WORKING@DUKE NEWS YOU CAN USE Volume 8, Issue 6 December 2013/January 2014

Duke’s Biggest LosersDuke health and wellness programs provide motivation to lose weight

insiDE

Cooking with Duke Chefs

Saving for Retirement

When Holidays Hurt

Editor’s Note

LEanora Minai

Leadership Lessons at Duke

During the past year, I’ve enjoyed being a member of the Duke Leadership Academy. The academy provides leadership development for academic

and administrative leaders using best practices from the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics (COLE). Deans, directors or vice presidents nominate individuals for the program.

Our class met monthly to hone skills – everything from modeling ethics and balance to preparing and projecting who you are as a leader. I met new colleagues and found the guest speakers and instruction from Sim Sitkin, Fuqua professor and COLE faculty director, valuable. As the class comes to a close, here are some takeaways:

Focus. Rick Wagoner, Duke grad and former chairman and chief executive officer of General Motors, stressed the importance of a leader who is progressing in his or her career to not do the work of team members. “Each person, including the leader, needs to play his or her position,” he said. Connect. Phail Wynn, Duke’s vice president for Durham and Regional Affairs, shared the importance of finding a common link that allows you to bond with others. He also uses signs and symbols to convey goals and expectations. Persevere: Duke women’s basketball head coach Joanne P. McCallie spoke with the class about her early days as Duke head coach. There were some tough days when Duke fans, grieving over the departure of her predecessor, heckled McCallie, now in her 7th year at Duke and ACC Coach of the Year in 2010, 2012 and 2013. “You got to get hit around a little bit,” McCallie said. “It’s not a good idea to sit there and say, ‘oh yeah, I’m great.’ “ Everyone needs some adversity to become authentic, she added. Appreciate. Kyle Cavanaugh, Duke’s vice president for administration, suggested routinely thanking colleagues for contributions. “If you can help motivate people by letting them know how much you value them, that has a huge impact,” he said. Passion. Mike Schoenfeld, Duke’s vice president for public affairs and government relations, emphasized the link between passion for work and effectiveness. He said, “at the beginning of the day, the question is, ‘can you get excited every day about what you do, how you do it and who you do it with?’ ”

In our leadership journey, the best lessons are seemingly basic, common sense ideas. The challenge is in the consistent application of these simple concepts. I’d love to hear your take on important leadership tenets. Write me at leanora.minai@duke.edu.

Contents

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Cover:Duke’s Biggest Losers Employees and dependents turn to Duke’s benefits and programs to battle the bulge, feel healthy and stay in shape. The son of a Duke employee lost 202 pounds.

Culinary Inspiration with Duke Chefs Working@Duke reached out to three Duke chefs and asked them to share their favorite creations for winter.

Commuter Perks Duke offers commuter options, from the GoPass for fare-free rides on local and regional buses, to improved infrastructure for bike commuters.

11 2013 Teamwork and Diversity award winners

13 A mother’s story about her son’s suicide

14 5 ways to make the holidays easier

15 Green Devil Smackdown returns in January

2 Working@Duke

2012, 2011, 2009, 2008, 2007 Gold Medal, Internal Periodical Staff Writing and 2013 Silver; 2009, 2007 Bronze, Print Internal Audience Publications

This paper consists

of 30% recycled post-

consumer fiber. Please

recycle after reading.

Cover Photo: Tevante Clark, son of Beverly Clark, a communication center operator with the Office of Information Technology, used Duke’s employee wellness program to lose 202 pounds.

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Briefly

Commemorating the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Duke will commemorate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in January with a variety of events for the Duke and Durham communities.

Events include a commemorative service on Jan. 19 with a keynote speaker in Duke Chapel and a Million Meals Project on Jan. 20 to package meals to be distributed to underdeveloped countries by Stop Hunger Now.

“As our national dialogue focuses on the rapidly expanding diversity of our nation, this year’s commemoration is an opportunity to remember and honor a great civil rights leader and to marshal our collective wisdom, high ethical standards and activism to ensure that justice rolls forward,” said Benjamin D. Reese Jr., vice president for Institutional Equity.

Visit mlk.duke.edu for a list of featured events and the schedule.

Be prepared for severe weather Durham averages less than a day of snow each year,

according to Weather Underground, but don’t let that stop you from reviewing Duke’s severe weather policy.

All staff and faculty should review the policy to ensure they understand their roles and responsibilities if Duke declares severe weather or an emergency condition.

All employees are assigned by their supervisor to one of three categories: essential, reserve or delayed. Essential service employees are required to report to or remain at work; reserve service will be assigned at the time of severe weather; and delayed service employees will not report to or remain at work in severe weather.

A link to the emergency conditions policy and snow/ice priority clearing map is at emergency.duke.edu. In

the event of severe weather, employees should monitor the website or call (919) 684-INFO for updates.

New software remembers passwords Duke staff, faculty and students can help protect their digital lives with free access

to the premium version of the LastPass password management service.LastPass allows users to centrally

manage their passwords by saving them to an easy-to-use “vault.” Once installed, LastPass prompts you to save

logins and automatically fills them in for you. If you sign up for new accounts, it will help you generate long, strong passwords. All you need to remember is the master password. Employees can use LastPass for personal and work-related passwords and websites.

