ON-CALL HEROES 8
HOW TO EASE UP ON SCREEN TIME 10
LIVE THEATER DISCOUNT 14
NEW S YOU C AN USE • O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8
When You Need It
Most
How Duke's insurance plan protects employees in a health crisis
Editor’s Note
CONTENTS
LEANORA MINAI
Teamwork in Action Early forecasts described Florence as a major hurricane that would move over the Triangle, dump up to 15 inches of rain and bring 45 mph winds. Duke’s severe weather team tracked the storm as early as Sept. 9 – five days before Florence made landfall on the North Carolina coast. Every six hours, team members got a forecast from the National Weather Service, as they continuously followed the storm. Each day, the team met by phone to review plans – everything from placing sand bags to ordering food. Kyle Cavanaugh, Duke’s emergency coordinator and vice president for Administration, rallied operations teams on Sept. 9: “At this point, I would ask that everyone review their initial planning actions and start to review relevant checklists, and to prepare for a potential direct hit.” Although the storm track turned away from the Triangle in the final hours, Duke was ready for the worst, displaying its guiding principle of teamwork. Chris Bush, an event parking specialist, served as a set of eyes and ears. He drove a Chevrolet Caprice around campus, capturing details and pictures of tree debris, downed trees and clogged drains. The images helped the response by Landscape Services in Duke’s Facilities Management Department. “I was happy I was able to contribute and look out for community members to keep the area safe,” Bush said. Bryan Hooks, director of Landscape Services, had dozens of staff and contractors on the ground during the storm. They responded to four downed trees, including one that fell across Campus Drive in the dark of night. Duke University Police Department personnel closed the road, so Hooks could get the tree removed safely. “They made arrangements to keep the road closed throughout the evening, and first thing in the morning, we took care of it,” Hooks said. “It was a really good teamwork effort.” That kind of teamwork extended outside Duke, too. Some Duke community members sheltered evacuees from the coast, while others, like Joshua Wilson, joined an assembly line at a local food bank and packed canned meats, vegetables and fruit in boxes bound for the coast. “It’s good to know you can do something that’s going to help out,” said Wilson, departmental web administrator for the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. Read more about the Duke’s response and relief efforts at bit.ly/HurricaneFlorenceDuke.
2
4
8
10
4 When You Need It Most With Open Enrollment for medical, dental and vision coverage from Oct. 22
through Nov. 2, now is the time to think about how prepared you will be in a health crisis. Hear from four Duke employees whose Duke insurance plan was there for them when they needed it most.
8 On-Call Heroes
Employees across the University and Duke Health tackle a wide variety of issues, often at a moment’s notice. While their positions are often unpredictable, the employees display poise, versatility and an ability to relate to people.
10 How to Ease Up On Screen Time
Americans check their smartphones on average of 80 times a day. Here are some ways to cut back and reclaim your time.
11 Duke hosts Global Passport Drive on Nov. 15 12 Contribute to Doing Good in the Neighborhood 13 Employee veteran women reflect on military service 14 Enjoy live theater with an employee discount Contact us Editor/Executive Director of Communications: Leanora Minai (919) 681-4533 leanora.minai@duke.edu Assistant Vice President: Paul S. Grantham (919) 681-4534 paul.grantham@duke.edu
Graphic Design & Layout: Paul Figuerado (919) 684-2107 paul.figuerado@duke.edu
Jonathan Black Writer (919) 681-9965 jonathan.c.black@duke.edu
Stephen Schramm Senior Writer (919) 684-4639 stephen.schramm@duke.edu
Working@Duke is published every other month by Duke’s Office of Communication Services. We invite your feedback and story ideas. Send email to working@duke.edu or call (919) 681-4533.
Visit Working@Duke daily on Duke Today: working.duke.edu
Cover photo: Ken Kuzenski, clinical research specialist with Duke Adult Bone Marrow Clinic, shows off the prosthetic leg he received after enduring multiple surgeries aimed at fixing severe circulation problems in his lower body. Photo by Justin Cook. 2017, 2014 Gold, 2015, 2013, Silver, 2016, 2009, 2007 Bronze, Print Internal Audience Publications and 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008, 2007 Gold Medal, Internal Periodical Staff Writing
WORKING@DUKE WORKING@DUKE
BRIEFLY Got phishing detection skills? You could win an Apple Watch As part of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, take a quiz to test your phishing detection skills. All Duke community members who take the quiz will be entered in a drawing to win an Apple Watch Series 3. In addition, any Duke users who report a phishing email to security@duke.edu in October will be entered in a separate drawing for a special gold challenge coin recognizing them as a Duke information security ambassador. The efforts are part of an increasing emphasis on empowering users to recognize and identify phishing attacks. Ninety percent of data breaches reported in the U.S. begin with a phishing or social engineering attack, according to the 2017 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report. Throughout October, Duke’s IT Security Office will share tips and resources to help staff, faculty and students protect their digital security. In addition, Duke IT staff will present at Learn IT @ Lunch sessions in October and will be available at various on-campus events with swag. Take the quiz: security.duke.edu.
