The NIH IC Well-Being Ambassadors believe in the concept of well-being - where the whole person comes to work. The ambassadors encourage fellow NIH employees to manage five aspects of their lives for their overall health: Financial, Physical, Social, Community, and Purpose/Career. The goal of the group is to positively impact staff health and wellness, starting with taking our own best healthy advice! In this issue, we would like to showcase what one IC has done to ensure the well-being of its staff was front and center during these last 15 months.
The Fogarty International Center (FIC) leadership has always been a strong advocate for employee well-being and work/life balance. The FIC Well-Being Ambassador, Alisha Sutton, has actively worked to promote total worker health practices into the FIC culture. In 2020, this was evident due to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and transitioning the entire FIC workforce to full-time telework. Mr. Dexter Collins, FIC Executive Officer, and nominee for the 2020 NIH Work/Life and Well-Being Champion NIH Director's Award, led several key initiatives which enabled staff to maximize their productivity and foster a balanced work/life.
As FIC staff transitioned to a 100% virtual environment, Mr. Collins and a small FIC Wellness Committee consisting of Alisha Sutton, Leonardo Garzon-Velez, Vivian Wang, and Myra Thomas, played key roles in the transition. They planned the rapid implementation of virtual working platforms across the Center to keep staff connected both internally and externally. One of the most impactful initiative was the establishment of the FIC Health and Wellness Program.
To keep staff connected and engaged in this new virtual world, a mini wellness campaigns and virtual activities were implemented. The committee worked with FIC senior leadership to increase the frequency of Center-wide meetings from quarterly to monthly and to host virtual engagement events. Mr. Collins and the FIC Deputy Director coordinated a popular activity, the FIC Garden Club, in the summer of 2020. In 2021, Mr. Collins and the FIC Wellness Committee coordinated a series of “FIC Fit-Exec -Virtual Wellness Activities" that are hosted by staff at all levels across the Center. In these informal lunchtime gatherings, staff displayed their gardens (or planters), shared healthy recipe tips, worked out, and enjoyed conversation. Programs emphasize physical activity, social engagement, good nutrition, meaningful connections, and heart-healthy habits. Staff feedback is incorporated for continued improvements, and staff continues to benefit from the programs.
This Total Worker Health initiative has had a major impact on maintaining and improving productivity across the IC. FIC leadership, Dr. Roger Glass, Dr. Peter Kilmarx and Dexter Collins, have all hosted and participated in many of the weekly wellness events. Having IC leadership's support has positively affected the FIC Wellness Committee's efforts to encourage supervisors and managers to promote workplace flexibilities.
FIC's Leadership truly embraces the NIH motto of “Taking Our Own Best Advice". They strive to be positive health role models, and by showing creativity in establishing their Health and Wellness Program. Launching the program as an IC-wide initiative has increased engagement and has demonstrated to the FIC community that Center leadership cares about their health and well-being, along with their individual contributions to the FIC mission.
