IN THE INTERIM...
PETER CAHN
Assoc Provost & Interim Dean, SHRS
When Provost Alex Johnson asked me to serve as interim dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, he also appointed me co-chair of the search committee to find a permanent dean. Talk about aligning incentives!
The dual roles have made me committed to strengthening the SHRS community so that the dean role is attractive to prospective candidates. At the same time, I’m motivated to conduct a fair and efficient search so that the school can welcome the full-time leader it deserves.
The search began over the summer with the development of a leadership profile. We engaged the Mass General Brigham Department of People and Organizational Development (did you know we have one of those?) to meet with groups of stakeholders about what they see as success in the dean’s role. The consultants then synthesized the findings into a report highlighting common themes from the focus groups. The five qualities that came up most frequently as attributes of a successful dean were:
- Visionary leadership
- Networking and brand building
- Attending to the tripartite mission of academics, clinical, and research
- Business and financial planning
- Driving equity and inclusivity
Sarah Welch, co-chair of the search committee, and I then invited members of the SHRS community, the larger Institute, and our clinical partners to join the search committee. We met in September to finalize the leadership profile and develop a strategy for outreach. The colleagues who have agreed to bring their perspectives and expertise to reviewing the field of applicants are:
Co-Chairs:
Peter Cahn, PhD, Assoc Provost & Interim Dean, SHRS
Sarah Welch, MBA, Assoc VP of Human Resources
MGB:
Lynne Brady Wagner, MA, CCC-SLP, HEC-C, Chief Learning Officer, Spaulding Rehab Network
Institute Leadership:
Jack Gormley, EdD, Dean of Student Services
Tia Harris, Director of Budgets & Planning
SHRS Leaders:
Maureen Flynn, MS, GCG, MPH, Chair,, Genetic Counseling
Josh Merson, MS, MS-HPEd, PA-C, CAQ-EM, Assoc Chair, PA Studies
SHRS Faculty:
Teresa Kimberley, PhD, PT, FAPTA, Director, Brain Recovery Lab; Director PhD in Rehab Sciences
Keshrie Naidoo, PT, DPT, EdD, OCS, Asst Prof PT
Student:
Maya Fields, OT
Staff:
Joanna Duggan, Asst to the President
We opted not to use an outside search firm as the Institute did for previous dean searches because we wanted the candidates to hear directly from us about the role’s potential. We scoured lists of professional associations, journals, university websites, and fellowships to generate a list o245 potential candidates and sent each one an invitation to apply. We also posted the position on higher education and health profession-specific job boards. If potential applicants responded with questions, I met with them individually on Zoom to provide context.
After two months of recruitment, we have received 20 applications for the dean position, a healthy number that reflects the appeal of the position. The next step is for committee members to rate each applicant based on the criteria spelled out in the leadership profile. In early December, we will meet to review our average scores and invite a subset of the applicant pool to participate in one-hour Zoom interviews later in December.
It is the committee’s intention before the winter break to narrow the interview list to a smaller number of finalists whom we will invite to campus in the new year for visits with stakeholders. I hope you will participate fully in welcoming them and getting to know their visions for the School. Once everyone weighs in on the finalists, the committee will make a recommendation to Alex Johnson, who will extend the offer to one of them to begin serving as the Dean of SHRS by summer 2022.
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Dr Nara Gavini Appointed Associate Provost for Research
The Institute has recently undergone a period of significant growth in research with over fifty active grants in its portfolio that exceed a total value of $25 million. As part of that growth, Dr. Nara Gavini, PhD, was recently appointed Associate Provost for Research at the IHP. In this role, Dr. Gavini oversees research at the Institute with the goal of enhancing the Institute's scholarly contributions. His work includes supporting faculty research, grants, awards, and funding opportunities, and increasing collaborations among IHP faculty and others across the MGB system. The Research Office, through Dr. Gavini’s leadership, has already implemented new initiatives such as gap funding, faculty bonus policies, COVID grants, and programs for minority faculty.
Another initiative is our Research Mentoring program which seeks to pair new researchers with experienced counterparts to expedite the processing of grant funding. Since its inception in 2018, fifteen faculty have joined with seven of the initial cohorts receiving external grants and promotions within their respective departments.
Prior to working at the Institute, Dr. Gavini was a principal investigator with the National Science Foundation, NIH, and USDA grants. He was also a former chief of the NIH Office of Extramural Programs at the National Institute of Nursing Research and chair of its diversity programs.
Dr. Gavini is an invaluable resource to all of us in SHRS. His experience, training, and network enable us to grow our research impact, and to provide for new collaborations and opportunities. Reach out to Dr. Gavini with your research questions and scholarly ideas.
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Caldwell Lecture on Social Determinants of Health
Jan 19, 5:30-7:30pm
The Ann W. Caldwell President’s Lecture: Interprofessional Rounds will take place on Wednesday, January 19 from 5:30-7:30pm. It will be a virtual event. The Zoom link will be released closer to the actual date of the event.
