Birth, Leadership, and Death....
My Fulbright officially starts in February, but I'm embracing the experiences around me as soon as possible. My own research is about birth decisions (hence the "birth" in the title), and I'm working with a mentor from Ono Academic College. I'm pretty sure I wrote about how this came about in an earlier post, but suffice to say, she's great and it's very fun to be a "student" for a year. I'm also blessed to have Leah (an older sister of one of Sivan's friends from her old Jewish day school who just made aliyah) helping me with the research.
I found this map below to show you where Kiryat Ono is....
I finally went to Ono for the first time over a week ago. It's located in Kiryat Ono, and is a private university. I was excited to go to the faculty meeting, during which I took in many things around me.
1. There were excellent sandwiches.
No, really, let me get to the crux of what I have wanted to share for days. Leadership. I saw exceptional leadership at this meeting. It was a great collegial environment, where everyone seemed happy to see each other. Prizes were given out to some of the professors who made great strides in research this past year. Initiatives were discussed, and I've never been in such a fast-growing environment. My Hebrew isn't perfect, but from what I gathered, over the summer, two campuses were purchased, and already divisions of this university were starting in two other cities, with initiatives for expansion beyond, new degrees, etc. Goals were set, and things were happening!
But the most amazing display of leadership came from the Dean of the Business Faculty (that's the department with which I'm officially affiliated). He defined the word "underdog" and explained how Ono Academic College was considered an underdog. He then shattered myths about what it means to be an underdog. "Underdogs don't publish in top journals." Then he showed statistics, showing how Kiryat Ono publications have made it in some of the top journals this year, and how this is an increase over past years (and these journals have 95% rejection rates, so these professors are on par with professors at Harvard and Stanford). He began to show more graphs of publications, grants, impact factors....all I knew was I was ready to buy a Ono Academic College sweatshirt and sing the alma mater by the end of it!
He made everyone feel like they were on a team, celebrated the accomplishments, instilled ownership, and without even explicitly needing to say it, motivated everyone there to be a contributor. It was all done so positively, and in such an exciting manner.
Overall, I think Israel has incredible leadership. Whether it's the sixth graders directing traffic, the high schoolers running overnights for the elementary kids, the parents who run classroom committees, and the deans who run departments. I'd say the only place I see leadership lacking is "misrad hapnim" but that's another post for another day.
I never understood really the importance of leadership. What is leadership exactly? I think it's the ability to take charge, define problems, motivate solution-finding, be flexible and creative, and inspire others...(at least this is what comes to mind as I eat breakfast while quickly typing away). I think in an increasingly diverse world, leadership is crucial to bring people together for problem-solving.
Okay, now let's move on to death.
Yesterday, I had the immense privilege of spending a day at the Medical Simulation Center in Tel Aviv. Talya (my colleague) recommended I go there for a day and it was fantastic. I was invited as an observer to a workshop on End-of-Life Skills. It was kind of funny when I walk in and they ask what I'm there for and I say "end of life".
This workshop was incredible on many levels. First of all, it was the first time I partook in something entirely in Hebrew for over 6 hours for Israelis and by the end of the 6 hours, I forgot it was even in Hebrew unless there was something to read (I read like a turtle). I was so engrossed in the messages that were given. Second, I got to experience medical education focused on communication and bioethics. Third, this was an extremely unique educational experience.
The center hires professional actors to portray patients. These actors might have been the best actors I've ever seen live. The rooms look like medical examination rooms or offices. Workshop attendees take turns going into these rooms with a scenario they read about. The actor knows his part, and he comes in. The workshop attendees are all doctors and nurses and they have to handle the situation, which is being watched by other attendees through one-way mirror and earphones, as well as the professors instructing (watching the live feeds from other rooms where it's being recorded). We then discuss all together. From an educational perspective, it was incredible. There is nothing like having a patient screaming at you that you better treat his mother like she's the mother of the hospital director, and refusing to consider DNR (and by the way he's a lawyer who deals in medical malpractice!) to really learn how to respond. The simulations were so real that actors have been known to burst into tears in their role, that you can see the nurses and doctors legitimately nervous trying to figure out how to handle these situations.
