The GI Professional Development and Wellness group was created to develop effective strategies to enhance well-being and successful work-life integration among faculty and fellows.
We have developed a variety of activities throughout the year, including Wellness Grand and a 1st-year fellowship retreat.
Gastroenterology Wellness Lecture Series
There have been a variety of wellness lecture topics presented throughout the years. Topics cover a wide range, including disparities, bias in medicine, social media, relaxation techniques such as yoga and mindfulness, ergonomics in endoscopy, empathy, burnout prevention, nutrition, etc.
First-Year Fellows Retreat
The retreat focuses on reflecting and reconnecting with individual purpose and with one another. The retreat takes place on a Friday in January every year. It includes multiple activities such as inviting a patient to share how fellows impacted their care, re-reading personal statements, sharing positive attributes of one another, fellow/faculty speed dating to discuss work-life balance, board games to facilitate reflections on the ups/downs of the fellowship, and a Chai tea-making lesson. Second- and third-year fellows cover clinical duties the night before, on the day of the retreat, and the following weekend, allowing first-year fellows to rest and spend distraction-free time together.