Social determinants of health (SDoH) are defined by Healthy People 2030 as the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality of life outcomes and risk. Healthy People 2030 has grouped SDOH into 5 domains:
- economic stability
- education access and quality
- health care access and quality
- neighborhood and built environment
- and social and community context
The purpose of this year’s rounds will be to gain a broader understanding of how social determinants particularly outside the context of health care impact health and well-being and to explore ways in which health professionals can consult or partner with non-clinician community team members who work to address health inequities.
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Applications for Dean's Office Research Grants Due Jan. 30th
Applications for the next round of Research Grants are due by Jan. 30th, 2022.
The purpose of the SHRS Dean's Office Research Grants is to support research and scholarship in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, which increase the likelihood of peer-reviewed dissemination. Preference will be given to applicants with projects in the scholarship of application and the scholarship of teaching and learning for whom external funds are not readily available. For eligibility, selection criteria, and application form, visit the SHRS Intranet page.
More information can be found here.
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Dean's Office Announces
Professional Development Matching Fund
The SHRS Dean’s Office recognizes that from time to time faculty and staff may seek training opportunities that exceed their annual allotment of professional development funds.
For these periodic requests, the Dean’s Office will make available up to five awards of $3000 per academic year as matching funds for registration, travel, accommodations and food. The current cycle application deadline is Jan. 30th.
Please visit the SHRS Intranet page for information on eligibility and to submit a request. You'll need to log in to the Intranet and make your way to the SHRS page.
More information can be found here.
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COACHING CORNER
In October, the SHRS Dean's Office rolled out a coaching initiative across our school. We introduced the coaching model with a discussion led by Sal Tagliareni, coach and author, and since then, have begun implementing coaching opportunities across our programs. Mike Boutin, a trained executive coach, is working one on one with 6 faculty and staff from SHRS, and in January, a group of 11 faculty and staff, led by Mike Boutin and Mary Ellen Ferolito, will begin a peer to peer coaching program, that will include monthly 90 minute sessions based on an article or video, discussion about coaching ideas and skills, and opportunities to work on coaching skills in a safe setting while getting feedback from facilitators and their peers. Spots are still available. Email Mike or Mary Ellen to sign up.
In upcoming issues of The Bridge, you'll find helpful articles and coaching tips here in our Coaching Corner. This month, we look at the personal and organizational benefits of coaching, thanks to the McLean Institute of Coaching:
Benefits of Coaching
The Personal Benefits of Coaching
The personal benefits of coaching are as wide-ranging as the individuals involved. Numerous clients report that coaching positively impacted their careers as well as their lives by helping them to:
- Establish and take action towards achieving goals
- Become more self-reliant
- Gain more job and life satisfaction
- Contribute more effectively to the team and the organization
- Take greater responsibility and accountability for actions and commitments
- Work more easily and productively with others (boss, direct reports, peers)
- Communicate more effectively
(source: Ken Blanchard Companies)
Coaching in organization and leadership settings is also an invaluable tool for developing people across a wide range of needs. The benefits of coaching are many; 80% of people who receive coaching report increased self-confidence, and over 70% benefit from improved work performance, relationships, and more effective communication skills. 86% of companies report that they recouped their investment on coaching and more (source: ICF 2009).
Coaching provides an invaluable space for personal development. For example, managers are frequently presented with employees struggling with low confidence. The traditional approach would be to send them to an assertiveness course and hope this addresses the issue. In the short-term, the employee learns new strategies for communicating which may improve confidence. Unfortunately, in isolation these courses rarely produce a sustained increase in confidence. Although external behavior may change; it needs to be supported by changes in their internal thought processes. This is often where coaching is most effective.
Managers should not underestimate the impact of coaching on their people as it frequently creates a fundamental shift in their approach to their work. For example, increased self-confidence enables employees to bring more of themselves into the workplace. This results in employees being more resilient and assertive.
The Benefits of Coaching in Organizations:
- Empowers individuals and encourages them to take responsibility
- Increases employee and staff engagement
- Improves individual performance
- Helps identify and develop high potential employees
- Helps identify both organizational and individual strengths and development opportunities
- Helps to motivate and empower individuals to excel
- Demonstrates organizational commitment to human resource development
(Retrieved from McLean Institute of Coaching https://instituteofcoaching.org/coaching-overview/coaching-benefits)
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SHRS AWARDS & RECOGNITION
This monthly feature in our newsletter will highlight awards and recognition for our students, faculty and staff. Follow @IHPResearch to learn more. Send news stories here.
Miguel Abreu, DPT ’22, received the Haley Cremer Memorial Scholarship from the American Physical Therapy Association of Massachusetts. The scholarship is given to an individual who demonstrates passion and dedication to school, to the profession of physical therapy, to helping others, and improving lives of those around them.
Congratulations to Gayun Chan-Smutko, MS, CGC, associate chair in the Department of Genetic Counseling, co-recipient of the Audrey Heimler Special Projects Award from the National Society of Genetic Counselors. The award will fund a year-long project in 2022, “Intra-Professional Anti-Racism Dialogue Series,” or IPADS, for 100 practicing genetic counselors across the U.S. This work will parallel the on-going Anti-Racism Dialogue series collaboratively headed by the team that also includes Annie Bao (Northwestern University), Amanda Bergner (Columbia University), and Janelle Villiers (Sarah Lawrence College).
