At the recent MedStar Health Research Institute (MHRI) Fall Town Halls, associates gathered at three of our locations to be informed and engaged with what’s taking place across the MedStar Health System. Thank you to all the Research Institute associates that joined us at University Town Center, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, and MedStar Washington Hospital Center to connect with other associates and learn about the latest endeavors at the Research Institute.
Thank you to Joan Bardsley, Karen Wade, and Lauren Moffat for sharing an impactful safety moment that focused on associate safety. The tools used to keep patients safe, including HRO principals, can be applied to associate situations as well. Four key points in associate safety are:
- Be mindful: Keep spaces neat and clean to avoid slips, trips, and falls.
- Be the voice: Report workplace violence. Workplace violence of any kind is not tolerated and is NOT part of the job.
- Be safe when handling patients: Always use safe patient handling equipment when transferring, lifting, or moving patients.
- Be smart with sharps: Prevent sharps injuries with preparation, and by activating the safety devices and disposing of sharps with care.
The main portion of the town hall was dedicated to a deep dive into two sections of the FY 2019 operating plan. Each year, the Research Institute creates a Plan on a Page, based on the strategic goals for the year. The plan looks both outward and inward to develop goals for all of the Research Institute. All MHRI associates are provided the plan-on-a-page by their manager. If you did not receive a copy, you can download a digital version here.
Building on work that was presented at a recent MHRI Board of Director’s Meeting, Dr. Weissman shared what the future of big data and artificial intelligence may look like for research at MHRI in the future. MHRI has great opportunity to be on the front line as the place to test these innovations in a real-world healthcare setting.
Dr. Weissman shared an update on the Office of Research Integrity. The department is in the process of rejuvenating their current processes, recruiting a new director, and working with Georgetown to implement a new eIRB system that will be going live this month. You can learn more about the new Georgetown-MedStar IRB System here.
Thank you to all who made a contribution to The Power to Heal campaign. These funds go towards the New Investigator Fund which supports scientific research by new MedStar Health investigators. If you haven't made a donation yet, there is still time. Donations are being accepted until the end of the year.
Our HR Business Partner provided associates with information regarding professional development, educational assistance, annual open enrollment, flu shots, and the SiTEL mandatory trainings in an effort to keep associates up to date with matters that need attention. Explore all of your benefits and HR information in one place with myHR at www.myHRMedStar.net. For general HR inquiries and assistance, you may also contact the HR Solution Center at AskMyHR@EHR.com or 1-855-674-6947.
You can download a PDF of all the slides from the town hall on StarPort here.
Research would not be possible without our associates and without the patients who participate. Thank you for being a part of our vision to advance health through research.
