1 September 17 is National Physician Suicide Awareness Day
Physicians are at a higher risk for suicide and suicidal ideation than the general population, and we are also less likely to seek mental health treatment – due to both real and perceived barriers. Even if you have not personally experienced mental health challenges, we are all deeply impacted by the loss of colleagues, friends and family members to suicide. Fortunately, there are actions we can all take to help prevent suicide. Today, September 10, is the beginning of National Suicide Prevention Week, and our colleagues in the Faculty Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) have planned events focused on breaking the silence around physician mental health and how to help a colleague in crisis. Please attend these events if you can, and remember that comprehensive resources are available all year long. Thank you for taking care of yourselves and each other.
2 Strong engagement in this year’s
engagement survey
The completion rate for this year’s annual SOM engagement survey was 60%, exceeding our goal of 55%. I want to thank each and every one of you who completed the survey, and thanks to our leaders who encouraged your teams to participate! These data will provide solid, actionable insights into how we’re doing. We look forward to sharing results and trends with SOM department leaders once the aggregate information is provided to us by Press Ganey.
3 Thank you to our Women in Medicine
September is the American Medical Association’s Women in Medicine month, created to recognize the growing number and critical contributions of women in our profession. And in fact, this year’s incoming MD class is 71% women! I want to personally thank and acknowledge the women faculty, residents and students of Emory School of Medicine who are leading the way and transforming how we practice medicine.
4 How to prepare for the upcoming
respiratory virus season
In my role as IDSA President, I hosted this podcast in which I discuss what we can expect for the upcoming respiratory virus season with Meghan Pennini, PhD, the Chief Vaccines and Therapeutics Officer for H-CORE (the HHS Coordination Operations and Response Element) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at HHS. Listen to the podcast.
5 Congratulations on FY23 research funding
By now you have heard that Emory University passed the $1B milestone in sponsored research awards. A large percentage of that total is thanks to the researchers in the School of Medicine who secured more than $700 million. That number reflects an incredible effort by our researchers and our staff who support the research mission, and I am grateful. But it is much more than a dollar amount. It represents an increase in our ability to make groundbreaking discoveries and improve lives–and that is why we are all here. Thank you for all you do.