Siblings argued over their mother's wishes, patients begged to know what was wrong with them when their children didn't want them to know, discussions about advanced directives, comforting a doctor who doesn't want to do what the family wants....
It was emphasized that there are no right answers--it's the PROCESS and how to have the conversations that matter.
I did learn that Israeli doctors also feel they have no time with patients by the way. Familiar problem!
I discovered last night that I had eight pages of handwritten notes about the day. The workshop was led by an amazingly empathetic professor. He was the type of guy who got excited about everything he was teaching--he was smiling and understanding, and frankly you felt like it was his life's mission to help doctors and nurses learn how to better care for patients. I soaked in his wisdom. He spoke about how doctors should approach a dying patient like they have something to teach you. Words like this were interspersed among recent research on palliative care.
Now, obviously, in recent years, I have studied birth. I thought that was uplifting, and well frankly, death....was death. It is hard to explain why I felt so uplifted when I left yesterday. Somehow this education conveyed to everyone in that room that death is inevitable but that people who interact with dying patients have the ability to bridge families, to make people feel better, to connect with others....I naively thought it was simply depressing to deal with such issues, and instead left realizing how much meaning can be found in these moments.
Not only that, but it was obvious to all of us that the communication skills learned are applicable to all of our life. It was emphasized, with some facetiousness, that you can practice these skills in your marriage.
The professor who led the workshop was a modern orthodox man with a kippah. And the workshop attendees were as diverse as Israel: at least 1/3 Arab, one woman with a hijab, one Russian, one Ethiopian, a religious zionist who lives in a settlement....but there was such love and compassion in that room full of diverse Israelis. I will truly never forget the experience.
At the end, they asked every attendee what they walked away with from the workshop.
One Arab attendee at the end said "we are all so diverse. We need to support and grow and understand each other. And we should not leave this world without feeling like you left your mark and helped others".
What a great message.
Thank you once again #fulbrightisrael for this AMAZING experience.
I found this map below to show you where Kiryat Ono is....
I finally went to Ono for the first time over a week ago. It's located in Kiryat Ono, and is a private university. I was excited to go to the faculty meeting, during which I took in many things around me.
1. There were excellent sandwiches.
No, really, let me get to the crux of what I have wanted to share for days. Leadership. I saw exceptional leadership at this meeting. It was a great collegial environment, where everyone seemed happy to see each other. Prizes were given out to some of the professors who made great strides in research this past year. Initiatives were discussed, and I've never been in such a fast-growing environment. My Hebrew isn't perfect, but from what I gathered, over the summer, two campuses were purchased, and already divisions of this university were starting in two other cities, with initiatives for expansion beyond, new degrees, etc. Goals were set, and things were happening!
But the most amazing display of leadership came from the Dean of the Business Faculty (that's the department with which I'm officially affiliated). He defined the word "underdog" and explained how Ono Academic College was considered an underdog. He then shattered myths about what it means to be an underdog. "Underdogs don't publish in top journals." Then he showed statistics, showing how Kiryat Ono publications have made it in some of the top journals this year, and how this is an increase over past years (and these journals have 95% rejection rates, so these professors are on par with professors at Harvard and Stanford). He began to show more graphs of publications, grants, impact factors....all I knew was I was ready to buy a Ono Academic College sweatshirt and sing the alma mater by the end of it!
He made everyone feel like they were on a team, celebrated the accomplishments, instilled ownership, and without even explicitly needing to say it, motivated everyone there to be a contributor. It was all done so positively, and in such an exciting manner.