Discounts to Duke Women’s Basketball Games Cheer on the Duke women’s basketball team at Cameron Indoor Stadium all season with a season ticket discount. Reserved seat season tickets are $85 for employees versus $115 for the general public. General admission season tickets are $45 for employees and $65 for the general public. “It’s a really fun family environment,” said Amy Mofield, a grants and contracts administrator for Duke Biology who’s had season tickets for her family for several years. “And with the employee discount, it’s a huge value.” The Blue Devils are coming off of a 2017-18 season that saw them win 24 games and reach the NCAA Tournament’s round of 16. In addition to Atlantic Coast Conference foes such as North Carolina, the Blue Devils’ home schedule also features national power South Carolina. The action begins with the Blue/White scrimmage on October 21. To take advantage of the employee discount, call 919-668-9235.
You’re not too late for a flu vaccine Influenza activity often begins to increase in October, and most of the time, activity peaks between December and February. You can get a free vaccine at Duke’s Employee Occupational Health and Wellness (EOHW) through the end of flu season, which is typically April. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting the vaccine by the end of October for best protection.
Certain Duke Primary Care locations are offering extended and weekend hours to accommodate children and other dependents of Duke employees. There is no copay for the vaccination or visit unless the patient sees a doctor. For the flu vaccination schedule, visit flu.duke.edu.
Pay for hourly/daily parking with new app A new mobile parking app is available for customers to pay for parking in non-gated visitor lots on the Duke University campus. PayByPhone can be used in 12 parking lots across Duke, including Sarah P. Duke Gardens, the Bryan Center Pay Lot and Nasher Museum of Art. A 13th location – at the Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center – will be added when the center opens. Campus visitors and Duke employees who want to park in hourly or daily parking locations that accept the PayByPhone app can use the app to pay. Individuals can still pay for parking at coin meters or machines in each lot; the app is just another way to pay. The visitor parking rate at Duke is $2 an hour. “Adding PayByPhone around campus gives our guests a convenient option for payment in lots that sometimes only have just one form of payment,” said Andrew Hinz, senior operations manager for Duke Parking & Transportation Services. PayByPhone can be downloaded for free from the iOS App and Google Play stores. Learn more at parking.duke.edu/visitor.
Keep weight off during the holidays Fight off weight gain this holiday season with “Maintain Don’t Gain,” an eight-week program organized by LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke’s employee wellness program. The campaign runs Nov. 5 through Dec. 16. Participating employees receive weekly emails that include easy recipes and tips about healthy behavior. Employees can also visit the LIVE FOR LIFE office in Duke Clinic’s Orange Zone basement early in the program to measure their body fat percentage. Screenings may be done during a scheduled drop-in time or as part of a fitness consultation. Monica Taylor, director for health careers and associate director of continuing education for Duke Area Health Education Center, has participated in Maintain Don’t Gain for about seven years. “It’s so easy to get off track during the holiday season,” she said. “Maintain Don’t Gain helps me be more mindful of what I’m eating. I don’t overindulge in treats.” Last year, 660 employees participated in the program and lost a combined weight of 802 pounds. Sign up at hr.duke.edu/maintain.
working.duke.edu
3
When You Need It
Most
With Open Enrollment for medical benefits from Oct. 22 through Nov. 2, it's time to consider how prepared you will be in a health crisis
K
en Kuzenski had a feeling things weren’t going well in the fight to save his right leg. He had been in and out of hospitals for more than a year, enduring surgeries aimed at reviving blood flow in a leg strangled by clots. In 2016, the leg was still purple, and hushed hallway huddles now preceded each doctors’ visit. “One morning, my doctor came in, sat by my bedside and took my hands in hers,” said Kuzenski, a clinical research specialist at Duke’s Adult Bone Marrow Clinic. “She said ‘Ken, I’m really sorry, we don’t have any options left, we’re going to have to amputate.’ I nodded somberly and said, ‘OK. How long will it take to grow back?’” Kuzenski’s ordeal, which began with stabbing pains in his legs, cost him plenty. His right leg is amputated just below the knee, and his savings were depleted by the year and half he couldn’t work. His sense of humor isn’t the only important thing that’s still intact. Because of Kuzenski’s Duke health insurance plan, he avoided financial ruin. His out of pocket medical costs from around a dozen surgeries and roughly five months of hospitalizations totaled a few thousand dollars. “I got all the care I needed,” said Kuzenski, 61. “I never had to worry about how much it cost.” With Open Enrollment for medical, dental and vision coverage from Oct. 22 through Nov. 2, now is the time to think about how prepared you will be in the event of a health crisis. In 2019, Duke monthly premium increases will remain well below the national average. For Duke Select, the most popular plan among employees, the increase will be $2 per month for individual coverage. In addition, there will be no changes in co-pays or deductibles for Duke’s medical, vision or dental plans. Premiums for vision and dental insurance will remain unchanged in 2019.
4
WORKING@DUKE
Ken Kuzenski, right, speaks with a co-worker at the Duke Adult Bone Marrow Clinic.