Duke users can download LastPass from the OIT website; visit oit.duke.edu/software and browse for LastPass under Utilities & Miscellaneous Software. Create an account with a strong master password, which will become the last password to remember.

The free, Duke-sponsored premium upgrade allows Duke users to take advantage of LastPass’ secure cross-browser, cross-platform syncing capabilities to access login data anywhere, at any time.

Year-end reminders As 2013 comes to an end, here are some

helpful reminders about Duke benefits: ● Staff and faculty enrolled in health or

dependent care reimbursement accounts must submit reimbursement claims for expenses incurred through Dec. 31, 2013, by April 15, 2014.

● Payroll deductions for medical, dental and vision benefits in 2014 will begin in December 2013.

● Payroll deductions for health and dependent care reimbursement accounts begin in January 2014.

● A year-end reminder about maximum contributions to Duke’s 403(b) retirement funds will be mailed to employees’ homes in December.

● The year end is a good time to review personal information through Duke@Work [hr.duke.edu/selfservice]. Accurate personal information will help ensure that all tax-related documents are sent to the correct location.

Stick it to the flu It’s not too late to protect yourself and

others during this winter’s flu season.“Since the flu season can last well into the

spring, a vaccination now still offers protection,” said Carol Epling, director of Duke’s Employee Occupational Health and Wellness.

As of November, more than 25,500 employees at Duke have received their annual influenza vaccination.

“That’s higher than in previous years, but we’d like it to be even higher,” Epling said. “The

more people who are vaccinated, the harder it is for the flu to find a foothold.”

Free flu shots are available from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday (with the exception of noon to 2 p.m. Wednesdays) in the Employee Occupational Health and Wellness office on the basement level of the Red Zone of Duke Clinic. No appointment is necessary. Bring a valid DukeCard ID.

For more information, visit duke.edu/flu.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speaks at Duke in 1964. He filled Page Auditorium and received a standing ovation. Photo courtesy of University Archives.

Peter Katz, right, a statistician in the Department of Economics, gets a flu shot at the employee Wellness Expo in October.

A winter day at Duke.

Tevante Clark started high school weighing 300 pounds, graduated at 380 and grew to 402 by his 20th birthday.

Upset about his size – which included size 52 or 54 pants and a 6XL shirt – he turned to food when he couldn’t find solace in friends or family. He’d grab at least seven Oreos or Chips Ahoy! cookies and escape to his room, eat and sometimes cry.

Clark tried running and playing basketball regularly, only to quit two or three weeks later. A trial with weight loss pills helped him drop 60 pounds until his prescribed dosage ran out, and he put the weight back on.

“It was a really hard time,” said Clark, 22. “I only knew how to eat to hide my emotion.”

But in November 2011, his mother, Beverly Clark, a communication center operator with the Office of Information Technology, introduced Tevante to LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke’s employee wellness program. Tevante, who is eligible for the services as a dependent, enrolled in Pathways to Change, a year-long health management program that pairs participants with coaches who guide them along a path to wellness.

Tevante met with Duke doctors to discuss gastric bypass surgery but needed to first lose 40 pounds. He ran outside, played basketball with his cousins and lifted weights. Once he started dropping weight, he realized he didn’t need surgery. In the two years since using LIVE FOR LIFE programs, Tevante has lost 202 pounds.

“When he lost 40 pounds with Duke’s help, I had no worries about him losing weight after that,” his mother said.

At a time when America is getting fatter and spending more money to fight obesity, Duke employees and their dependents are turning to Duke’s benefits and programs to battle the bulge. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 36 percent of Americans are considered obese, with almost a third of North Carolina’s population obese with a body mass index of 30 or higher. At Duke, obesity levels have trended upward from 29.4 percent in 2006 to 39.7 percent in 2012, according to figures provided to LIVE FOR LIFE by employees recruited for weight-related surveys.

4 Working@Duke

Duke health and wellness programs provide motivation to lose weight

Tevante Clark, the son of a Duke employee, has lost more than 200 pounds with help from Duke weight-management programs. Above, Clark runs the steps at Wallace Wade Stadium. At left, he is seen in 2011 at his heaviest – 402 pounds.

Duke’s Biggest Losers

today.duke.edu/working 5

“Increasingly, weight gain is becoming a problem for many, but that’s not the only issue when it comes to putting on more pounds,” said Julie Joyner, manager for LIVE FOR LIFE. “Weight gain brings risk for other problems like high cholesterol and blood pressure.”

Those health issues add up. Last year, Duke spent millions to help employees and covered family members pay for a variety of medical treatments, ranging from $3.9 million for hypertension to $6.1 million on diabetes.

“From doctor visits to co-pays, there are lots of associated costs when it comes to issues connected to consistent weight problems,” said Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for administration. “Investing in the well-being of our faculty and staff remains a strategic priority in managing our health care costs.”

