Krzyzewski – through leadership and example – leaves a legacy of inspiration among colleagues he worked alongside, and those he never met. Here are some of their stories. At left, Coach Mike Krzyzewski consults with Associate Head Coach Jon Scheyer during a practice earlier this season. At right, a teenage Scheyer shares a moment with Krzyzewski. Photos: Duke Athletics.
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Around four years ago, Erica Hill, now director of development for Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, was part of a group of consultants examining the feasibility and goals of a fundraising campaign for the Emily Krzyzewski Center in Durham.
Mike Krzyzewski created the non-profit center that builds the academic, career and leadership potential of students from populations often underrepresented in higher education, in honor of his mother. When it came time to present the report, Hill and her colleagues did so to Krzyzewski in a boardroom near his office. While a bit starstruck at first, Hill, a 1998 Duke graduate, said that Krzyzewski led a fruitful conversation, digging into details to gain a deeper understanding of paths forward. “He was a gracious listener and had so many good and thoughtful questions,” Hill said. “You could tell that he’s great because he knows a lot, but then he tries to keep learning.” When it wrapped up in 2020, the Emily Krzyzewski Center’s Game Changer Campaign raised over $18.5 million. And long after her work was done, Hill said that Krzyzewski’s curious approach is something she brings into how she looks at the world. “I think that’s a great way to go through life,” Hill said. “Just be curious and keep learning. Especially on a university campus, it fits in with what we do.” Mike Krzyzewski, above, speaks to a class at the Duke Fuqua School of Business in the 1990s. At right, Krzyzewski and his wife, Mickie, visit pediatric patients at Duke University Hospital. Photos: University Communications.
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When the “ECHO” program, an expansive research initiative examining factors shaping child health, kicked off in 2017, Todd Robbins took on a leadership role as part of a large team of people who collected and monitored data from around 100 research sites. In the team’s early days – and during the pandemic, when it adjusted to fully remote, and later hybrid, working situations – Robbins, a devout Duke hoops fan, leaned on lessons drawn from Mike Krzyzewski’s books on leadership. The most important cue he took from Krzyzewski was the value of being adaptable in how you lead individuals. Or, as Robbins put it, meeting people where they are. “Almost every year, he has to start from scratch because he lost so many players to the NBA,” said Robbins, a lead clinical research associate with Duke Clinical Research Institute. “He has to go with the flow and adjust with his team. That’s so important because, for example, my team comes from various backgrounds, and some of them have different strengths. So early on, we really had to learn about each other and establish our bond.”
By shaping his team members’ roles to suit strengths – such as having better communicators serve as contacts for sites or having detail-oriented people process documents – Robbins said his team weathered challenges. “That’s the key, you have to know people’s strengths, and when to pass something off to somebody who can run with it,” Robbins said. “It just goes back to meeting people where they are.”
In the summer of 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, Mike Krzyzewski voiced his feelings in an online video. “Black lives matter,” Krzyzewski said looking directly into the camera. “Say it. Can’t you say it?” Over the next few minutes, an emotional Krzyzewski pleaded with viewers to acknowledge the role racism plays in society and aspire to do better.
Not only has McMorris turned that line into a personal mantra, that spirit led her to join a group of hospital colleagues that meets weekly to discuss race and forge a more inclusive future. “I’ll never forget,” she said.
Since 2013, Ingrid Bianca Byerly, a faculty member in the Thompson Writing Program, has taught public speaking courses that have been useful for Duke men’s basketball players destined for careers in the spotlight. “It’s wonderful having basketball players in the class, they contribute so much,” said Byerly, whose classroom stories often feature names such as Quinn, Justise, Grayson and Jahlil. She gets glimpses of the culture of the basketball program through her experience with the players, who bring a sense of confident calm to class and are usually quick to build camaraderie among classmates. Through personal anecdotes about how they overcame obstacles, rebounded from disappointment, or faced fears, the players often share in their speeches how they built resilience and determination. And in many of the stories, lessons from Mike Krzyzewski are at the core.
Mike Krzyzewski speaks at a Black Lives Matter rally on campus in the summer of 2020. Photo: Duke Athletics.