In the past fiscal year, Duke provided nearly $229 million in total payments for health concerns for roughly 70,000 plan participants, up $24 million from the previous year. “Most of us focus on things like the monthly premium and co-pay, but if someone either finds themselves or one of their loved ones in a very serious health situation, our benefit plan is one of the most supportive plans out there,” said Kyle Cavanaugh, Duke’s vice president for Administration. Looking back, Ken Kuzenski is grateful he didn’t face bankruptcy or lose the home he bought with his wife decades ago. However, he noted his health ordeal left his yard a mess. And with his wife forbidding him to use the trusty push lawnmower, he paid few hundred dollars to refurbish his old riding mower. “That was one thing Duke insurance didn’t pay for,” Kuzenski said. Kuzenski is one of many employees who appreciate the value of Duke’s medical insurance plans. Here are other employees whose Duke plan was there for them when they needed it most.
Duke Health Insurance Plans:
What’s New in 2019? Duke’s medical insurance plans cover more than 70,000 employees and family members and will continue to protect you and your family financially during illness or injury. In 2019, the plans feature no increases in co-pays and no changes in deductibles. Premiums will only increase $1 to $6 per month for individual coverage, depending on which plan you choose. In addition, there will no changes in premiums for Duke’s dental and vision plans.
From left to right, hematologist Nirmish Shah, patient Reanna Daye, Reanna’s mother Stacie Daye, and Child and Adolescent Life Specialist Vivian Lewis discuss Reanna’s management of her sickle cell disease.
Providing Peace of Mind For Reanna Daye, growing up with sickle cell disease meant the health care system played an outsized role in her childhood. As a young child, she took a steady stream of pills. Frequent blood tests left her shaken by the sight of people wearing scrubs. And hospitalizations were so regular, she knew the co-pay for emergency room visits. In fact, she occasionally hid sickle cell-related pain from her parents to save them the hassle and cost of treatment. “I didn’t want her to worry about it,” said Reanna’s mother Stacie Daye, a technologist with Duke Radiology. “I’d tell her ‘That’s not your job. Your job is to tell us when you’re hurting. Our job is to take care of you. And we can.’” Reanna, now 18, has sought care at Duke since she was diagnosed with the genetic disorder as a newborn. Patients with the condition have misshapen blood cells, which hinder the flow of oxygen through their body. Since her mother started working at Duke a decade ago, everything from occasional emergency room trips to bi-monthly counseling sessions have been covered by Duke medical insurance. “I’ve gotten hospital bills for $30,000, and all I have to pay is $400,” Stacie said. “Believe me, we appreciate it.” So does Reanna. Five years ago, Reanna joined the Duke Pediatric Hematology-Oncology unit’s “Transitions” program, which teaches young sickle cell patients how to manage the disease. Program participants receive a binder filled with forms for keeping track of blood test data and information they’ll need
“For 2019, the cost of our health care plan remains well below national averages and escalation,” said Kyle Cavanaugh, Duke’s vice president for Administration. “Duke, for some time, has placed a high priority on having a very robust and solid benefits plan, and that certainly starts with our health care plan.” And in 2019, there will be the following enhancements to coverage: T he co-pays for contraceptive drugs, such as IUDs and implants, as well as tubal ligation and vasectomy procedures, have been waived. T he co-pays for in-network mammograms and Cologuard colorectal screening tests have been waived for patients covered by Duke Options. The co-pay is already waived on Duke Select, Duke Basic and Blue Care plans. B oth diagnostic and screening colonoscopies will now be 100 percent covered under Duke Options and Blue Care plans. They are already 100 percent covered by Duke Select and Duke Basic plans. C igna plans will now allow in-network providers to bill for video visits with patients. The patient will have to download appropriate software or an app used by a provider for the service. The co-pay will be the same as an in-person visit. “We are in phenomenal shape for 2019,” Cavanaugh said. “Given all of the churn and instability and change in the health care market, the work that we’ve been doing for years has really continued to allow us to have a very supportive and competitive health care plan for 2019.”
>> continued on page 6 working.duke.edu
5
as they manage their disease into adulthood. One section of the binder is devoted to health insurance, what it does and why it’s important. After spending much of her life leaning on her mother’s Duke coverage, Reanna already knew just how valuable it was. “Health insurance allows you get the help you need,” Reanna said. “It’s there in case anything happens.”
Fueling the Fight During a family vacation in May, Dean Freck strapped himself into a harness and began swinging around a ropes course in the North Carolina mountains. Part of a family of outdoor enthusiasts, he’d done the activity before, but not since two bouts of cancer pushed his body to its limits. “I’m not completely back, but that was a big step,” said Freck, director of contracting and sourcing for Duke Procurement & Supply Chain Management who has worked at Duke for 24 years While recovery hasn’t been easy, the fact that Freck, 53, is getting back to his old self doesn’t surprise people who know him best.
