WDS Service Spotlight: Practicing Gratitude: Giving Back During a Pandemic
In November 2021, the WDS held a webinar to discuss recent successes and challenges its members have had while attempting to support the WDS’s mission of service during the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. Janelle Nassim and Dr. Rebecca Tung, along with many other service-oriented WDS members, gathered to share their tips and tricks, and to provide inspiration to continue service efforts despite present barriers.
The members of the WDS pride themselves on their long-standing mission of service to their community through the gateway of dermatology. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, regular service events such as the TIPP Women’s Shelter Initiative, Play Safe in the Sun, and Coast-2-Coast events (please see the Spring 2021 Service Spotlight for further info) were planned and held by many members throughout the country. However, with restrictions and concerns surrounding the spread of Covid-19, many face-to-face opportunities have become limited. Even now, nearing the two-year mark since the start of the pandemic, it remains difficult for members to plan and execute in-person events yet, the drive to serve remains.
WDS members Dr. Janelle Nassim and Dr. Rebecca Tung have both successfully held virtual and in-person service events since the start of the pandemic and were able to provide both information and inspiration for WDS members going forward.
Often, the most challenging part of planning a service event is selecting the location, especially without pre-existing relationships to community centers and shelters. Dr. Rebecca Tung states she often gets inspiration from her patients: “How did I find out about that organization? Through a patient! I always ask, ‘Hey, what do you do?’” Our patients are involved in the community and may provide ideas and foster connections to organizations in need. For medical students interested in hosting an event, the WDS has compiled a list of WDS members who can help to sponsor an event. The WDS Program Coordinator, Ainsley Morley, can also be contacted directly to help interested medical students connect with a WDS sponsor in their area.
Dr. Janelle Nassim has partnered with several medical students to host events, most recently this past summer at St. Mary’s Women’s & Children’s Center in Massachusetts. Dr. Nassim stressed the importance of persistence in looking for a sponsoring institution, “As far as the pandemic, we intended on doing the event earlier, but they [St. Mary’s] didn’t quite have their protocols in place. But we just circled back with them and eventually they were more in a groove of how they were doing things with Covid.” Dr. Tung adds, “Reach out to organizations that you have worked with in the past, both schools and underserved organizations. I think [schools] are a lot more open to having lectures as this can fall under science and health.”
In terms of precautions at these events, both Dr. Nassim and Dr. Tung iterated masks were mandated, the participants were appropriately spaced out, and many were vaccinated. Dr. Nassim also stressed the need on the volunteer’s behalf to “emphasize our plans to very careful and conscientious of the current state of affairs.”
Regardless of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Tung says it’s important for volunteers to ask the organizations, “What would you like us to do?” Organizations had expressed to Dr. Nassim that, “prior presentations [had not] felt super relevant, were cost prohibitive, and not pertinent to culture, skin, or hair.” In line with the WDS mission, it is important for us to meet individuals where they are, and to address the needs of the “whole woman,” whatever those may be. Both Dr. Nassim and Dr. Tung commented that these events, whether in-person or virtual, became very interactive. “[These presentations] are always a hit because everyone has a friend or family member with a skin problem,” says Dr. Tung. “The women asked a ton of questions,” Dr. Nassim echoed. She also identified this as an opportunity to, “plug some of [the participants] into our community clinics.”
A particularly popular component of their presentations was centered on comparative shopping for skin care products and nutritional foods. Information regarding the prices of different items helped to reinforce that making healthy choices does not have to be cost-prohibitive, and participants can use the information given “as they are about to start their lives again,” says Dr. Tung.
The WDS is partnered with Merz, Galderma and Thrive Causmetics, and for these events, the WDS sends out individual goodie bags of “wonderful, beautiful samples [for] the women that have amazing products in them that they can look forward to using for themselves,” says Dr. Nassim. Even with this existing relationship, several WDS members encouraged utilizing relationships with other companies such as L’Oreal and CeraVe that have budgeted to assist with outreach as well. The events are also catered through Panera. These phenomenal resources already exist within the WDS, and all interested members need to do after identifying a service site is to contact Ainsley Morley, to assist in coordinating the experience. As Dr. Nassim stated, “the events are so, I don’t want to say easy to host, but it’s because of how well this is set up through the WDS.”
After identifying an organization and contacting the WDS, it is important to make sure the logistics on the day of the event are also in order. Several WDS members suggested sending the WDS’s pre-made PowerPoint presentations over in advance, ensuring a projector is available, pre-printing materials, and securing a translator if English is not anticipated to be the participants’ primary language.
While the WDS has many wonderful service events already structured, WDS members have also found unique ways to serve. Several WDS members have worked with cancer support groups in the realm of oncodermatology. Others have participated in the AAD’s Good Skin Knowledge training, worked with Sun Hero, coordinated food and clothing drives within their places of employment, and served as volunteer physicians at free community clinics.
The WDS and its members strive to strengthen our communities and empower individuals through the gateway of Dermatology. During these times, fulfilling this mission is uniquely challenging. Engaging in service during the pandemic is “a little harder to do. It’s a little harder to connect…[but] find a place, set, it up, and do it!” says Dr. Tung. At the meeting’s close, one WDS member wisely stated, “If you get a no, you get a no. If you fail, try again.”
