Five Years After COVID: What We Carry Forward

Leon King

Senior Director of Supply Chain, Duke University Health System

“Trust your team, they're stronger than you think.”

In the earliest days of the COVID pandemic, Leon King’s roughly 40-person team was tasked with ensuring the caregivers of Duke Raleigh Hospital had the protective equipment they needed. With supplies such as N95 masks, isolation gowns, and PAPRs – or small air-purifying respirators – in short supply, it was a tall task.

In the weeks that followed, King’s team developed its own systems for keeping tabs on the amount of supplies on hand, protocols for efficiently distributing masks, rounding plans to stay ahead of the needs of each unit and an approach to handling the COVID units that limited the risk of exposure for team members.

“If you have a good team, you will be amazed at how they can take your plan, break it down, build it back up to match the resources you have, and execute it in a manner that’s better than you can imagine,” said King, who now heads supply chain operations for Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital and several Duke Health clinics. “That’s what happened.”

Minerva Matos-Garner

Communications Strategist, Department of Computer Science

“Continue to grow and learn. Stay ready to adapt to changes, and keep looking for ways that change can contribute to your growth.”

In 2020, Matos-Garner, then a Communications Consultant with the Pratt School of Engineering’s Graduate Communications and Intercultural Programs team, saw how the stress caused by the pandemic and racial injustice weighed on international students she worked closely with.

In the years since, Matos-Garner, who joined the Department of Computer Science in 2022, said she has become a more effective advocate for students by focusing on providing support and perspective as well as academic guidance.

Erik Wurst

Financial Management Analyst, Office of Interdisciplinary Finance & Administration

“Be flexible in your approach to this new work and life dynamic. Do your best to foster relationships with your colleagues, even if you aren't in the office as much.”

After feeling siloed in the early days of pandemic-era remote work at his previous job, Wurst, who has worked for the Office of Interdisciplinary Finance & Administration since 2022, has made it a point to build connections with the five other people on his fully remote team.

Wurst, who also works fully remote, organized standing one-on-one Zoom check-ins where the conversation veers from purely work topics and in-person quarterly team lunches at locations around the Triangle.

Rena Springer

Program Coordinator, Duke/NCCU Army ROTC

“Don't take anything for granted. Do what you can do now instead of waiting for a ‘better time.’ Show more appreciation for those around you, especially those who may be experiencing stress that you may not be able to see.”

Springer was a staff assistant in the Duke University Hospital Emergency Department in 2020. Working remotely during the lockdown while providing administrative support to caregivers serving on the front lines underscored the value of both the freedoms many often take for granted and the people who put themselves in danger to help others.

As a result, Springer, who works remotely two days per week for Duke/NCCU Army ROTC, makes it a point to savor moments of joy, such as getting to hold her young grandson.

Helen Wu

Staff Assistant, Department of Radiology

“Keep journaling and meditating when you are irritated. Try thinking how you could stay mindful.”

In the spring of 2020, Wu was caring for her 5-month-old son, Naveen, and preparing to remotely defend her dissertation for her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration at North Carolina State University, all while she was in China waiting on visa paperwork.

Surrounded by stress, Wu began ending each day journaling about things she was grateful for and taking time to shut down external stressors through meditation, a habit that Wu, who works remotely three days per week, said she continues to practice.

Jenny Cook

Associate Director, Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities & History of Medicine

“You will rise to the occasion and make it through with a lot to be proud of.”

With plenty to learn about COVID and how to combat it, the Duke Clinical Research Institute saw a sharp rise in the number of research projects in 2020. That meant that Cook, then a DCRI Research Communications & Engagement Project Manager, and her colleagues had to balance heavy workloads with the pandemic-related upheaval of their personal lives.

Looking back at the trials and studies she had a hand in leaves Cook, who works on-site with the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities & History of Medicine, feeling confident to face whatever challenges she may face.