As a Black woman and behavioral health case manager in Duke University Hospital’s Emergency Department, Bonita McMorris has a keen understanding of the ills Krzyzewski referenced. In her work, she sees how the lack of access to health care, education and opportunity can leave Black citizens and families in crisis. She saw Krzyzewski’s video not long after it was released and was struck by his passionate, direct message. “I was pleased to know that Coach K had the feelings he has,” McMorris said. “He’s exactly right.” In the video, Krzyzewski, a West Point graduate, recited a line from the school’s cadet prayer. “Lord, help me choose the harder right, instead of the easier wrong,” Krzyzewski said.
Duke men’s basketball players, from left, Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones with Duke faculty member Ingrid Bianca Byerly. Photo courtesy of Ingrid Bianca Byerly.
“It’s always really heartfelt and inspirational, I can just hear Coach K’s voice in there,” said Byerly, who draws her own inspiration from the speeches. “When I hear some of them talk, I think ‘I cannot believe I have a job like this, where I can learn these wisdoms from people a fraction of my age.’” >>> continued on page 8
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Mike Krzyzewski speaks with his team at practice earlier this season. Photo: Duke Athletics.
Growing up in Lynchburg, Virginia, Becca Murphy watched plenty of ACC basketball and developed a deep respect for how Mike Krzyzewski led his teams. She admired how he took players from different backgrounds and built tight-knit teams with a unified sense of discipline and purpose. And when games got tense, and emotions ran high, Murphy appreciated how Krzyzewski’s teams never seemed to shrink from the moment, usually staying focused and calm when opponents were rattled. As a licensed practical nurse, Murphy often remembers the qualities Krzyzewski instills in his teams when facing her own trying times or important moments, such as caring for COVID-19 patients while working in a hospital in Idaho, or helping vulnerable patients in Duke’s Adult Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinic, where she’s worked since May of 2021. A big part of Murphy’s role in the clinic is caring for patients recovering from bone marrow transplants. Patients have depleted immune systems, so caring for them requires extreme discipline and attention to detail. It’s at these times when she’ll think of how Krzyzewski’s teams execute. “It doesn’t do you any good to freak out, that’s not going to help you think clearly,” Murphy said. “So, I’ll often think, ‘If Coach K were here, what would he say about what I’m doing?’”
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Mike Krzyzewski, fifth from left, takes part in the groundbreaking of the Emily Krzyzewski Center, which opened in Durham in 2006. Photo: University Communications. WORKING@DUKE
After successfully navigating the 2020-21 regular season with no players or coaches testing positive for COVID-19, the Duke men’s basketball team headed to the ACC Tournament last March hoping to collect marquee victories and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament field. But during the ACC Tournament, a positive test result by a member of the program brought about conversations among coaches, school officials and infectious disease experts about what needed to happen next. Duke Associate Professor of Medicine Dr. Cameron Wolfe, an infectious disease expert who serves as an advisor to Duke Athletics on COVID-19 matters, was part of the Zoom meetings and phone calls where these conversations unfolded. He recalled when Mike Krzyzewski opened the meeting with his insight, along with the health of Duke team
Mike Krzyzewski
members, Krzyzewski was equally concerned with Duke's opponents. No matter the decisions, he didn't want to jeopardize someone else’s season. Wolfe said that Krzyzewski’s selfless statement set the tone for discussions that eventually led to the decision to withdraw from the ACC Tournament, ending the season for the Blue Devils, who ultimately had several members of the program test positive. “I can’t tell you how refreshing and how much easier it made my thought process to have the coach say that, straight from the outset,” Wolfe said. “It’s reassuring to know that there’s a higher purpose here than just to win.”
By the Numbers
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USA Olympic gold medals as head coach
5
National championships
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Around 2008, Mike Krzyzewski spoke at an event in the airy lobby of North Pavilion. Several floors up, Jacqueline Tate and fellow housekeepers gathered by a railing and listened. “Some of the girls I was working with were Duke fans, so they wanted to watch,” Tate said. In his remarks, Krzyzewski told the story of his mother, Emily, who cleaned office buildings at night when Krzyzewski was growing up in Chicago. He spoke of his deep affection and respect for her and how, regardless of her work, she led a life of dignity.