For more information, please see the full recorded Webinar from November 10, 2021 under the Regional Networking and Educational Series Events on the WDS website.
Contact:
Ainsley Morley
WDS Program and Administrative Manager
E-mail: amorley@womensderm.org
The members of the WDS pride themselves on their long-standing mission of service to their community through the gateway of dermatology. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, regular service events such as the TIPP Women’s Shelter Initiative, Play Safe in the Sun, and Coast-2-Coast events (please see the Spring 2021 Service Spotlight for further info) were planned and held by many members throughout the country. However, with restrictions and concerns surrounding the spread of Covid-19, many face-to-face opportunities have become limited. Even now, nearing the two-year mark since the start of the pandemic, it remains difficult for members to plan and execute in-person events yet, the drive to serve remains.
WDS members Dr. Janelle Nassim and Dr. Rebecca Tung have both successfully held virtual and in-person service events since the start of the pandemic and were able to provide both information and inspiration for WDS members going forward.
Often, the most challenging part of planning a service event is selecting the location, especially without pre-existing relationships to community centers and shelters. Dr. Rebecca Tung states she often gets inspiration from her patients: “How did I find out about that organization? Through a patient! I always ask, ‘Hey, what do you do?’” Our patients are involved in the community and may provide ideas and foster connections to organizations in need. For medical students interested in hosting an event, the WDS has compiled a list of WDS members who can help to sponsor an event. The WDS Program Coordinator, Ainsley Morley, can also be contacted directly to help interested medical students connect with a WDS sponsor in their area.
Dr. Janelle Nassim has partnered with several medical students to host events, most recently this past summer at St. Mary’s Women’s & Children’s Center in Massachusetts. Dr. Nassim stressed the importance of persistence in looking for a sponsoring institution, “As far as the pandemic, we intended on doing the event earlier, but they [St. Mary’s] didn’t quite have their protocols in place. But we just circled back with them and eventually they were more in a groove of how they were doing things with Covid.” Dr. Tung adds, “Reach out to organizations that you have worked with in the past, both schools and underserved organizations. I think [schools] are a lot more open to having lectures as this can fall under science and health.”
In terms of precautions at these events, both Dr. Nassim and Dr. Tung iterated masks were mandated, the participants were appropriately spaced out, and many were vaccinated. Dr. Nassim also stressed the need on the volunteer’s behalf to “emphasize our plans to very careful and conscientious of the current state of affairs.”
Regardless of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Tung says it’s important for volunteers to ask the organizations, “What would you like us to do?” Organizations had expressed to Dr. Nassim that, “prior presentations [had not] felt super relevant, were cost prohibitive, and not pertinent to culture, skin, or hair.” In line with the WDS mission, it is important for us to meet individuals where they are, and to address the needs of the “whole woman,” whatever those may be. Both Dr. Nassim and Dr. Tung commented that these events, whether in-person or virtual, became very interactive. “[These presentations] are always a hit because everyone has a friend or family member with a skin problem,” says Dr. Tung. “The women asked a ton of questions,” Dr. Nassim echoed. She also identified this as an opportunity to, “plug some of [the participants] into our community clinics.”
A particularly popular component of their presentations was centered on comparative shopping for skin care products and nutritional foods. Information regarding the prices of different items helped to reinforce that making healthy choices does not have to be cost-prohibitive, and participants can use the information given “as they are about to start their lives again,” says Dr. Tung.
The WDS is partnered with Merz, Galderma and Thrive Causmetics, and for these events, the WDS sends out individual goodie bags of “wonderful, beautiful samples [for] the women that have amazing products in them that they can look forward to using for themselves,” says Dr. Nassim. Even with this existing relationship, several WDS members encouraged utilizing relationships with other companies such as L’Oreal and CeraVe that have budgeted to assist with outreach as well. The events are also catered through Panera. These phenomenal resources already exist within the WDS, and all interested members need to do after identifying a service site is to contact Ainsley Morley, to assist in coordinating the experience. As Dr. Nassim stated, “the events are so, I don’t want to say easy to host, but it’s because of how well this is set up through the WDS.”
After identifying an organization and contacting the WDS, it is important to make sure the logistics on the day of the event are also in order. Several WDS members suggested sending the WDS’s pre-made PowerPoint presentations over in advance, ensuring a projector is available, pre-printing materials, and securing a translator if English is not anticipated to be the participants’ primary language.
While the WDS has many wonderful service events already structured, WDS members have also found unique ways to serve. Several WDS members have worked with cancer support groups in the realm of oncodermatology. Others have participated in the AAD’s Good Skin Knowledge training, worked with Sun Hero, coordinated food and clothing drives within their places of employment, and served as volunteer physicians at free community clinics.
The WDS and its members strive to strengthen our communities and empower individuals through the gateway of Dermatology. During these times, fulfilling this mission is uniquely challenging. Engaging in service during the pandemic is “a little harder to do. It’s a little harder to connect…[but] find a place, set, it up, and do it!” says Dr. Tung. At the meeting’s close, one WDS member wisely stated, “If you get a no, you get a no. If you fail, try again.”
For more information, please see the full recorded Webinar from November 10, 2021 under the Regional Networking and Educational Series Events on the WDS website.
Contact:
Ainsley Morley
WDS Program and Administrative Manager
E-mail: amorley@womensderm.org
Comments
Post a Comment