Ken Mitchell

Web Designer, Duke Global Health Institute

“Don't take it for granted that the life and schedule and routine you're living will always be there. Look for the silver linings when everything is upended.”

The shift from working on-site to fully remote during the pandemic left Mitchell struggling to adjust to a life that suddenly felt off-kilter. But in the years since, he’s found ways to carve out time to get exercise, connect with colleagues virtually and come to enjoy the flexibility a fully remote work life provides.

Amber Richmond

Clinical Risk Manager, Duke University Health System

“I would tell myself to make an intentional effort to be present. I'd also tell myself to make my mental, physical and emotional health a priority. What the past five years has taught me the most is that I must take care of myself before anything else.”

In 2020, Richmond, who now works remotely two days per week for Duke University Health System, was dealing with the upheaval of a job change and stress related to the pandemic. Realizing she needed to refocus on mental and emotional well-being, she sought the help of a therapist and made it a point to do things that brought her peace and fulfillment, such as keeping touch with family and friends, reading and spending time outside, things she continues to do.

Keyaria Gray

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Duke Department of Pediatrics

“Uncertainty is uncomfortable, but flexibility can bring new possibilities.”

Early in the pandemic, Gray was working in private practice as a Neonatologist in Texas and was unsure how to effectively serve her young patients and their families while trying to stay safe from COVID. By embracing new technologies – such as using telehealth for quick consultations – and staying up to date with rapidly evolving treatments and safety protocols, Gray, a practicing Neonatologist at Duke University Hospital since 2022, said she and her fellow caregivers have opened up new avenues that have improved care in a post-pandemic world.

Casey Collins

Director of Utility & Energy Management Services, Duke Facilities Management

“Take all of the good social skills, connections, community support, friends and resources you have, and put your energy into doubling that. Your wealth and your happiness will be measured in those connections much more than money or stuff.”

Collins struggled to navigate the isolation of the early months of COVID lockdown and the difficulties that came from family members battling unrelated health issues.

In time, he came to appreciate the nourishing energy that can be found from spending time with friends, bonding with colleagues and creating connections with the wider community, all things he said he’s been more intentional about doing post-pandemic.

Sharon White

Senior Director of Leadership Annual Giving, Duke Health Development & Alumni Affairs

“Prioritize your well-being. Mental health is just as important as physical health. Make time for self-care, whether it’s through exercise, meditation, or pursuing hobbies that spark joy. Don’t hesitate to reach out for support – it’s a sign of strength, not weakness.”

Adjusting to a remote schedule while also dealing with an ailing hip and a mother who suffered from health problems that left her especially vulnerable to COVID complications forced White to double-down on her self-care habits during the pandemic.

In the years since, White, who works remotely three days per week,, kept those habits up, finding balance by starting each day reading a devotional and journaling, and becoming a regular at pool therapy classes at the Duke Health & Fitness Center.

Meta Kuehn

Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry

“Cherish the extra time you got with your close family. Develop good habits of getting outside and fresh air during the day.”

Kuehn, who works on-site, can easily remember the fear and profound sense of loss that came with the onset of the COVID.

In addition to pausing the work of her lab exploring how bacteria behaves, Kuehn had to see her four children – one college student and three high school students in 2020 – have their lives upended. Mixed in with the challenges were some warm memories of her whole family being under one roof, such as their daily walks and afternoon catch-up sessions after everyone’s virtual work and schoolwork were done.

Paul Burtner

IT Analyst, Office of Academic Solutions and Information Systems

“Take a chance on yourself – you can be much happier with your work and life if you are willing to step outside of your comfort zone.”

Not long after the pandemic began, Burtner was let go from the IT job he had at a manufacturing company in the Triangle for roughly two decades.  When Burtner learned about a job opening at Duke, he hesitated. Switching industries and mastering a new coding language seemed like a challenging transition. Now enjoying his fourth year working remotely with Duke’s Office of Academic Solutions and Information Systems, Burtner is happy he took the chance.