“One of the words I use often to describe him is ‘resilient,’” said Dean’s wife, Jill Freck, a physical therapist with Duke Health. “He always takes what comes, processes it and moves forward.” In 2014, after experiencing stubborn abdominal pain, tests revealed that he had lymphoma. Six rounds of chemotherapy later, the disease was gone. Last year, a neck ache turned out to be a sign of the disease’s return. But once again, Freck powered through. Duke Cancer Center doctors decided to wipe out the disease and prevent its return with a stem cell transplant. The process, which Freck completed in November, involved harvesting healthy stem cells from his bone marrow, virtually erasing his immune system with intense chemotherapy and then allowing reintroduced stem cells to build a new, healthier immune system. Buoyed by support from family and church, Freck is now cancer-free. He said he’s grateful for Duke’s health coverage. All told, the treatments for two bouts with cancer over three years resulted in around $12,000 in co-pays, a tiny fraction of the approximately $900,000 in overall costs. “I don’t know how you can get through something like this without the benefits we have here,” Freck said.
During his two battles with lymphoma, Dean Freck, director of contracting and sourcing for Duke Procurement & Supply Chain Management, leaned on support from his daughter Julianne, left, wife Jill, center, and daughter Natalie, right.
6
WORKING@DUKE
Duke University Press Customer Relations Manager Amanda Kolman, seated, spent two years working with doctors to find the cause of frustrating ear discomfort.
“ I DON’T KNOW HOW YOU CAN GET THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THIS WITHOUT THE BENEFITS WE HAVE HERE.” - Dean Freck, Duke employee
Freedom to Find a Cure At first, Amanda Kolman thought she had water in her ear or that the slight pressure and muffled sound in her left ear since 2013 would go away on its own. But over the next two years, it got worse. Sound from the outside grew distant, while the intense vibration created by her own speech – as well as by breathing, walking and moving her eyes – was inescapable. In 2015, Kolman, a customer relations manager with Duke University Press, sought help from Duke doctors. “It was a quality of life thing,” said Kolman, 48. “I couldn’t see living the next 40 years of my life with this. My world wasn’t quiet. I wanted some silence.” Kolman’s Duke health insurance plan helped her complete a winding search for a cure. For two years, doctors offered remedies for potential causes. But, the ear trouble continued, and Kolman returned, ready to try the next treatment. “Often this is a process of elimination,” said David Kaylie, a head and neck surgeon with Duke Health who treated Kolman. “Her symptoms overlap with other things, so you have to rule those out.” For each of her four specialist visits, Kolman had a $55 co-pay. She said the desire for a cure far outweighed the cost. “It became about how much I was willing to stick with it and see it to the end,” Kolman said. Early this year, a CT scan and a specialized test showed that a 3 millimeter circle of bone had worn away on a small canal in Kolman’s ear. Called a superior semicircular canal dehiscence, the condition is treatable with an outpatient surgical procedure, which Kaylie performed earlier this fall. “I want to have a normal life again,” Kolman said. “If I didn’t have good insurance, I’d have probably given up a long time ago.”
By Stephen Schramm
Photography by Justin Cook
Review and update medical, vision and dental plans and enroll in reimbursement accounts at: hr.duke.edu/enrollment2019 working.duke.edu
7
ON-CALL
Heroes O Across Duke, employees use empathy and resourcefulness to solve problems
Roosevelt Hall checks on light fixture in the Allen Building during a night shift.
n a quiet Thursday night, Roosevelt Hall walks the corridors of a campus building and retrieves a master key before heading to the second floor, where he’s greeted by a security officer with the Duke University Police Department. “OK, where are we going?” asks Hall, a senior general maintenance mechanic with Duke Facilities Management. The security officer, Aaron Thompson, leads Hall to a postdoctoral researcher who is locked out of his office in the Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences. Within moments, Hall opens the door, allowing the relieved researcher to get back to work. For Hall, it’s one problem solved during an evening that will see him address plenty. “He should wear a red cape,” Thompson jokes, comparing Hall to Superman. Hall is one of many employees across the University and Duke Health who tackle a wide variety of issues, often at a moment’s notice. While their positions are often unpredictable, the employees display poise, versatility and an ability to relate to people. Always at the ready, these are some of Duke’s on-call heroes.
Making a Difference Most days it can seem as though Betsy Faucette, one of Duke University Hospital’s patient advocates, can’t go more than a few steps without running into someone who needs her help. On this day, she talks with patients in the lobby of Duke Children’s Hospital about a billing issue then swings through the parking lot to check on the availability of parking spaces for patients with disabilities. Later, on her way to meet the mother of a patient, she spots two women looking slightly lost. “Is there anything I can help you with?” Faucette asks. Whether it’s a stubborn billing problem, a communication breakdown between patient and provider or advice on where to take a head-clearing campus walk, Faucette and her fellow patient advocates resolve it. They know whom to call, what steps to take and, most importantly, how to make patients feel heard. In a given day, patient advocates at Duke University Hospital handle 10 to 12 cases, in addition to other small doses of help along their way. “You need to have someone who can put themselves in the shoes of the other person and understand what they’re going through,” said Brenda Radford, Duke University Hospital’s director of guest services. Faucette has been a patient advocate for 14 of her 31 years at Duke. She said that when the position arose, she was initially reluctant, joking that she didn’t want to hear complaints all day. But she quickly came to see the role’s value and how well her temperament and inexhaustible empathy fit with it. Hospital Patient Advocate Betsy Faucette.