For Duke faculty, staff and their families, there are numerous programs available across campus to get fit and improve wellness. It’s an important goal for LIVE FOR LIFE – to offer a way to stay in shape for no charge and qualify for discounted prescription medications.

That’s something John Whitesides is familiar with, having used nearly every LIVE FOR LIFE program to get his weight under control and de-stress in the process.

Whitesides, an assistant professor in the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, spent 20 years concentrating on his work and family but neglected himself. From ages 38 to 58, he went from 180 pounds to 224. He admits he may have also spent too many nights enjoying a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream before bed, too.

“I’m only 5-feet-7, so when I went in for a HealthCheck, I found out I was wildly overweight,” Whitesides said. “I followed-up with a free fitness consultation to focus on my fitness and diet and also signed up for Pathways to Change.”

With diet changes and daily walks, Whitesides dropped to about 208 pounds. But it was his participation in Duke’s Run/Walk Club that made the biggest difference. As a part of Duke’s free, weekly group for social exercise, Whitesides found accountability among his peers, who helped push him to stick with his running program and drop weight.

“Whatever your pace, there are people there who are your same speed and they want you to show up every week,” said Whitesides, who weighed 188 pounds in late October, the same month he ran his first half-marathon.

To stay motivated outside of his weekly run sessions, Whitesides sets aside time for Take Ten, LIVE FOR LIFE’s self-directed program to fit 10 minutes of fitness into part of the day, and Take the Stairs, where participants record the number of steps they climb each day. Both programs offer “LIVE FOR LIFE dollars” as prizes for participation, which can be spent at the LIVE FOR LIFE store on items like pedometers, fitness equipment and workout DVDs.

These life changes are particularly important for adults like Whitesides as they age. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on addressing public health issues, has found that obesity for adults at age 65 decreases life expectancy of men by 1.6 years and 1.4 years for women. Overall, being overweight or obese was associated with 18.2 percent of all deaths among American adults from 1986 through 2006.

However, more Duke employees are taking responsibility for their health decisions. According to LIVE FOR LIFE survey results, the percentage of self-reporting faculty and staff who “seldom or never exercise” has dropped from 12 percent to 4 percent in the past three years.

“Working in healthcare, you see what happens when people get older and have health issues, but I never had any problems even though I’ve always been a big girl,” said Julia Davis, respiratory care practitioner at Duke. “But last summer, I stopped in the

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>> continued on page 6

Are you ready to

‘Get Moving?’Beginning Jan. 13, LIVE FOR LIFE will hold its annual employee wellness competition, the

Get Moving Challenge. Teams of faculty and staff from across Duke can complete to see who will take the most steps, exercise the most

minutes or lose the most weight. Visit hr.duke.edu/getmoving to sign up.

John Whitesides, in blue shirt, an assistant professor in the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, has used nearly all offerings from LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke’s employee wellness program to shed weight.

goonline Visit hr.duke.edu/liveforlife to learn more about weight-management programs

6 Working@Duke6 Working@Duke

LIVE FOR LIFE health fair at Duke Hospital and found out my blood pressure was high.”

At the time, Davis’ blood pressure put her on the brink of hypertension and relying on medication to improve her condition. Instead, she used the Duke Fitness Club, a network of facilities that offer discounted membership to Duke employees and their families, and joined Raleigh’s Planet Fitness and Duke’s Brodie and Wilson recreation centers. She also signed up with Pathways to Change to learn wellness tips and to get encouragement to reach her goals, like drinking 10 cups of water a day.

Now, Davis works out five days a week – sometimes with a personal trainer. By mixing cardio with weight training and cutting down on soda and fast food, she’s lost 70 pounds since July 2012. Her blood pressure is now in a normal range.

“Before, my resting heart rate was typically 80 or 90 beats a minute, but

now it’s 70 to 75,” Davis said. “It meant a lot to have help from LIVE FOR LIFE because it made me feel accountable for my accomplishments.”

That mindset has been key for Tevante Clark, the son of the Duke employee who lost 202 pounds and now weighs just under 200. His transformation has left him slimmer and more proud and confident in himself. He’s dropped about 20 pant sizes and wears medium or large shirts instead of 6XL.

He took a break from studying journalism at Vance-Granville Community College to focus on his health, but he’s heading back to class this winter.

“Any time you push yourself to accomplish something like this, it comes with ups and downs, but you have to stay true to yourself,” Clark said. “You can change. You just have to learn to want it.”

By Bryan roth

Duke Programs to Help You Lose Weight

Want to shed a few pounds in 2014? Here are free ways to get started

with LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke’s employee wellness program:

HealthCheckSpend 20 minutes with a LIVE FOR

LIFE nurse and discover the positive health habits you have and develop

strategies for those you want to change. Learn more:

hr.duke.edu/healthcheck.

Take TenA self-paced program that guides participants through five levels of strength and stretching exercises,

from wall push-ups to neck stretches. Find out how to earn LIVE FOR LIFE

dollars to “buy” workout items at hr.duke.edu/taketen.