Former players or staff members who are currently college head coaches
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Final Four appearances
15
ACC tournament championships
42
Seasons at Duke
68
Former players selected in NBA draft
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Celestina Torres, a housekeeper with University Environmental Services, cleans display cases in the Duke Basketball Museum. Photo: University Communications.
“He said no matter what position someone has, always treat them with respect,” said Tate, who didn’t know much about Krzyzewski prior to his talk. “That really spoke to me. I looked at him as a down-toearth, wholesome person with integrity. Once you know someone’s background and values, you look at them differently.” Over the next several years, Tate enrolled in Duke’s Professional Development Academy and moved into Duke Radiology, first as a scheduling assistant and now working at the reception desk. All these years later, Krzyzewski’s words about treating everyone with respect shape her interactions with patients and colleagues. “I work with thousands of people doing different jobs and we all need to work together,” Tate said. “So you’ve got to have respect for everyone, regardless of their story. Everybody’s human.”
NCAA tournament victories
1,170
Career victories entering 2021-22 season
155,700
Approximate undergraduate and graduate degrees awarded during Coach K’s tenure at Duke
By Stephen Schramm working.duke.edu
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How to Build Your Network in a Hybrid Work World
While COVID-19 changes interactions, colleagues still make connections
Cameo Hartz of the Pratt School of Engineering. Photo by Stephen Schramm.
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n early 2020, Cameo Hartz attended a four-day training workshop on professional coaching, a more formalized offshoot of the career advising field where she’d worked for more than a decade. She came away ready to learn more. “All these years, there was this community out there that aligned with my style, and I didn’t even know,” said Hartz, the Pratt School of Engineering’s assistant director of career services. “That was super inspiring.” Afterward, Hartz sought out a local chapter of a career coaching organization and looked forward to adopting new ways to approach her work at Duke. And then, COVID-19 arrived, but she still built a wide circle of colleagues and contacts during the pandemic. By limiting in-person gatherings, the pandemic presented a challenge for people looking to build or maintain networks. A Yale University study shows that, during the pandemic, most people’s professional networks shrunk by 16 percent. But Hartz proved that connections can be forged.
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“I’ve had to adopt new ways and not dwell on what could be, or what’s different,” Hartz said. Here’s how Hartz and others built networks in a hybrid work environment.
Embrace Virtual
COVID-19 forced most in-person professional conferences to move online. In addition to being safer, cost effective and accessible for a wide range of participants, virtual events proved useful for networking, too. Hartz first encountered many of the coaches she communicates with at an online conference in June of 2020. Greg Victory, the Fannie Mitchell executive director of the Duke Career Center, said that, despite missing the in-person element, attending virtual conferences in your field is an effective way to learn from new people. “I think they will probably stick around because it's super valuable to get people together who are interested in the same topics you are,” Victory said.
Speak Up
At an online meeting of coaches in higher ed in the summer of 2020, Hartz
asked a question about how to better serve international students. Immediately, several other attendees spoke up to say they had similar questions. This led to Hartz and other participants creating their own group that meets monthly to discuss best practices for international students and other topics, underscoring the importance of lending your voice to conversations that can grow into lasting connections.