8
WORKING@DUKE
“You can have all the degrees you can get, but it’s got to be in your heart to want to help people,” Faucette said. “It’s very rewarding. It makes you feel good that you’ve made a difference.”
An Empathetic Voice There aren’t many quiet moments during Muriel Canup’s day. From 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., the Human Resources Information Center in the lower level of the Duke Human Resources building is a hive of activity. Phones ring, keyboards click, and a team of human resources information specialists work through the concerns of voices in headsets. Canup has been part of this scene on Broad Street since 2015, when she was encouraged to take the position by a friend who was part of the team. “She told me it was fast-paced,” Canup said. “She was right.” During the past fiscal year, the Human Resources Information Center, which serves University and Duke Health employees, received 71,160 calls. While some calls are simple – helping job applicants reset passwords is a common query – others are difficult. It’s not uncommon for family members to call to straighten out the paperwork of a loved one who has just died. “We just try to talk to them and make it as easy as we can,” Canup said. “They’re not prepared emotionally to do any of that.”
Using a mix of patience and problem-solving skills, Duke Human Resources Information Specialist Muriel Canup sorts out concerns of employees.
For Canup and her colleagues, a strong human touch is equally as important as an ability to understand the intricacies of Duke’s human resources system. “We can teach somebody about specific HR policies and benefit programs, but it’s much more difficult to train a person to have a willingness to help and appreciate their customers,” said Jacky LaBonte, assistant director of the Human Resources Information Center.
Roosevelt Hall, Duke Facilities Management general maintenance mechanic, spends his shifts tackling a wide array of pressing tasks on campus.
Caring for Campus Roosevelt Hall’s 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. shift begins at the Duke Facilities Management general maintenance shop in Smith Warehouse. One of four general maintenance mechanics who work nights, he begins each shift with a list of recurring tasks such as cleaning the pool at the Brodie Recreation Center and checking on light fixtures. But it’s the 10-or-so emergency calls that keep shifts from becoming routine. “When you come in, you don’t know what you’ll end up doing,” said Hall, who usually patrols campus in a van stocked with tools, ranging from voltage testers to industrial shop towels. During the day, general maintenance mechanics divide the University campus into zones and serve specific areas. Mechanics on the night shift look after the entire campus. “These guys are special in their ability to work in all these different situations,” said Jack Burgess assistant director of building maintenance for Duke Facilities Management. “And Roosevelt has so much experience. He knows what to do.” Over the years, Hall, who has worked at Duke on-and-off since 1982, has stood outside the doors of stuck elevators, calmly chatting with students inside while waiting for technicians. He’s also had several encounters with wildlife, from snakes that slithered into buildings to a possum in the Bryan Center. “I know a lot of the people that work at night, so I’ll help them out,” Hall said. “If that means I have to chase a possum out, I’ll do it.” By Stephen Schramm
Photography by Alex Boerner
working.duke.edu
9
How to Ease up on Screen Time Tips for reclaiming personal time and enhancing well-being
Jessica Burgess shut down most notifications on her smartphone. Photo by Ben McKeown.
N
ailed to a tree near Jessica Burgess’ home is a sign that reads, “look at the beautiful scenery.” That served as inspiration for Burgess, who turned off most smartphone notifications this year. “If my phone doesn’t ring, I try not to look at it,” said Burgess, marketing manager for The Marcus Center for Cellular Cures. “I don’t want to look back on my life and think of everything I missed because my head was down in my phone.” Americans check their smartphones an average of 80 times a day, according to a 2017 study by Asurion, a global tech company. The survey also found that 60 percent of respondents experience stress when their phone is out of reach. Dr. Jonathan Bae, associate chief medical officer for Patient Safety and Clinical Quality and co-convener of the Mental & Emotional Health and Well-Being working group for Healthy Duke, said too much time on smart devices can negatively impact mood and relationships. “You’re losing out on real-life social connections you have with people,” he said. Looking to reclaim your time? Here are three ways.
Out of sight, out of mind Katie Jansen’s dog, Celsius, is a good indicator for how much Jansen looks at her phone. The Australian shepherd mix mopes around the house when he doesn’t get attention. The dog’s behavior was enough for Jansen and her partner, Alex, to institute tech-free weekends. Alex and Jansen, a marketing and communications associate for Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, leave their phones behind when they go on hikes, eat dinner and hang out in the backyard.
10
WORKING@DUKE
“I could get sucked into Instagram and not realize 20 minutes passed,” Jansen said. “We should have conversations that aren’t centered around what we’re scrolling through on social media.”
Silence the ringer Jonathan Bae was in a meeting when his phone started vibrating with incoming emails. A colleague was concerned. “You’re going to lose your mind if you let that keep happening,” he told Bae. Bae did away with email notifications. “It kept me from being in the present,” he said. If people need to reach him quickly, Bae encourages them to call or text.