Take the StairsCount the steps you take each day to log distances from a mile (2,000

steps) to a marathon (52,400 steps). Submit steps to LIVE FOR LIFE to

receive prizes along the way. Start stepping at

hr.duke.edu/takethestairs.

Pathways to ChangeA 12-month program for individuals

at risk for health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, a body mass index

of 30 or more or who have pre-diabetic conditions. Begin

your path to wellness at hr.duke.edu/pathways.

Run/Walk ClubA social exercise group that meets

seasonally at East and West campuses and Duke Regional and Duke Raleigh hospitals. All skill levels are welcome,

from beginner walkers to racing runners. Sign up at

hr.duke.edu/runwalk.

With advice from Duke fitness managers and by working out five days a week, Julia Davis, a respiratory care practitioner at Duke, has lost 70 pounds in a little over a year.

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online Learn more at hr.duke.edu/retirement

Earlier this year, Pamela Sutton-Wallace and her husband, Maurice, sat side-by-side at the dining room table with their

financial statements. Tapping calculations on computers, they created “what-if ” scenarios about their retirement income and expected college costs for their two daughters.

Sutton-Wallace, senior vice president for hospital operations at Duke University Hospital, and her husband, an associate professor of English at Duke, decided it was time to put more money into retirement over the next few years before college tuition squeezed their cash flow.

“I’ve watched too many people get to retirement age and have to keep working because they hadn’t made solid plans earlier,” Sutton-Wallace said.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, fewer than half of Americans have calculated how much they need to save for retirement. Here are some tips to help you make the most of Duke’s retirement benefits and maintain your standard of living in retirement:

Start saving, keep saving. Start small but increase the amount periodically. At an average annual interest rate of 5 percent, $500 invested at age 25 could grow to

$3,520 by age 65. The same $500 invested at age 50 would only grow to $1,039. “It is never too late to start saving, but you get more bang for your buck if you start young,” said Sylvester Hackney, associate director of benefits at Duke.

Set up a retirement consultation. Duke staff and faculty are eligible for in-person or phone conversations with representatives from Duke’s four retirement vendors at no charge. “We can help people get a better answer to the question ‘what will my retirement look like?’ by reviewing their financial statements and their expectations,” said Chris Mann, a financial representative who covers Duke University for Fidelity Investments. The schedule is at bit.ly/vendorconsult.

No need to be an expert. For employees overwhelmed about investment decisions, Duke offers a solution: Target Date Funds. Since 2011, all of Duke’s retirement vendors offer these funds, which automatically diversify an account and re-balance

investments to become more conservative as an employee ages. For more information, visit bit.ly/targetdatefunds.

Review contributions. The market and life situations shift. Financial experts suggest reviewing your retirement plan at least once a year. Duke’s Retirement Manager website [hr.duke.edu/retirement] offers tools to help create “what-if ” scenarios based on changes in annual retirement savings, expected Social Security payments and age at retirement.

For Sutton-Wallace, the vice president of hospital operations, reviewing finances once a year is a convenient reminder to take advantage of other benefits Duke offers such as reimbursement accounts for health and dependent care.

“If I can save a dollar on taxes, that gives me another dollar to put into my retirement account,” she said. “Every little bit helps.”

By Marsha a. Green

Learn More The Duke Faculty and Staff Retirement Plan is available to monthly and bi-weekly paid staff. To learn how to enroll or for an overview of investment options, attend a monthly seminar hosted by Duke Human Resources. Seminars are from 1 to 2 p.m. in conference room03 in the lower level of 705 Broad St. The last seminar for 2013 is Dec. 18. Visit bit.ly/retirementseminars to register.

How to Save for Retirement

‘You get more bang for your buck if you start young’

Pamela Sutton-Wallace and her husband, Maurice Wallace, create “what-if” scenarios about retirement as part of their financial planning.

Find Culinary Inspiration with Duke ChefsWith the holiday season underway,

faculty and staff across Duke are looking forward to celebrations with family and friends.

But what to serve them?Working@Duke wants to help you find your next

great recipe, so we reached out to three chefs from across Duke and asked them to share their favorite creations for winter.

Pre-heat the oven, get your Cuisinart and fill some stomachs with these favorites.

jhi Jason Cunningham is executive chef of the

Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club. He has been included in the books, “Great Chefs Cook Vegan” and “Chefs of the Triangle: Their Lives, Recipes and Restaurants.”

“I love to make soups in the fall and winter when it’s really satisfying to have a nice hearty hot bowl of soup. This is also the time of year when we are able to locally source really nice, hard squashes. When cooked and pureed into a soup, their subtle flavors are very clean and can be enhanced quite easily.”

jhi Cate Smith, executive chef for Duke Integrative

Medicine and Duke Diet and Fitness Center, is a certified dietary manager with more than 25 years of culinary and management experience.

“Fall and winter are such an exciting time for food because it’s when we think of comfort food the most. Oranges, yellows and other vibrant colors of fall are ever-present in our food. I like taking traditional comfort foods and making them healthier, since it’s a time of year we try not to gain weight.”

jhi Vernon Dunnegan has worked at Duke for 20 years,

working as a lead production worker with Duke Dining since 1999. He currently prepares food in Penn Pavilion, Duke’s newest dining space.

