The UAB Medicine 2022 Pulse Survey identified high distress and burnout across UAB for faculty and staff. After a review of the results, the Department of Medicine (DOM) created a Task Force for Wellness (TFW) to explore and address concerns specific to our work environment. We surveyed all faculty and staff in the department to solicit broad input of concerns.

Data Collected:

In 2023, the following concerns were brought up across all subcommittees, pertaining to faculty and staff, and consequently, were deemed high-priority areas for the department:

• Salary: need for transparency in salary, be market-competitive, assess for changes in workload, and ensure pay disparities are addressed

• Recognition and Advancement: need to promote retention with recognition of effort, and to create pathways for advancement

• Workload: need to intentionally and proactively manage workload demands, including coverage needs, to decrease the burdens of overwork

• Leadership Development: need to systematically assess leaders and allow opportunities to provide them feedback; provide opportunities for existing leaders and those seeking leadership roles to develop leadership skills

• Culture and Engagement: need to engage department employees in their work, communicate changes to those impacted, ask for and include employee input; ensure bi-directional communication in Divisions and Department, ensure department provides support to all

In addition, the following areas were noted to be high priority areas due to the barriers for efficient and meaningful work and high frustration levels:

• Inadequate and inconvenient parking for staff

• Delays and barriers to research throughput by the OSP and IRB

• Delays, inefficiencies, and barriers to clinical care by current processes with the Access Center, appointment templates hindering patient access, and an overwhelming number and complexity of portal messages

Introducing the Wellness Council

Our Wellness Council is led by two co-chairs, representing DOM staff and faculty to advance the priority areas highilghted by the Task Force. 

Joshua Stripling, MD — Faculty Representative Co-Chair of the DOM Wellness Council
Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases

Kaitlyn Waugaman, MPH, RDN, LDN — Staff Representative Co-Chair of the DOM Wellness Council
Program Manager, Division of General Internal Medicine and Population Science

Our Wellness Council Members:

1. Carmen De Miguel, PhD, MS, Assistant Professor, Division of Nephrology

2. Madeline Eckenrode, MD, Assistant Professor (Medicine/Pediatrics), Division of General Internal Medicine and Population Science

3. Brandy Collins-Freiger, C-TAGME, Supervisor – Education Admin, DOM Housestaff Office

4. Bernadette Johnson, Manager – Clinical Research Administration & Research and Informatics Service Center Research Director, Division of Infectious Diseases

5. Audrey Landry, RN, Clinical Care Coordinator, Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics and Palliative Care Medicine

6. Song Ong, MD, Associate Professor, Division of Nephrology

7. Rita Paschal, MD, Associate Professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology

8. Brianna Patterson, MPH, Program Director I, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Gender Health Clinic

9. Kaylea Phillips, BSN, RN, Nurse Supervisor, Cardiac Electrophysiology, The Kirklin Clinic

10. Kirk Russ, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

11. Jessica Thomas, MBA, Director of Finance, Department of Medicine

12. Lakeshia Caldwell, Administrative Associate, Department of Medicine, (Staff Support for Wellness Council)