Keep your phone out of the bedroom Katie Jansen would spend up to an hour in bed scrolling through apps and responding to text messages. “All this information processing in my mind kept me from sleeping,” said, Jansen, who now puts her phone out of reach 30 minutes before bed. Tom Szigethy, Duke Student Wellness Center director, said screens give off a blue light similar to a sunrise, inhibiting production of melatonin, which helps you fall asleep. “It’s like giving ourselves low doses of caffeine,” he said.
By Jonathan Black
For health and wellness resources, visit hr.duke.edu
Duke Hosts Global Passport Drive on Nov. 15
Call on Duke’s experts to take some stress out of travel
M
itchell Krucoff found out the hard way that, when it comes to passports, it’s important to get expert help when you can. Two years ago, Krucoff, a Duke University School of Medicine professor, was preparing to head to a cardiology conference in China. To get a Chinese visa, Krucoff ’s travel agent sent his passport to a visa service in Washington, D.C., months ahead of time. But new regulations for things such as the passport photo and proper documents, gummed up the process. The visa was issued, but the delays meant he missed the conference’s opening ceremonies. “This had never been a problem before, but all of a sudden, it was a major issue,” Krucoff said. Prior to that experience, Krucoff was unaware of Duke’s Office of Global
Administrative and Travel Support. After hearing about it from colleagues, Krucoff now enlists the office’s help whenever he can. On Nov. 15, the Duke community can also take advantage of the expertise of the Office of Global Administrative and Travel Support during its Global Passport Drive. The event, co-sponsored by Duke’s Office of Global Affairs, runs from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Penn Pavilion. Duke travel experts, passport photographers and U.S. State Department officials will offer free help in filing for new passports, renewing passports and getting additional passports. “We want to make it easy for the Duke community to travel internationally,” said Colette Watt, program coordinator for the Office of Global Affairs.
For passport drive details, visit global.duke.edu/duke-global-passport-drive
At November’s Global Passport Drive, members of the Duke community – even the youngest ones - can get free passport photos.
During last year’s event, 160 passports were issued. “Traveling abroad is becoming more complicated as countries are focusing more energy on learning who is crossing their borders,” said Christy Parrish Michels, senior manager of global administrative policies and procedures for the Office of Global Administrative and Travel Support. “Getting help is critical. We can save people time, money and headaches.” In addition to overseeing Duke’s International Travel Registry, which helps locate travelers following a crisis or emergency, the Office of Global Administrative and Travel Support assists staff and faculty, like Krucoff, with processing travel documents when traveling on Duke business. Krucoff recently got a second passport with help from the office. During the process, one of the office’s staff members noticed he was close to filling all of passport pages. They also pointed out that recent policy changes meant that simply adding pages was no longer an option, so they helped him order a new passport with extra pages. “I would have been totally blind-sided by that, but they were aware of it,” Krucoff said. “For my crazy world, doing a lot of work with the international cardiovascular community, this is high-impact stuff.” By Stephen Schramm
working.duke.edu
11
HELP YOUR COMMUNITY
D
Doing Good in the Neighborhood campaign supports nonprofits
oing Good in the Neighborhood, the annual employee giving campaign, begins Oct. 1. Last year, 2,021 staff and faculty donated $629,364 to the campaign, which features six giving categories: Community Care Fund, Health, Neighborhoods, Schools, Youth Empowerment and United Way of the Greater Triangle. The goal for the current campaign is to raise $650,000 through 2,500 donors. Here’s how some Duke employees helped in three giving categories in 2017-18.
Community Care Fund About: Supports diverse nonprofits making a difference in the Triangle Raised: $161,587 Nancy Kelly began donating to the Community Care Fund about five years ago because it supports food pantries, homeless shelters and land conservancies. “As Duke employees, we have an obligation and opportunity to have a positive impact on the community outside of Duke,” said Kelly, director of community engagement for the Nicholas School of the Environment. Meals on Wheels of Durham is one of 58 organizations that received funding through the Community Care Fund. Meals on Wheels delivers food to seniors, people with disabilities and others who are unable to provide proper nutrition for themselves. A $40 donation provides fresh fruit to 100 meal recipients for one weekend.
Jonathan Abels, second from left, volunteers with Meals on Wheels of Durham.
Health About: Supports nonprofits and clinics that increase availability of health care regardless of ability to pay Raised: $78,309
Kaitlyn Granda, physician assistant for the Duke Division of Community Health, sees a patient at Walltown Neighborhood Clinic.
Fred Johnson watched his family give during church every week. Today, Johnson gives to Doing Good’s Health category. “Health touches everyone in every neighborhood,” said Johnson, assistant professor in the Department of Community & Family Medicine. “If you improve the quality of life for one person, you improve the quality of life of their loved ones.” Holton Wellness Center, Lyon Park Clinic and Walltown Neighborhood Clinic are three of six organizations that received funding last year. The three clinics are run by a partnership between Lincoln Community Health Center and the Duke Division of Community Health. A $20 donation allows an uninsured patient to receive care at one of the three clinics.