“The ribs cook so tender that you don’t even need a fork,” he said. “All you want to do is grab the bone!”

By Bryan roth

8 Working@Duke

Acorn Squash SoupBy Jason Cunningham

Ingredients: 1 pound jumbo onion, chopped 1/2 pound carrot, chopped 2 ounces celery, chopped 3 pounds acorn squash, halved and seeded 4 tablespoons ground cumin 1 pound Poblano peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded 1/4 pound unsalted butter 1/4 ounce fresh ginger, minced 1 bay leaf 1/2 gallon vegetable stock or low sodium vegetable broth 1 anise star

Steps:Season the squash with cumin, salt and pepper and roast cut

side down at 350 degrees with one-quarter of onions and a little water in bottom of the pan until very tender. While roasting, saute rest of vegetables with butter. Scoop out roasted squash and add to pot with ginger, vegetable stock and peppers. Simmer

30 minutes, then puree and adjust seasoning.

Jason Cunningham

Find Culinary Inspiration with Duke Chefs

today.duke.edu/working 9

Fig and Walnut Cheese BallsBy Cate Smith

Ingredients: 2 eight-ounce packages of reduced fat cream cheese 1 cup dried figs, finely chopped with stems removed 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped

Steps:Cream cheese for one minute in a medium bowl with a

hand or stand mixer until fluffy.

Reduce speed to low and beat in figs, Parmesan cheese, honey, pepper and cinnamon.

On sheet of plastic wrap, shape one-third of cheese mixture into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.

Repeat with remaining cheese mixture, making three balls.

Refrigerate until cheese balls are chilled and firm, about one hour or overnight. Roll chilled balls in chopped walnuts.If chilled overnight, let stand 30 minutes before serving.

Beef Short RibsBy Vernon Dunnegan

Ingredients: 15 pounds beef short ribs 1/2 cup salt 3/4 cup black pepper 2 teaspoons of fresh garlic, chopped 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 cup of olive oil 1 white onion, julienned 1 1/2 cup of burgundy wine 3 cups of beef stock

Steps:Optional: Season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic, basil

and thyme and marinate in beef stock to preference.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Combine all dry ingredients with olive oil, remove beef ribs from marinade and thoroughly rub mix on ribs.

Heat a roasting pan to 375 degrees, and sear beef ribs on all sides.

Add liquid ingredients to roasting pan and place onions around ribs.

Cook for two hours at 165 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes.

Vernon Dunnegan

Cate Smith

Looking to save some bucks? It may be as easy as turning in your Duke parking permit.

In recent years, Duke has worked to provide commuter options, from the GoPass, which allows for fare-free rides on local and regional buses, to improving infrastructure on-and-around campus for bike commuters. Even still, 75 percent of Duke University and Duke University Health System employees drive alone in a car to campus, according to a 2013 commuter survey by Duke and Triangle Transit.

“I began carpooling because I didn’t want to do my up to two-hour, one-way drive on my own every day,” said Kait Porter, a research technician in a lab in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. “I save money, am a better driver and learn new and interesting things from the people I’ve met.”

Vanpool Average participant miles saved per month

– 1,028 Average participant savings in fuel per

month - $173.60 Duke pays a $300 vehicle deposit for each

vanpool with at least half Duke employees. Each vanpool parks in a preferred,

reserved space on campus. Participants receive 24 daily parking

passes per year.

Carpool Average participant miles saved per

month – 232 Average participant savings in fuel per

month - $39 Carpoolers get special parking permit

rates, from half-off for a two-person carpool to free with four-person carpool.

Each carpool parks in preferred, reserved spaces on campus.

Participants receive 24 daily parking passes per year.

Biking Average participant savings in fuel per

month - $17.30 Average tons of carbon saved per month

– 25 Participants receive 24 daily parking passes

per year. Bike commuters can use showers in

Wilson and Brodie recreation centers until 9 a.m. daily.

Ability to park at a rack in front of many Duke buildings.

GoPass Money spent on gas for commute - $0 Average tons of carbon saved per

month – 126 Free rides throughout Durham,

Chapel Hill, Raleigh and in-between. Dozens of convenient stops. Available to all Duke students and

eligible employees.

All figures are estimates by Duke Parking and Transportation Services based on reported data from employees.

By Bryan roth

10 Working@Dukego

online Learn more at parking.duke.edu/alternative

Duke’s commuting options save time and money

Get StartedLearn how to sign up for

alternative transportation at parking.duke.edu/alternative

or email Alison Carpenter at alison.carpenter@duke.edu.

