Professional Development

Flourish Hour, held monthly on Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. via Zoom, works to support department members in flourishing in their careers and personal lives. Sessions may include a variety of topics that relate to our department’s strategic priorities, as well as topics such as finding passion in your work, how to utilize time management strategies, and how to live a healthier life.

These sessions are recorded and can be accessed on the Department of Pediatrics Intranet.

2024-2025 Schedule

September 26: Getting Involved in Elections || Laura Houser, MD, Juli Aulik, Matt Phair, T. J. Clark, JD,  and Art Saffran

October 24: Wellbeing || Mala Mathur, MD, MPH,  Marianna Shershneva, MD, PhD, and Shandra Bauer

November 21: Passion and Purpose ||  Sarah Airozo, Adam Bauer, MD,

and Kennedy Fuglseth, DO

January 23: Surviving Cabin Fever || Nikki St Clair, MD, MS, Julene Gaspard, and Ebba Hjertstedt, MD, MS

February 27: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Priorities in SMPH and UW Health || Mary Ehlenbach, MD,  & Shiva Bidar-Sielaff

June 26: TBD || TBD

Coaching circles are intended to support department members’ ability to meet the ongoing uncertainties and challenges within the healthcare system, research, and larger society. They help cultivate a supported space to feel and voice what is hard, connect to our strength and creativity, and create community. Sarah Webber, MD, associate professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine and Complex Care, director of well-being in the Department of Pediatrics, and certified coach, will facilitate these sessions.

Visit the Department of Pediatrics Intranet for more information (NetID required for login).

2025 Schedule

• Friday, March 21, noon–12:50 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 23, 8–8:50 p.m.
• Friday, May 16, noon–12:50 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 18, 8–8:50 p.m.

Registration is required to participate.

Date: Thursday, October 17 || Zoom

Speaker: Casey Lion, MD, MPH, associate professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine

Overview: In this 90 minute workshop, Dr. Casey Lion will lead discussion and small group activities building on her Grand Rounds presentation that morning. We will discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with the sociodemographic variables often used to look for disparities; practice taking a structured approach to anticipating intended and unintended consequences of QI on equity, using participants’ projects as examples; and discuss practical strategies for identifying and engaging community partners in QI work. This highly interactive workshop will focus on the issues of greatest interest to workshop participants as they seek to promote health equity, and/or safeguard against creating or worsening inequities, with their QI project.

Audience: Members of the Department of Pediatrics

View the recording on the Professional Development intranet.

Date: Thursday, October 24 || HSLC 1335 & Zoom

Storytellers: Carlee Blakemore, MD, Jenny Huffman, MSW, APSW, Dan Sklansky, MD, Caleb Hatchett, RN

Overview: Our mission is to foster a sense of connectedness and shared humanity through storytelling that builds community, nurtures compassion for self and others, encourages introspection, and inspires meaning-making.

Learn more on the Story Slam website.

Date: Wednesday, October 30th I HSLC 1345 & Atrium

Time: Summit starts at 3 p.m. and ends at 3:45 with an array of speakers. A poster session and reception will go from 3:45 to 5:30 p.m. in the atrium.

Overview: The UW Health Sustainability Celebration will be co-hosted by the UW Health Department of Pediatrics,  Healthy Climate Wisconsin, and UW Health Sustainability Program. This event will highlight the incredible climate and health initiatives, programs, and research that are being done at UW Health to positively impact the worldwide climate crisis.

Submit a poster, find more information, and register now!

Date: Thursday, November 14 || HSLC 3110 C

Speaker: Ariel Winn, MD, assistant professor of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital

Title: Championing CBME by Promoting Faculty EPA-Based Assessment of Residents

Overview: In this interactive workshop, educational leaders will explore the SIMPL assessment platform in depth and get a hands-on feel for how this tool can promote competency through both feedback and assessment.  They will explore ways in which the platform will provide data that can be used as a tool for coaches, and that will inform clinical competency committee decision-making.  Together, we will anticipate barriers to engagement and develop strategies to promote engagement.

Find more information on the Professional Development intranet.

Date: Thursday, December 12 || HSLC 3110 B

Audience: Members of the Department of Pediatrics

Date: Wednesday, April 2 || 11-12 p.m. || Zoom

Speaker: Chad McGehee, director of Meditation Training, UW Athletics

Title: Sharpening Your Inner Edge: Harnessing the Power of Meditation to Navigate Change

Overview: In this interactive session, Chad McGehee, director of Meditation Training at UW Athletics, will share insights on how meditation training can give us the skills to better navigate change in our lives.  We can’t avoid change, but with meditation training we can equip ourselves with the tools to face it with a clear mind and open heart. With regular practice, we can transform the way we approach change, from something that causes stress to something we embrace as part of our personal evolution.  Chad will share novel research from his work along with practical ways to integrate meditation practices into your day to impact your performance and overall wellbeing.

Dates: Tuesday, April 29 and Friday, May 9 I UW Health Clinical Simulation Program

Times: Half-day or full-day training.

• Half Days: 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• Full Days: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
  • Lunch will be provided

This training is geared towards individuals with conceptual familiarity with microaggressions and response approaches.

• If you already have received relevant education in any format (prior faculty development session, other workshop, UWHealth modules, personal learning, etc.), no further action is required.

• If you do not have this pre-requisite knowledge, or wish to refresh yourself, please review materials from a past faculty development addressing these topics prior to your scheduled STIM session, which can be found here: https://uwmadison.box.com/v/MicroaggressionBasics
  • “Faculty Microaggressions Training” PowerPoint (including speaker notes)
  • “Understanding Microaggressions_Handout_peds Faculty” document

Audience: Faculty

If you have questions or concerns about the pre-requisite content, please contact Emily Ruedinger at eruedinger@wisc.edu.

Registration: If you would like to participate on either the half or full days, email Reva Finkelman at rfinkelman@wisc.edu and include the date and if you would like half or full.