Faculty and staff working in areas as intellectually diverse as sickle cell disease and history, and data management and ambulatory surgery were honored by Duke University and Health System at the annual Teamwork and Diversity Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
President Richard H. Brodhead congratulated the winners of the awards -- two teams and two individuals -- for outstanding accomplishments in the name of teamwork and diversity, two of Duke's hallmark guiding principles. But Brodhead also noted the enormous pride he takes in finding these values displayed across the institution.
"Wherever you go in this great University, you find a superior level of intelligence, considerateness and humanity," he said. "It is clear that unit by unit, people all over Duke are following the same compass. We hold these winners up today in order to hold up the values that everyone at Duke is committed to."
Diversity Award
Each year, the university presents the Diversity Award to two individuals who demonstrate a respect and value for differing backgrounds and points of view. The award is a crystal bowl and $750 check.
The 2009 winners are:
Sucheta Mazumdar
Associate Professor of History
For 15 years, Professor Sucheta Mazumdar has provided a social and academic center for Asian American students at Duke. She mentors the Chinese American Intercollegiate student group, and is an adviser for the master's program in the Asian Pacific Studies Institute. Her courses include vibrant offerings such as a research service-learning component to her course, "Asians in the Americas: From 9th Street to Main Street," in which students research the dynamics of immigrant workers and minority enterprise in Durham and present their findings to fraternities, public schools and libraries. She organized a book drive at Duke and sent over 20,000 books schools and universities in Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami. As an activist and academic, Mazumdar is well known at City Hall for her efforts to improve city services in her neighborhood.
"In every way one can think, Sucheta Mazumdar has worked to bring Asian Americans into the mainstream of Duke University academic life, graduate studies, undergraduate life, and Durham community life."
-- Nominator Sarah Deutsch, professor, Department of History
Dr. Laura M. DeCastro Clinical Director, Adult Sickle Cell Center
Laura DeCastro demonstrates her commitment to diversity in the people she works with and the people she treats. A native of the Dominican Republic, she has chosen as her life's work the study and treatment of sickle cell disease, a congenital disease that in the U.S. primarily affects African Americans. She has developed Duke's program into a nationally recognized center that is forging new ground to help patients and families cope with this disease. In the process, she has recruited and supported talented physicians and staff from around the world and created a diverse, multicultural staff at the Duke sickle cell center that clearly fosters a culture of diversity.
"With employees whose heritage is African-American, African, European, Egyptian, Haitian, Caucasian, and Indian all working together in harmony like a family, Dr. DeCastro's commitment to diversity is well demonstrated."
-- Nominator Dr. Regina Crawford, Medical Instructor, Division of Hematology
Teamwork Award
Each year the university presents the Teamwork Award to two teams that involve employees from different departments or units who collaborate on significant efforts that advance Duke's goals or mission. The award consists of a plaque with the team name, and a $1,000 check to be used for an activity the team chooses. The 2009 winners are:
Fitzpatrick East Data Center Planning, Design and Construction Team
In 2005, the data centers for the university and health system were each in spaces insufficient to meet expanding needs. In an exceptional spirit of cooperation, a team of 31 individuals from more than six departments planned, designed and found funding to build a shared data center, rather than continue with separate facilities. The project presented opportunities to demonstrate teamwork: two information technology departments agreed on common procedures, policies and vendors; two financial teams coordinated funding and accounting procedures; and two facilities management groups agreed on design and support.
The new data center, completed in August 2009, covers 12,250 square feet in the Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences, provides services every day of the year with enough power and redundancy to guarantee 99.982 percent reliability.
"More than anything else, I believe the people who worked on this project have created an environment for sharing of best practices, open dialogue, and respects for each others' opinions that will help Duke perform at its best, and that is the true value of teamwork."
-- Nominator Tracy Futhey CIO and vice president, Office of Information Technology
Customer Service Committee, Davis Ambulatory Surgical Center
Meeting patients needs, and keeping them highly satisfied, is a team effort at which the Davis Ambulatory Surgical Center excels -- and much of the credit goes to the Customer Service Committee. This six-member team represents all departments within DASC, and regularly reviews projects and plans to ensure that patient satisfaction remains high on the priority list for everyone. The results are clear: in Press Ganey patient satisfaction surveys, DASC's ranking rose from the 84th percentile in 2008 to the 97th percentile in 2009, and to the 99th percentile in the first period of fiscal year 2010.
These results were supported by efforts such as the creation of a welcome package that includes contact information for all departments within DASC and a card that every person who takes care of the patient signs. The committee also encouraged staff members to wear a "Strive for 5" button, which generated questions from patients and offered an opportunity for staff to engage in conversation about the health system's customer satisfaction surveys.
"Not only does the Customer Service Committee work as a team, but they clearly place the satisfaction of our patients above personal goals and accept responsibility and accountability in meeting our goals as a health system."
-- Nominator, Hope Mangum, RN, Director, Davis Ambulatory Surgical Center