Pick Up Perks by Trying an Alternative Commute

Less Driving Means More

SavingsRandy Best, an administrative manager at Duke, rides his bike to work each day.

today.duke.edu/working 11go

online To read more about these awards, including awards given to

Duke University Health System, visit bit.ly/blueribbonawards

I n November, Duke President Richard H. Brodhead honored four groups of employees from Duke University and Duke University Health System with awards for their accomplishments in teamwork and

diversity, two of Duke’s hallmark guiding principles.For the university, the 2013 Diversity Award was

given to four senior administrators at the Pratt School of Engineering for increasing the number of women and underrepresented minorities in the school’s student body and faculty. Employees from the Library Service Center received the 2013 Teamwork Award for their work retrieving more than 540,000 items a year for library patrons.

“Each year, the arrival of this event is very meaningful to me because it is a time to stop and think about fundamental values at Duke,” Brodhead said during the November awards luncheon. “We have people here from the hospitals, from engineering, from information technology and from libraries. What fun to think of all these different parts adding up to a university, and to know that the success of our university is due to the way they live up to and exemplify the values we honor.”

Diversity Award

Martha Absher, Marnie Rhoads, Connie Simmons and Lupita Temiquel-McMillian, all associate or assistant deans at the Pratt School of Engineering, received the Diversity Award for their success in attracting and retaining women and underrepresented minorities in engineering.

Their individual efforts include supporting the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, advising students in the National Society of Black Engineers, and administering a Research Experience for Undergraduate Program that serves underrepresented and physically challenged students. These leaders also introduced new practices to improve diversity

Teamwork & Diversityawardsand gender balance to the school’s faculty. The school has 16 percent women and 7 percent underrepresented minorities on the faculty, above national averages.

“Through the combined efforts, initiatives and programs of these leaders, Duke and Pratt have nurtured one of the most diverse faculty and most successful underrepresented minority student populations in the country,” said Tom Katsouleas, dean of Engineering, who nominated the women.

Teamwork Award

The Library Service Center is a state-of-the-art off-campus facility with about 3 million books, journals and other items from the Duke libraries. Library patrons can request an item online, which begins a carefully orchestrated retrieval process. First, a team member finds the item in the inventory. Another team member is sent out on a “cherry picker” into the 50-degree warehouse to physically pull the item from the 30-feet-tall stacks. The item is scanned, if necessary, and delivered electronically or put in the van for the twice daily deliveries around campus, all within 24 hours.

In fiscal year 2013, the team processed more than 540,000 items during of construction at the warehouse and the influx of thousands of items in preparation for the Rubenstein Library renovation on West Campus.

Team members are Marvin Tillman, Earl Alston, R. David Beal, Andre Crooke, Patrick Daniels, Dexter McCrea, Emmanuel Senga, Daniel J. Walker and Michelle Bowditch.

“I am extremely fortunate to have Marvin Tillman and his team as part of my Division,” said nominator Deborah Jakubs, vice provost for Library Affairs. “They serve as standard-bearers for Duke’s Guiding Principle of Teamwork and have earned the respect and gratitude from all they serve.”

Compiled by Marsha a. Green

The Diversity Award winners with President Richard H. Brodhead and Benjamin Reese, Jr., vice president for Institutional Equity.

Marvin Tillman, manager of the Library Service Center Team, holds the Teamwork Award plaque won by the Library Service Center team. The team is joined by President Richard H. Brodhead and Provost Peter Lange.

For most of Izy Obi’s life, she celebrated the winter holidays at her family’s home, but the death of her mother in 2009 ended that tradition.

Obi, the School of Nursing’s graduate school clinical coordinator, will honor her mother this holiday by traveling with her husband and twin sons to a resort in the Shenandoah valley, the last place Obi

vacationed with her mother.

“As soon as we get there, I’ll choose the room with a view out over the mountains I think mama would have loved,” Obi said. “It’s my way of honoring her soul.”

Holidays, with their focus on traditions and family, are often challenging times for people mourning the death of a loved one, even if the passing is not recent.

Consider these strategies for handling grief during the holiday season:

Give yourself some emotional space. The holiday season carries hidden expectation that joy and love are the only acceptable emotions, said William Holloman, manager of Duke’s Unicorn Bereavement Service. “People often say, ‘I’ve got to be happy, I’ve got to be strong for my family,’ ” he said. “But sadness and tears are a normal part of grieving no matter what time of year it is.”

Accept that grief is unpredictable. Grief involves physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual experiences that may rise in different events, said Patricia Roberts,

a counselor for Duke’s Personal Assistance Service. “It is okay to want to be with people one moment and by yourself the next,” she said. “There’s no magic timetable that says you’ll get through this by a certain time.”

Choose commitments carefully. Exhaustion often accompanies grief. Holloman suggests alerting family and friends that you may not be up for attending an event or hosting a family meal. “You might have to let something go for now, but it doesn’t have to be forever,” he said.

Support colleagues by naming the grief. After the initial loss, grief often gets lost in the shadows of the workplace. “We worry about causing a colleague pain by bringing up a memory, but if the loss is still recent enough for you to remember it, it is a safe bet that your colleague is still thinking about it, too,” Holloman said. He suggests acknowledging their loss. “It lets them know they are not alone in their grief.”

Don’t forget to remember. Obi, the School of Nursing employee, said finding ways to remember someone special helps with healing. “You can remember your loved one in any way you want,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be significant to anyone else as long as it brings comfort and peace to you.”