Get Out There
Hired in the spring of 2020, every Duke connection Victory made came amid the pandemic. While he found value in virtual networking, he said that as in-person contact becomes safer, it’s important to meet face-to-face if possible. “Throughout everything, there is still a human desire to connect in person,” Victory said. “I hope, as we come out of this pandemic, we can do more of that.” By Stephen Schramm
Have a career or professional development story idea? Write working@duke.edu
A Big Crossword Stage
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Puzzle by mathematics associate professor appears in The New York Times
n a Saturday last
by the innovative challenges puzzle makers weave into their September, Adam works, Levine decided to try Levine was antsy making his own. Once he did, to get his hands he became hooked. on that day’s “Math research is my copy of The New favorite thing to do, but it can be York Times because of the frustrating and leave you stuck,” crossword puzzle. He didn’t said Levine, who has worked at have home delivery, and when he Duke since 2017. “So to be able ventured out to buy a paper, the to get away and have something newspaper was sold out. fun to play with is great.” A lifelong fan of crosswords, He enjoys making puzzles he had no intention of doing with larger riddles to be figured the puzzle. He knew all of the out once all of the clues are answers. After all, he wrote filled in, most of which can the thing. be found on his website, When he’s not researching knottygrids.blogspot.com. In or teaching topology – the study Adam Levine, associate professor in the Duke University Department of the summer of 2020, he built the of shapes of spaces – Levine Mathematics, holds the crossword puzzle he created for The New York Times. one that ended up in The New enjoys the challenge of stitching Photos by Stephen Schramm. York Times. together complicated knots of The puzzle’s 68 clues cover a wide range of topics. There’s words into crossword puzzles. And after having puzzles published 33 across, which asks for the 15-letter word for “The site of the online, or in math-focused publications, Levine had his first puzzle impact of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years appear in The New York Times, arguably the biggest stage for ago.” For 52 down, the puzzle simply asks for a three-letter word crossword puzzles, on a day reserved for the hardest ones. for “Quibble.” “I heard from family and friends, just my whole extended It took roughly a year after its submission for Levine’s puzzle circle,” said Levine, associate professor in the Duke Department of to be approved, edited and published. After that, Levine had to Mathematics. “I even heard from colleagues of mine in different wait a few weeks until his parents visited from New York to finally universities, people I mostly communicate with professionally but get his own copy of the puzzle in print. who noticed it in the paper.” “It is going to get framed, but it’s been a busy semester,” Levine’s crossword puzzle hobby goes back to childhood. Levine said. Once, while at summer camp, his grandfather sent him a letter in By Stephen Schramm the form of a crossword puzzle. Around four years ago, inspired
The Crossword If you want to try Adam Levine’s crossword puzzle, visit The New York Times: duke.is/pgtsq. You may need a subscription.
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Through It All,
Duke Nurses Stand by COVID-19 Patients
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nurse for 39 years, Mary Ann Fuchs can’t think of another time when she was prouder to be a nurse. During the pandemic, nurses have dedicated themselves in renewed efforts to the charge of providing the best care possible for patients. Fuchs is inspired by the seamless dedication Duke nurses have displayed as comforter, lifesaver, fill-in family member, and fearless caretaker. “We wouldn’t have gotten through the pandemic without nurses, not just locally, but across the country and around the world,” said Fuchs, vice president of Patient Care and system chief nurse executive for Duke University Health System. “There’s no doubt that nurses, like other people and other team members, rose to the occasion. They did whatever it took.” At Duke, approximately 1,300 of the 6,500 nurses at the three Duke hospitals have cared for COVID-19 patients in intensive, step-down, and progressive care units. Other nurses looked after patients in their clinics or filled roles in virus testing or administering vaccine doses. As the pandemic reaches its second-year anniversary, here are some of their stories.
Faith during uncertainty For 21 years as a Duke University Hospital nurse, Rose-Annie Ofori started and ended her workday at Duke University Hospital by praying. She prayed before leaving her house, before patient rounds and when she returned home. That didn’t change when the pandemic erupted. She just prayed that her patients and colleagues would survive coronavirus. Faith has kept Ofori grounded in the face of a deadly threat. “You have to have something to hold onto because you are losing everything,” said Ofori, who cared for COVID-19 patients in the Adult Medicine/Step-Down Unit, which treats
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Rose-Annie Ofori, clinical nurse at Duke University Hospital. Photo by Justin Cook.
people who need intermediate care but are stable enough to not require intensive care. “You don’t know the outcome of this process, so you have to have a higher power to hold on to.” After graduating from Winston-Salem State University in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, she joined Duke University Hospital, where she has typically worked with general adult patients. Since the pandemic, her duties have revolved around COVID-19, providing high levels of oxygen, medicine, and support for patients until they need critical care. Many times, she held a patient’s hand, closed her eyes, and prayed for their protection. Ofori has been inspired by the teamwork and dedication she has seen from nurses in her unit and how they cared for sick patients. “We played a very major role in this pandemic in the sense that we went there to take care of people when family can’t be
there,” Ofori said. “We stepped up, worked long hours, difficult hours. Some may say that this is what you’re paid for, but we do have a choice like everybody else. Though this is what we are paid for, we chose to stay in and do it. It shows the love we have for the job that made us stay at the bedside and do whatever we have to do to help others.”