Kristen Nunn, a student in our PHD in Rehab Sciences program has been awarded the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences (ANCDS) Conference Fellowship and the Gregory L. Lof Dissertation Support Fund award to support data collection for her dissertation research. Congratulations, Kristen.
Faculty and students from the Department of Occupational Therapy gave 16 presentations during the Massachusetts Association of Occupational Therapy's annual conference, held October 25-29. Read more about the research presented here.
Aimee Perron, PT, DPT ’07, NCS, CEEAA, an instructor of physical therapy, received the 2021 Professional Achievement Award from Sargent College at Boston University. The award recognizes the school’s alumni for using their education for the advancement of health and rehabilitation sciences. She also is a regional clinical director at Genesis Rehab Services.
Isabella Ravanesi, a 2nd year PA student, was awarded the National Health Service Corps Scholarship from the U.S. Health Resources & Service Administration. For two years of service in a HRSA-score approved site that's underserved, the scholarship will pay for tuition and school-related fees.
Ariel Schwartz, PhD, OT/L, an assistant professor of occupational therapy, received a Switzer Fellowship from the National Institute on Disability Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research. She will build on her previous research on peer mentoring for young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) and co-occurring mental health conditions. In this intervention program, young adults with IDD provide mentorship to support other young adults with IDD monitor their emotions and utilize coping strategies to reduce the impact of mental health symptoms. This specific study will focus on bolstering the skills of the peer mentors. This grant will also provide students with clinical learning opportunities, as they engage in research and support the peer mentors in their own roles as mentors.
Lesley Smith, PT, DPT ’08, MS, GCS, an instructor of physical therapy, was a panelist on “2021 Skills Workshops: Getting into Health Professional School and Succeeding Webinar” on October 7 as part of Harvard Medical School’s Office for Diversity, Inclusion & Community Partnership and the Biomedical Sciences Careers program.
Carla Tierney-Hendricks, a student in our PHD in Rehab Sciences program, has been awarded the ASHFoundation New Century Doctoral Scholarship. The prestigious award supports strong doctoral candidates pursuing a teacher-investigator career. Read more about Carla and the scholarship here.
Victoria Tilton-Bolowsky, a student in the PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences program and a lab member with the Cognitive Neuroscience Group, is the PI for the 2021 Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) Global Student Grant. “Incorporating strategy training into naming treatment to improve generalization in aphasia” is a one-year award which she will use to complete her dissertation.
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SHRS Equity Advocates
Recently, HR announced its latest cohort of Equity Advocates, including Maureen Flynn and Ann Seman from GC, Esther Ayuk, Suzanne Pennington, Megan Schliep, and Amanda Worek from CSD, and John Wong from OT.
Equity Advocates are specially trained members of faculty search committees who promote practices that mitigate bias and ensure fair treatment. Serving as an Equity Advocate is considered a service activity for both faculty and staff. Equity Advocates become effective champions of inclusive excellence across the MGH Institute community.
These new graduates join SHRS advocates from the first cohort: Emilie Larrivee & Indigo Young from CSD, Hailey Laflin from PT, Sarah McKinnon from OT, Mary Ellen Ferolito from the Dean's Office, and Allison Cirino from GC. Keshrie Naidoo is on the Curriculum and Steering Committee.
“I’ve been given an opportunity to grow and contribute to transparent, equitable hiring processes," said Sarah McKinnon, one of the inaugural cohort of Equity Advocates. "The role provides an important opportunity to serve the IHP, our faculty, staff and students. This institutional service role provides core skills translatable to clinical practice and other leadership roles.”
Contact Sarah Welch if you'd like to learn more about Equity Advocates, or to get involved.
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When Giving Is All We Have
Alberto Ríos, 1952-
One river gives
Its journey to the next.
We give because someone gave to us.
We give because nobody gave to us.
We give because giving has changed us.
We give because giving could have changed us.
We have been better for it,
We have been wounded by it—
Giving has many faces: It is loud and quiet,
Big, though small, diamond in wood-nails.
Its story is old, the plot worn and the pages too,
But we read this book, anyway, over and again:
Giving is, first and every time, hand to hand,
Mine to yours, yours to mine.
You gave me blue and I gave you yellow.
Together we are simple green. You gave me
What you did not have, and I gave you
What I had to give—together, we made
Something greater from the difference.
Retrieved from https://poets.org/poem/when-giving-all-we-have
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SHRS Dean's Office
Peter S. Cahn, PhD
Interim Dean, SHRS
pcahn@mghihp.edu
617-724-6138
Mary Ellen Ferolito
Asst Dean of Operations
mferolito@mghihp.edu
617-724-4841
Emile R "Mike" Boutin, Jr, EdD
Asst Dean for Faculty & Student Success
eboutin@mghihp.edu
617-726-8021
Comments about our newsletter? Article ideas?
Mike Boutin: eboutin@mghihp.edu
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