By Marsha a. Green

12 Working@Duke

Strategies for supporting grief during the holidays

Duke resources for Grief

Personal Assistance Service offers free counseling for employees and their immediate family members. hr.duke.edu/pas

Duke Hospice Bereavement Services offers classes and support groups for those working through grief. dhch.duhs.duke.edu/bereavement-services

Duke Hospital Bereavement Services offers classes and schedules two memorial services each year for Duke staff and faculty. Call (919) 684-4750.

When Holidays Hurt

Izy Obi, graduate school clinical coordinator for the School of Nursing.

today.duke.edu/working 13go

online To learn more about Personal Assistance Service resources, visit hr.duke.edu/pas

The story of a Duke employee who lost her son

On April 12, 2011, Ellen Parks received a text message from her son in Nashville.

“Having a nervous breakdown worrying about things. Didn’t go to work. Call me later,” wrote Derek, 32.

Parks knew her son had been struggling with depression. That evening, she spoke with Derek and promised to call again in the morning. When she called, Derek responded with a text: “I’ll call back when I can.”

Eight hours later, Parks’ sister called from Nashville. Derek had killed himself.

“It is terribly hard to come to terms with the loss of a child,” said Parks, an oncology nurse at Duke. “But it is even harder to come to terms with suicide.”

Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S., causing more fatalities than automobile accidents or homicides, according to the Centers for Disease Control. For every person who dies by suicide, another dozen attempt suicide.

Duke’s Personal Assistance Service (PAS), which offers short-term counseling

for staff and faculty at no charge, has added information about suicide prevention to its website to help employees become more comfortable reaching out for help and discussing the topic. The website includes risk factors for suicide and suggestions on how employees can start conversations.

Andrew Silberman, director of PAS, said work colleagues have unique opportunities to spot behavior that might precede a suicide attempt, including social withdrawal, evidence of substance abuse or mental illness and conversations about death.

“Because of old stigmas there is still a sort of cone of silence around suicide,” he said. “People often fear mentioning suicide will push someone to attempt suicide, but such an inquiry shows concern and is more

likely to give them an idea of where to go for help.”

Parks still struggles to understand why her son killed himself. “I’ll never know for sure why he crossed that line,” she said.

After Derek’s death, a PAS counselor connected Parks with local resources, including the Triangle Survivors of Suicide (SOS) support group. Through SOS, Parks works through her pain by listening to the stories of others and learning more about suicide. To raise awareness of the issue, she helped plan a community walk in November for those touched by suicide.

“If there is anyone who can suffer less because we make it easier to talk about suicide, it is worth it for me,” Parks said.

By Marsha a. Green

Getting HelpIf you have concerns about someone and are uncertain about what

to do, consult Duke Personal assistance service, (919) 416-1727,

or the national suicide Prevention Lifeline, (800) 273-TALK.

Breaking the Silence of Suicide

Ellen Parks with a picture of her son, Derek.

goonline For a full list of PERQS discounts, visit hr.duke.edu/discounts 14 Working@Duke

5 Ways to Make the Holidays Easier

Employee discounts offer savings on services and activities

W hether you shop, travel or visit with family and friends during the holidays, Duke’s employee discount program can ease the holiday pressure with 10 to 20 percent savings on activities and services.

Jennifer Sider makes her holiday travels less stressful by using a PERQS discount for FastPark & Relax, an airport parking service at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

“It’s nearly half the cost of parking on-site at the airport and with their shuttle service and luggage assistance, they make holiday travel easy,” said Sider, development officer for the Duke Credit Union.

Enjoy a stress-free holiday season with these bargains:

save on shipping. Maury Klein, owner of the UPS stores at 2608 Erwin Road and 811 Ninth St. in Durham, offers Duke employees a 10 percent discount on packaging, shipping, copying and other services. Employees must show their DukeCard ID at time of purchase. bit.ly/PERQS_shipping

Cash in with coupons. Show a DukeCard ID at the Information Center at Carolina Premium Outlets in Smithfield, and pick up a free “VIP Coupon Book” worth hundreds of dollars. Participating stores include Banana Republic, Loft Outlet, Nike Factory Store and more. bit.ly/PERQS_cpo

Eat out. From breakfast at Another Broken Egg Cafe to fondue for four at The Little Dipper, PERQS offers discounts at 33 restaurants in the Triangle region. Savings range from 10 percent to 15 percent. Check out the full list at j.mp/PERQS_food

see a movie. Get movie tickets for $6 to $8 depending on theater and ticket type. Participating theaters in the Triangle include Regal Entertainment and the Stone Theater at Park West Village in Morrisville. Tickets are available for purchase every Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Medical Center Human Resources, Room 1527, Duke Clinics, and every Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Staff and Family Programs, 705 Broad St. Payment must be made in cash. For more information, check bit.ly/PERQS_movies. Employees also receive a $2 off movie tickets at the Carolina Theatre in Durham: bit.ly/PERQS_carolinatheatre

Worry-free airport parking. Leave your vehicle in covered parking at FastPark & Relax. The company shuttle will deliver you to the airport, less than 10 minutes away, and drop you off next to your car when you return. Sign up for the Relax for Rewards program and pay $4.75 per day (including tax). bit.ly/PERQS_fastpark.”