Overall, I think Israel has incredible leadership. Whether it's the sixth graders directing traffic, the high schoolers running overnights for the elementary kids, the parents who run classroom committees, and the deans who run departments. I'd say the only place I see leadership lacking is "misrad hapnim" but that's another post for another day.
I never understood really the importance of leadership. What is leadership exactly? I think it's the ability to take charge, define problems, motivate solution-finding, be flexible and creative, and inspire others...(at least this is what comes to mind as I eat breakfast while quickly typing away). I think in an increasingly diverse world, leadership is crucial to bring people together for problem-solving.
Okay, now let's move on to death.
Yesterday, I had the immense privilege of spending a day at the Medical Simulation Center in Tel Aviv. Talya (my colleague) recommended I go there for a day and it was fantastic. I was invited as an observer to a workshop on End-of-Life Skills. It was kind of funny when I walk in and they ask what I'm there for and I say "end of life".
This workshop was incredible on many levels. First of all, it was the first time I partook in something entirely in Hebrew for over 6 hours for Israelis and by the end of the 6 hours, I forgot it was even in Hebrew unless there was something to read (I read like a turtle). I was so engrossed in the messages that were given. Second, I got to experience medical education focused on communication and bioethics. Third, this was an extremely unique educational experience.
The center hires professional actors to portray patients. These actors might have been the best actors I've ever seen live. The rooms look like medical examination rooms or offices. Workshop attendees take turns going into these rooms with a scenario they read about. The actor knows his part, and he comes in. The workshop attendees are all doctors and nurses and they have to handle the situation, which is being watched by other attendees through one-way mirror and earphones, as well as the professors instructing (watching the live feeds from other rooms where it's being recorded). We then discuss all together. From an educational perspective, it was incredible. There is nothing like having a patient screaming at you that you better treat his mother like she's the mother of the hospital director, and refusing to consider DNR (and by the way he's a lawyer who deals in medical malpractice!) to really learn how to respond. The simulations were so real that actors have been known to burst into tears in their role, that you can see the nurses and doctors legitimately nervous trying to figure out how to handle these situations.
Siblings argued over their mother's wishes, patients begged to know what was wrong with them when their children didn't want them to know, discussions about advanced directives, comforting a doctor who doesn't want to do what the family wants....
It was emphasized that there are no right answers--it's the PROCESS and how to have the conversations that matter.
I did learn that Israeli doctors also feel they have no time with patients by the way. Familiar problem!
I discovered last night that I had eight pages of handwritten notes about the day. The workshop was led by an amazingly empathetic professor. He was the type of guy who got excited about everything he was teaching--he was smiling and understanding, and frankly you felt like it was his life's mission to help doctors and nurses learn how to better care for patients. I soaked in his wisdom. He spoke about how doctors should approach a dying patient like they have something to teach you. Words like this were interspersed among recent research on palliative care.
Now, obviously, in recent years, I have studied birth. I thought that was uplifting, and well frankly, death....was death. It is hard to explain why I felt so uplifted when I left yesterday. Somehow this education conveyed to everyone in that room that death is inevitable but that people who interact with dying patients have the ability to bridge families, to make people feel better, to connect with others....I naively thought it was simply depressing to deal with such issues, and instead left realizing how much meaning can be found in these moments.
Not only that, but it was obvious to all of us that the communication skills learned are applicable to all of our life. It was emphasized, with some facetiousness, that you can practice these skills in your marriage.
The professor who led the workshop was a modern orthodox man with a kippah. And the workshop attendees were as diverse as Israel: at least 1/3 Arab, one woman with a hijab, one Russian, one Ethiopian, a religious zionist who lives in a settlement....but there was such love and compassion in that room full of diverse Israelis. I will truly never forget the experience.
At the end, they asked every attendee what they walked away with from the workshop.
One Arab attendee at the end said "we are all so diverse. We need to support and grow and understand each other. And we should not leave this world without feeling like you left your mark and helped others".
What a great message.
Thank you once again #fulbrightisrael for this AMAZING experience.
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