Here and There: Bites of Belonging, discovering lab careers, duckling rescue
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Learn how a new food event series is bringing staff together, how students are gaining hands-on experiences at Mayo laboratories, and how a duck family was reunited thanks to the quick actions of two colleagues.
"Here and There" gives you a glimpse at happenings across Mayo Clinic, giving special attention to the lighter moments. If you and your colleagues had some fun or stumbled across something interesting, drop the News Center team a note, and include a photo or video if you can.
See what your colleagues have been up to recently.
Bites of Belonging
The universal language of food is bridging gaps and creating a sense of belonging at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. The Practice Operations Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Committee has created a series of "Bites of Belonging" events.
The concept is simple: Staff share samples of cultural dishes and the recipes for those dishes at Annenberg Plaza on multiple days this summer. So far, staff, visitors and patients have sampled Bolani, an Afghan dish, and Koenigsberger Kloepse, a German dish.
"Food starts the conversation and draws people in to try a new dish they have never seen before or connects them to a dish they are familiar with. Either way, people are drawn in to start a conversation and find out that we all belong here," says Angela Selnes, Ophthalmology, who developed the idea with her committee colleagues.
The committee is also partnering with Food Services, which prepares 200 samples of each dish to share at the events. After each event, the recipes are also shared on the Food Services intranet site.
For Selnes, it's all about her passion to bring people together, and she appreciates the support her committee has received.
"The leadership support of Practice Operations, Food service, Facilities and Media Support Services has been amazing. The idea came to life with the amazing people who said yes and jumped in to make it happen," she says. "I am grateful to work at a place like Mayo Clinic that allows employees' big, bright ideas to take shape."
You can check out two more Bites of Belonging events on Thursday, July 25, and Aug. 8. They will be held at Annenberg Plaza from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
KTTC-TV's Midwest Access also featured the most recent Bites of Belonging event in a live report.
Discovering lab careers at Mayo Clinic
This spring, the inaugural Discover Mayo Clinic — Lab Explorers event in Rochester hosted 44 students from southern Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Twin Cities area. The event was a collaboration between Workforce Development and the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. The goal was to educate and connect students to in-demand career options in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology.
Justin Kreuter, M.D., Transfusion Medicine, was the keynote speaker and emphasized laboratory medicine and lab staff members' vital role in patient diagnosis and treatment. Students participated in hands-on activities across various career areas, gaining insights into lab careers and educational requirements.
Tim Faber, operations administrator in the department, highlighted the importance of early talent workforce development.
"This approach helps students transition from classroom learning to real-world employment by providing practical skills and experiences. It also addresses the need for skilled workers in high-demand roles in healthcare," he says.
Learn more about Discover Mayo Clinic programs on the Mayo Clinic Career Exploration website and the career website events page.
Duckling rescue
Mayo staff provide excellent patient care, and they're also invested in the well-being of animals — six little ducklings in this case.
A rescue scene recently occurred at Mayo Clinic Health System in Lake City.
"Coming back from lunch, we heard baby ducks and saw a mother duck hanging out around the storm drain by the oxygen tank," says Katie Gates, Radiology.
After realizing that the ducklings had fallen into the storm drain and couldn't get out, Gates and her co-workers quickly recruited help from Riley Borgschatz, Facilities Operations, and Sam Passe, Radiology.
After they removed the storm drain cover, Borgschatz crawled into the drain with a bucket and rescued the ducklings.
While the mother duck was hiding during the rescue, the Mayo team brought the ducklings to the nearby lawn, where the feathery family could reunite.
See some photos from the duckling rescue operation:
Share your news
You don't have to crawl into storm drains to contribute to this column. Inspire your colleagues by sending your submissions to the News Center team. If you and your colleagues had some fun or stumbled across something interesting, drop the team a note, and include a photo or video if you can. If you found it interesting, chances are your colleagues will, too.