Staff & Faculty Morale Events

Our division of 32 faculty and almost 50 staff work on many research projects highlighting the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on minority populations. While clinicians continue to come into work each day, we are now 7 months into the work-from-home lifestyle that drastically shifted our work dynamic. This new environment put an unforeseen burden on the morale of our group - with everyone feeling more isolated. The joy of working with and seeing each other in person seems like days of the past. To provide some relief from these challenges, we hosted virtual events to come together for purely social purposes to have fun and try new things as a group. The four activities we participated in were True/False Greek History Game, Argentine Empanada Making Class, Brother’s Grimm Escape Puzzle, and an Italian Cooking Masterclass. Each person in our division signed up for one activity and was given a $25 Safeway gift card or a $25 Door Dash gift card to purchase ingredients or enjoy a meal during the event. We had a 60% participation rate and received rave reviews. It was much needed time for connection and an escape from the daily grind and collective national and global challenges.