Quoteworthy
At U of U Health, success means that patients get great care, and that takes teams of people. As leaders of teams—big or small—it’s your job to let your team know their work matters.
Christian Sherwood

Most Recent
Find the Right Words to Communicate Flexibility

Our work lives are changing as some of our homes once again become schools. The Effective Communicator reached out to HR experts Christian Sherwood and Rosemary Norton for advice about how managers can talk with their teams about being flexible with where, how, and when we work.

A Blueprint to Build a Successful Career in Academic Medicine

We all make lots of mistakes early on in our careers. Hospitalist and mentorship expert Valerie Vaughn sets us up for success by sharing her expertise on how to take control of your long-term career path.

The Power of Listening With Intent

Hearing a patient is one thing—but actively listening to patients with empathy, understanding, and awareness is another. Nurse practitioner and headache specialist Susan Baggaley explores three trust-building techniques she employs to build relationships.

Meeting Fatigue? Try These Tips

The Effective Communicator teams up with Joe Allen of the Center for Meeting Effectiveness to share three data-driven recommendations on how to improve your meeting effectiveness and reclaim control of your calendar.

Vulnerability Is Not Weakness—It’s Why Our Patients Trust Us

Dentist Gary Lowder has spent the past 36 years working with patients who suffer from jaw disorders that result in chronic pain. As faculty in the School of Dentistry, he’s passing along the power of vulnerability as a patient trust-building exercise with his trainees.

Four Ways Leaders Can Encourage Teams to Recover

Chief Wellness Officer Amy Locke shares practical strategies for leaders to address the real tension we’re feeling between the desire to take a break and the increasing workload.

Process Problem or Coaching Moment?

As leaders, we want to foster work environments that create safe and reliable care for patients and employees. Sounds easy, but its hard work! Chief Human Resources Officer Sarah Sherer coaches leaders from around the system on thinking through when it’s time to look at a process and when it’s time for coaching an employee.

Are Leaders Still Readers?

Reading is an essential leadership skill. But with so many distractions—Netflix, social media—reading may be on the decline. James Neider, clinical operations manager, shares strategies for adopting a reading habit that will make you a better leader.

How to Lead Virtual Meetings

The role of the meeting leader takes on new prominence in virtual spaces like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. The Effective Communicator joins Antonius Tsai to discuss how you can make the transition from presenting content to leading and shaping a space that builds connection and purpose.

Cultivating Organizational Culture: A New Approach

Director of Organizational Development Chris Fairbank introduces WE CARE—a model for leaders that focuses on what makes their teams unique so they can enhance and sustain a stronger organizational culture.

What It’s Really Like To Teach Something New Every Day

COVID-19 has brought a new challenge to the work of continuous learning in health care: how to teach new information when it is constantly changing and emotions run high. As nurse educators for the emergency department, the pulmonary and palliative care unit, and outpatient clinics, Emma Gauci, Paige Wilson, and Sarah Smith have been thrown into an educator’s quandary: how to help staff feel as knowledgeable and supported as possible.

Breaking Down the Compassion Wall

Hospitalist Ryan Murphy reflects on the care his dad received as one of Utah’s first hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The experience shaped how he communicates with patients—whether or not they have COVID—in spite of isolation, masks, and physical distancing.