An impulse to help Gillian Hayami has always had a desire to help in a crisis. When she was a kid, she dreamed of working on a disaster response team. After attending nursing school in her 30s, the pandemic arrived four years into her position at Duke Regional Hospital.
“My unit has stepped up over and over and over again,” Hayami said. “We’ve done everything within our capacity, short of cloning nurses and creating beds where there are none, to take care of everyone that we possibly can.”
Rekindling a love of nursing As the Delta variant surged over the summer, Reece Chapman got to know patients in the Progressive Care Unit at Duke Raleigh Hospital. Chapman cared for them, assisting with oxygenation, nursing interventions and other support until they needed a higher level of care. When a particular patient Chapman had gotten to know was taken to the ICU and placed on a ventilator, where they passed away, Chapman cried after work and sought comfort with his wife, Kellay, to ease his sadness and anger with COVID-19. “I haven’t fully processed it, but I know I keep frustration on top, so I don’t feel the grief,” said Chapman, who has worked as a nurse at Duke for five years. “There’s probably a healthy balance that I’m figuring out. But I’m feeling the grief, and the pain a little bit more for everybody.” In the time since, Chapman has focused on self-care such as listening to the jazz of John Coltrane or pushing his daughters in a swing in his backyard. At work, positive moments like decorating patient windows on birthdays have kept his spirits up.
Gillian Hayami, clinical nurse at Duke Regional Hospital. Photo by Justin Cook.
“I just see a crisis, and I want to run towards it to help,” said Hayami, a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit. “I think a lot of nurses would tell you the same thing, so when the crisis came to our communities, we were primed to respond.” In the ICU, Hayami has cared for intubated patients of all ages who have damaged lungs and need oxygen and sedation levels constantly maintained, and ventilators monitored around the clock. Many patients she saw, otherwise young and healthy, didn’t recover from their illness. “Death is a part of the ICU, but this is just different,” Hayami said. “For me and a lot of my colleagues, it just felt like it was really demoralizing.” But Hayami fought back, day after day, focusing her attention on the next patient and solving the next problem. She designed a retractable IV suspension system that strung tubes over a bed and out of a room, allowing nurses to change critical IV infusions without having to don personal protective equipment. The system allowed nurses to respond immediately to keep patients more stable and safer. She also coordinated a process that allows patients to have videos calls on iPads with loved ones.
Reece Chapman, clinical nurse at Duke Raleigh Hospital. Photo by Cornell Watson.
Despite long and difficult days, the public health crisis rekindled his early love for nursing, especially at Duke Raleigh. “COVID made me really fall in love with Duke Raleigh,” he said. “I re-realized how good the team was, not even just nursing, but also with the doctors being super involved from every level of our interdisciplinary team. It’s a special team and place. That’s the thing that brought me back and keeps me enjoying my job.”
By Jack Frederick
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Racial
Toward Justice
Fostering the Advancement of Black Faculty Duke’s ‘Black Think Tank’ gives faculty a forum to build connections
Assisted by then-Duke In 2017, Duke University student Allayne Thomas, the commemorated 50 years of Black group developed a website, faculty scholarship with a series of newsletters, and social media lectures. These events gave Gustavo feeds to share updates, interviews Silva, who had just joined Duke as and information on resources and an assistant professor of Biology, a events involving Black faculty. chance to connect with fellow Black The group organized virtual faculty members across campus. workshops and has hosted once“These people became personal a-semester mixers – which went friends, colleagues, mentors and virtual during the pandemic – people that I interact with a lot,” allowing Black faculty members Silva said. to catch up on what they’re Grateful for a chance to build a working on, or simply chat. network, Silva recognized that there When in-person events return, were likely other Black scholars the group plans to organize more at Duke still looking to create a opportunities. network. And he felt they shouldn’t Vice Provost for Faculty have to wait for a big anniversary Advancement Abbas Benmamoun celebration to do it. said that as Duke works to become That’s why Silva and Assistant Members of the Black Think Tank meet virtually. Photo courtesy of a more inclusive institution, the Professor of English Jarvis McInnis Gustavo Silva. ability of entities such as the Black created the Think Tank to provide an encouraging community for Black Black Think Tank, a platform to help faculty members will be crucial. Duke’s Black faculty scholars collaborate, While the university has increased its hiring of Black connect and support efforts to hire, faculty members – the total of non-medical faculty went from retain, promote, and advance Black 67 in Fall 2017 to 90 in Fall 2021 – there is still work to be colleagues. done. According to Duke’s campus climate survey released in “Our goal was not to create a November 2021, 10 percent of Black faculty members said they community, we knew there was one were satisfied with the racial or ethnic diversity of Duke’s faculty. here,” Silva said. “What we wanted to “What I really appreciate about initiatives like this is that, do was facilitate connections within that Gustavo Silva when a faculty member says ‘I want to do my part here to build community, especially for those who the sense of community,’ that tells me that these faculty feel come after us.” confident that Duke is a place where we can make progress on Three years since its creation with a seed grant from the these challenges,” Benmamoun said. “I want people to feel like Office of Faculty Advancement, the Black Think Tank has grown they have ownership of this place and that they can shape it.” into a valuable resource for the Black community at Duke.