Schools About: Supports student programming and achievement in nine Durham public schools Raised: $113,894 Yan Li has contributed to the Schools category since 2003 to help build a strong educational foundation in Durham. “Since we’re a higher education institute, it just seemed right to support the community’s schools,” said Li, associate director of Duke’s Asian/Pacific Studies Institute. “I like that Duke is creating this opportunity for employees to support children as early as kindergarten.” E.K. Powe Elementary School uses donations to fund about 15 clubs – from dance to robotics to improv. A $15 donation provides a student eight weeks of attendance at a club.
Susan Wells, founder of TechTerra Education, an organization focused on STEM literacy, speaks to students at E.K. Powe Elementary School.
By Jonathan Black
12
WORKING@DUKE
Donate to Doing Good in the Neighborhood at doinggood.duke.edu
Reflecting on Military Service
D
Women comprise nearly 30 percent of Duke’s veteran population
uke will commemorate Veterans Day on Nov. 12 with an annual ceremony outside of Duke University Chapel. Of the 905 Duke employees who identify as veterans of the U.S. armed forces, women make up 30 percent. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, women comprise about 16 percent of all U.S. enlisted forces. In 1973, they made up 2 percent. Working@Duke asked female employee-veterans how military service has shaped their careers.
Cmdr. Brigit Carter
Navy, 1981-88; 1991-1993; 1998-2018 Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, School of Nursing Brigit Carter credits her professional success to mentors like Adm. Christina Alvarado. With Alvarado’s encouragement, Carter served in various Navy positions. That experience helped Carter prepare for her current position, the first associate dean for diversity and inclusion at Duke’s School of Nursing. “Exposure to so many aspects of the Navy made me confident that I can handle anything,” she said. “I can certainly say that I wouldn’t be as understanding of how to make transitions and take on new challenges without the experiences provided by the service and wisdom from mentors.”
Staff Sgt. Celeste Ferguson
Air Force, 1996-2005 Marketing and Communications Director, Office of Licensing & Ventures Celeste Ferguson had a dream to travel and her ticket was the Air Force. As a Chinese linguist, Ferguson jumped between bases in Celeste Ferguson is seated at far left. Okinawa, Japan, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to translate and analyze messages. The job required an encyclopedic knowledge of military crafts. “Master sergeants would come up and ask you random questions from this big, thick notebook that we had to study about planes,” Ferguson said. “You learn to roll with the punches.”
Spc. Susana Guzman Army, 2003-07 Clinical Nurse Educator, Duke Raleigh Hospital
While working at Camp Hovey in South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Susana Guzman learned how to work quickly as a combat medic with limited resources. Away from the base for hours of training, Guzman relied on medical supplies she carried on her back. “Once, my unit was marching in the woods for hours and hours and this soldier was basically dragging himself at the end of the line as we finished,” she said. “I hooked him up with an IV immediately. You had to act quickly to stabilize a patient.”
Lance Cpl. Paula Mayle
Marines, 1982-85 Clinical Nurse, Duke Raleigh Hospital Operating Room Men outnumbered women 50 to one when Paula Mayle joined the Marines. She worked hard to be exemplary. She scored a 297 of 300 on the Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test, which includes pullups, crunches and a 3-mile run. “I learned how to be smarter and stronger,” Mayle said. “My work ethic is better because of it.”
By Jonathan Black
Veterans Day Commemoration Duke hosts a Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 12 outside of Duke University Chapel. Visit hr.duke.edu for more details.
working.duke.edu
13
PERQS EMPLOYEE DISCOUNTS
Enjoy Live Theater with a Discount Save on the North Carolina Theatre’s 2018-19 season Jersey Boys
The King and I
Annie
A
The season includes seven shows: Performances at the theater include a s the first orchestra notes mix of locally produced shows and national play during the North Oct. 16-21, 2018: “In the Heights” tours. Shows are at the Raleigh Memorial Carolina Theatre show, Auditorium or the A.J. Fletcher Opera Derek Robinson always Nov. 13-18, 2018: Theater in Raleigh. expects goose bumps all “Jersey Boys” “You’re seeing people on stage who live over his skin. Nov. 29-Dec. 2, 2018: here full-time or young people who grew He refers to the intense “Aladdin and His Winter Wish” up here and are just starting their careers,” feeling while seeing a live performance as Feb. 12-17, 2019: Robinson said. “We’re lucky enough to be a “musical theater moment." “Mamma Mia!” in a community that has a really vibrant “There’s an amazing element to seeing theater where it’s not quite the same every theater scene.” M arch 19-24, 2019: Robinson typically goes to shows night and it’s happening in the moment “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s with friends or his kids, who are 6, 10 in front of you,” said Robinson, director The King and I” and 12 years old. He plans to buy a fourof internal auditing for Duke University April 26-May 5, 2019: ticket package, saving about $50 with Health System. “It’s like watching a “Murder for Two” heightened version of life with singing the discount. July 23-28, 2019: “Duke cares enough about art and dancing.” “Annie” For the past four years, Robinson and thinks it’s important enough in our lives to figure out how to make it work has used the Duke employee discount to buy tickets to North Carolina Theatre economically for us,” Robinson said. “That’s a testament to how Duke takes care of its employees performances. Duke staff and faculty save 10 to 35 percent on ticket purchases for the 2018-19 season. and enriches our employees’ lives.” Duke employees can also take advantage of discounts to the Durham Performing Arts Center. Staff and faculty can use Get a Discount the Super Group discount for about 10 percent off tickets.
