The School of Dental Medicine (SDM) held its semi-annual Faculty Development Retreat, which included a session with the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at the Stony Brook University School of Communication and Journalism. The segment was one of many conducted under the Alda Healthcare Experience (AHE), a program built around interprofessional team communication as its core module. The session addressed healthcare workforce “burnout” correlates and outcomes, medical improvisation methods, and organizational initiatives that aim to improve team cohesion, coping, and resilience.
Arising from a unique cross-campus collaboration between experts in theater arts and healthcare workforce development, the AHE has been delivered to healthcare professionals across the continuum of care. The SDM includes faculty working in all three academic health center missions: clinical care, education and research — a diversity in workload that requires the faculty to have flexibility and the ability to pivot from focusing on one mission to another multiple times in a given day.
The AHE combines social science research, communication strategy and improvisational techniques to help participants develop the communication skills needed for healthcare workers who have to deal with complex professional networks and stressful, high-stakes situations. Designed to be delivered by an improv expert and an Alda-trained medical co-facilitator, this innovative, mixed-methods approach has proven to be an effective way to improve interprofessional healthcare communication and reduce healthcare worker burnout.
“The session was considered by many to be a highlight of our retreat,” remarked Patrick Lloyd, DDS, dean of the School of Dental Medicine. “There was considerable engagement among our faculty, exploring the improvisation methods, and I was especially pleased to see people interacting with those outside of their respective departments. The exercise should have a significant impact on how faculty relate to one another and to our students, residents and staff.”
Dolores Cannella, PhD, associate dean for education, also noted how the faculty used the session to collaborate and try new ways of engaging. “The session provided an opportunity for our faculty to reflect on and practice communication strategies within a supportive environment.”
Susmita Pati, MD, division chief of Primary Care Pediatrics at Stony Brook Medicine and the Alda Center’s chief medical program advisor, facilitated the Alda session along with E-Beth Bojsza, improv specialist and assistant professor of practice at the Stony Brook School of Communication and Journalism. Together, they lead the faculty group through the three-hour module, culminating in a role play conversation involving a supervisor talking to a faculty member who was being too lenient on grading.
“We had very enthusiastic, engaged participants for this [exercise],” said Dr. Pati. “The leadership and support from the Dental School’s Dean, Patrick Lloyd, was instrumental in making this a productive session.”
Reflecting on the stressful environment and the rising incidence of hostilities faced by healthcare professionals, Dr. Pati emphasized the importance of developing greater communication skills to develop a resilient team. “The AHE offers a way to build team cohesion and collaboration that contribute to a positive organizational culture, which provides immense value,” said Dr. Pati.
“On a personal level, I have already employed some of the communication tools that we practiced during the session,” said Dean Lloyd. “Given the number and varied ways in which my position has to interact with people, it’s always great to have a few extra approaches to making conversations more meaningful and productive.”
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