By Stephen Schramm
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Learn more about the Black Think Tank at blackthinktank.duke.edu WORKING@DUKE
PERQS EMPLOYEE DISCOUNTS
A Discount to the
NORTH CAROLINA
SYMPHONY F
Photos: North Carolina Symphony
or the past eight years, a North Carolina Symphony concert has been an annual tradition for Bronwyn Bartle and her family. Each December, Bartle, her mother, aunt, husband and two sons dress in their holiday best and visit Meymandi Concert Hall at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh to enjoy the Holiday Pops concert. While taking in jolly orchestral music from her usual spot in the middle section of the 1,750seat venue’s balcony, the concert keeps Bartle connected with her own musical roots. “Way earlier in my life I used to play the cello, so I definitely love going to it,” said Bartle, a nurse practitioner who has worked at Duke for 22 years. “It has become a holiday tradition for us to go and listen to it; it’s fun.” Over the years, PERQS, the Duke staff and faculty discount program, has helped the Bartle family make fond memories. While each North Carolina Symphony regular-price ticket is $60, Duke employees receive a discount that makes each ticket $42. With six tickets to buy, the discount of $18 per person makes a difference. “With that many people going, we’re essentially getting more than two tickets for free using the discount.” Bartle said. “Anytime you can have a perk or a discount, it’s great to make that a little bit more affordable.” Duke staff and faculty can purchase discount tickets to the Classical and Pops performances through this year as the North Carolina Symphony returns to in-person performances. Classical performances include the compositions of Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Beethoven, Gershwin and more. The Symphony will also host “Dancing in the Street: Music of Motown” in February; “ABBA: The Concert” in April; and “Women Rock” in May. For the schedule and discount tickets, visit ncsymphony.org/duke. By Jack Frederick
Find Discounts Visit hr.duke.edu/discounts for a full list of savings at area businesses and vendors. Your NetID and password may be needed to access deals. working.duke.edu
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December 22, 2021 at 4:45 PM •
Our imaging team members engaged in a little friendly holiday competition to see who could build the best Gingerbread house. Congratulations to our Radiology team and their winning Whoville house! Duke Health | Working@Duke | #holidayfun
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When @QuiAnne_SyMone isn’t holding me accountable to be my best self, she’s helping @DukeU students and staff embrace wellness. Duke, like me, is so lucky to have her! Working@Duke
@WorkingatDuke · Jan 4
Blue Devil of the Week: By creating opportunities for the @DukeU community to embrace wellness, QuiAnne’ Holmes helps students and employees weather stressful moments. http://ow.ly/36KL50HmGVp @DukeWellness @Duke_SA @DukeStudents #HealthyDuke
Celebrate Work Accomplishments Amid pandemic challenges, teams build resilience and camaraderie by savoring wins. duke.is/puqup New Year, New Career Goals As skills evolve in 2022, here’s how some colleagues are charting paths forward. duke.is/ns4d6 An Empathetic Ear Duke Center for Healthcare Safety and Quality Peer Support Program helps health staff weather challenges. duke.is/batab
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