Visit hr.duke.edu/discounts for a full list of savings. NetID and password may be needed to access deals.
14
WORKING@DUKE
By Jonathan Black
SUSTAINABLE DUKE YOUR SOURCE FOR GREEN NEWS AT DUKE
5 Items to Reuse at Work
K
Ways to embrace the overshadowed part of “reduce, reuse, recycle”
atie Kross has two mugs that she uses during her work day. One, for morning coffee, features the Duke Energy Initiative logo. The other, for afternoon tea, is from the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, New York. “It’s well-loved,” said Kross, managing director for the Center for Energy, Development and the Global Environment at the Fuqua School of Business, of the Moosewood mug. “The font is fading, and the moose picture has almost vanished.” While mugs are part of her daily ritual, they’re also tangible signs of her commitment to sustainability. The most common advice for living greener is to “reduce, reuse and recycle.” The goal is to lessen the amount of waste created by limiting the use of – or giving a second-life to – things you use. While recyclable items are common in homes and offices, the manufacturing, transportation and low recycling rates of them has large environmental effects. Reusing objects is a more sustainable option because it saves money and natural resources. “The most efficient use of our resources is to have one product and use it over and over again,” Kross said.
COFFEE MUG
CLOTH TOWEL
Making a reusable coffee cup part of your workspace may seem like a small step, but the environmental impact of disposable cups is big: Globally, an estimated 600 billion are distributed annually according to the International Coffee Organization. Most types of disposable hot beverage cups aren’t recyclable due to either plastic liners or contact with coffee.
If water bottles and coffee mugs are regular parts of your work environment, odds are that spilled liquids are, too. If so, Hoeffler recommends keeping a small towel stashed in your workspace that can be used in place of paper towels. “I usually have one in my purse or at my desk,” she said.
WATER BOTTLE
If you bring lunch from home, reusable containers and utensils make the meal greener. “That just helps build a habit and a relationship with reusability,” Hoeffler said.
Instead of disposable plastic bottles – only 29 percent of which get recycled by American consumers according to the Environmental Protection Agency – reusable bottles are popular alternatives. However, people lose them, forcing a new purchase. If you’re going to carry a reusable bottle, keep track of it. “If you’re replacing it every couple of months, it defeats the purpose. You’re still using a lot of materials to create those bottles,” said Rebecca Hoeffler, Sustainable Duke’s program coordinator.
For more about Duke’s sustainability efforts, visit sustainability.duke.edu
FOOD CONTAINER
SCRAP PAPER Kross and Hoeffler keep containers for discarded paper in their workspace. Sheets get used to jot down notes or, for Kross, brought home for her children’s art projects. “It’s a running joke in our family, whenever my kids draw a picture, there’s usually something printed on the back,” Kross said. By Stephen Schramm
working.duke.edu
15
@DUKE
SOCIAL
What you’re sharing online Duke Admissions
Go online to discover more
@DiscoverDuke • Sep 2018
Our very own Nikki Baskin, Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions was featured on @WorkingatDuke! Working@Duke 4 ways to beat a work crunch: http://ow.ly/rpRK30lQm8k @DukeIM, @NasherMuseum @DiscoverDuke
News You Can Use: Tracy Bethel
@TracyDHBethel • Aug 2018
Used my #goperks from bussing to @WorkingatDuke to have brunch and enjoy the Hillsborough Riverwalk. Thanks, @GoTriangle!
Bracing for the Worst Although Durham escaped the brunt of Hurricane Florence, Duke was ready for flooding, downed trees and more. bit.ly/ HurricaneFlorenceDuke Building a Habit Working@Duke Writer Jonathan Black shares his personal running journey in the Duke Run/Walk Club. bit.ly/2NOvqKP
Duke Forest shared your photo Sep 2018
Thanks for the feature Working@Duke. Please be mindful that falling trees and limbs and flooded waterways are a very real hazard in Duke Forest for the next few days folks!
Surprising Campus Sights Duke’s campus may seem timeless, but the years have left plenty of landscape changes. bit.ly/CampusSights
Working@Duke (Left to right) Jenna Schreiber, assistant forest director; Tom Craven, forest supervisor; and Sara Childs, director of Duke Forest, inspect chainsaws on Wednesday.
Connect with Working@Duke Facebook
facebook.com/WorkingatDuke
@WorkingatDuke
Share story ideas by emailing working@duke.edu Duke University Office of Communication Services 705 Broad St., Durham, N.C. 27708