In the words of Lucian De Crescenzo, “We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.”
I frequently get asked what brought me to WashU Medicine. My answer is simple: the opportunity to link two things that have always driven me – educational innovation and disparities in health outcomes and access – with a goal of progressively improving care for all people. And that is true. The Gateway Curriculum, the product of incredible teamwork, collaboration, and innovation by faculty, staff, students, and community members, embodies this linkage. Similarly, the clinical and education work I have the privilege to do in the hospital, with our residents, students, and interprofessional colleagues, grounds me and continuously reminds me how much more there is to do. And yet, together, we make a difference every day through the compassionate care we provide to people from across the region. But this is only part of the truth of what brought me to WashU Medicine and what keeps me here. It is not just the opportunity to do this work, but also how we do it.
At WashU Medicine, our purpose is “to lead in advancing human health through the promotion of wellness and delivery of outstanding health care, innovative research, and the education of tomorrow’s leaders in biomedicine.” Our mission emphasizes that excellence in all these domains is dependent on a collegial and inclusive community of faculty, staff and learners who work together, support one another, and challenge each other to be and do our best. This is what guides us. Why?
Teamwork is the cornerstone of effective healthcare and innovative science. It allows us to harness the unique strengths of each individual, creating a force that is greater than the sum of its parts. Through collaborative learning, research, and clinical care, we exchange knowledge, expand our critical thinking skills, and engage in more effective complex problem-solving. For our learners, this cooperative approach enhances their education and prepares them for the collaborative nature of modern healthcare and science.
Collaboration is equally crucial for excellence in educational programs. When faculty, staff, and learners work together, they can design comprehensive curricula, integrate interdisciplinary perspectives and best practices, and foster a dynamic learning environment. This collaboration inspires innovative teaching methods, supports professional development, and drives operational excellence across our academic community.
Inclusion lies at the heart of our collaborative efforts. Without an openness to different perspectives, ideas, and backgrounds, innovation stalls. It’s why so much of the best science occurs at boundaries that blur disciplines. It’s why working with and learning from individuals with different life stories, ideas, and experiences allows for personal growth and deep learning. It’s why the highest quality of care arises not from individual effort alone but a team that combines different skills, training, and knowledge. It is only through embracing the complexities of human experience that we can address some of our most vexing problems, including disparities in health outcomes and access.
Lucian De Crescenzo’s metaphor of angels with only one wing serves as a poignant reminder that our greatest achievements come not from solitary endeavors but from lifting one another, leaning into our multitude of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and working toward a shared purpose. We are uniquely capable of that here at WashU Medicine. We have seen it with curriculum transformation across multiple programs and the collaborative, integrative nature of our educational programs. We experienced it firsthand in our clinical, research, and educational responses to COVID. We operationalize it daily in our work. As our circumstances evolve, our unwavering commitment to teamwork, collaboration, inclusion, and a deep and abiding commitment to our mission, will continue to guide us. This is WashU Medicine at its best – and together, we will keep leading, innovating, and making a difference.