By Marsha a. Green

PERQSemployee discounts

15 Working@Duke today.duke.edu/working 15

Sustainable ukeY O U R S O U R C E F O R G R E E N N E W S A T D U K E

goonline Learn more at sustainability.duke.edu/smackdown

Your Chance to Body Slam Waste

‘Green Devil Smackdown’ returns this winter

Are you ready to re-enter the ring?

Beginning Jan. 6, students

and employees can form teams and take part in Duke’s annual Green Devil Smackdown, the sustainability-themed team competition that has participants make sustainable decisions to rack up points and prizes.

Last year, about 1,400 students, faculty and staff participated in the Smackdown by finding their carbon footprint with Duke’s Carbon Calculator, taking quizzes on Duke’s sustainable history and hosting meatless potlucks.

While teams compete for the grand prize – a wrestling belt and recognition at an annual sustainability awards luncheon – individuals compete for weekly prizes like a bicycle pump, free Duke Campus Farm produce and more. Everyone who participates regularly will also win a set of travel bamboo utensils. Over eight weeks (Feb. 3 to March 28), participants accrue points for each action; teams are ranked by average points per participant.

“Each year, we look forward to the Green Devil Smackdown as a way to highlight how being sustainable doesn’t have to be hard or boring,” said Casey Roe, outreach coordinator for Sustainable Duke. “From group videos to organized events, we

always see coworkers and student groups having fun with it.”

Sign up will be available Jan. 6 at sustainability.duke.edu/smackdown.

New aspects of the competition include a “Smackdown on the Quad” with games and relays, as well as more ways to earn points by interacting on social media and a recycled art competition.

This year’s teams will be working to knock off reigning champion, “The Green Monkeys,” a group of Duke community members from the Biology and Evolutionary Anthropology departments. In the 2012-13 competition, The Green Monkeys compiled an average of 3,062 points for each of its 32 team participants, amassing about 500 more points than the second-place team, DUSON Green Team, from the School of Nursing.

Jake Gordon, a lab technician in the Department of Biology and last year’s team leader for The Green Monkeys, said he’s excited to defend the title with his coworkers so he can put new emphasis on living sustainably. That will include a renewed focus on keeping up participation through in-person and online communication and hosting monthly team gatherings, like a vegetarian potluck.

“We want to avoid a common problem of taking a quiz or doing the minimum and forgetting about

the rest,” he said. “It’s about keeping up the spirit of the competition – that making changes in our lives become what we always do, not just what we’re encouraged to do.”

By Bryan roth

Members of “The Green Monkeys,” the Green Devil Smackdown winners in 2013, pose with their ceremonial championship belt.

Join the ‘Smackdown’ Beginning Jan. 6, students and

employees can begin signing up teams for the Green Devil Smackdown. Register at sustainability.duke.

edu/smackdown. The competition is from Feb. 3 to March 28, and the

winning team receives the Smackdown championship belt.

How To Reach UsEditor: Leanora Minai(919) 681-4533leanora.minai@duke.edu

Assistant Vice President: Paul S. Grantham (919) 681-4534 paul.grantham@duke.edu

Graphic Design & Layout: Paul Figuerado(919) 684-2107paul.figuerado@duke.edu

Senior Writer: Marsha A. Green(919) 684-4639marsha.green@duke.edu

Senior Writer/Videographer: Bryan Roth(919) 681-9965bryan.roth@duke.edu

Photography: Duke University Photography and Marsha Green and Bryan Roth of Communication Services.

Working@Duke is published every other month by Duke’s Office of Communication Services. We invite your feedback and story ideas.

Send email to working@duke.edu or call (919) 684-4345.

Visit“Working@Duke” daily on Duke Today: today.duke.edu/working

This publication is available in alternative format on request. Please call (919) 684-4345.

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I don’t work out, but I try to eat really well and walk everywhere. I eat a lot of organic foods, make most of what I eat from scratch and eat seasonally. I want to get into the habit of making my own bread. It tastes better when it comes from the oven and loaves of bread from the store are expensive.”

Bethany GiglioStaff specialist, Organization for Tropical Studies1 year at Duke

I want to maintain good, physical activity. I bike to work four times a week and want to keep my blood pressure low by utilizing our gyms at Brodie and Wilson [recreation centers]. I used to weigh 287 pounds, but now I’m down to 215, which gives me a high level of motivation because I remember where I was. Making good, healthy choices helps me be more adept at my job.”

Jeffrey DavisInvestigator, Duke Police6 years at Duke

Last June, I had gastric sleeve surgery, which was a weight loss goal last year. This year, my goal is to meet a goal weight my doctor tells me and stick with personal training. It’s my first time using weights, so it’s very exciting. I want to be toned and healthy so my son and I can take a Segway tour in Washington, D.C. He’s 7, so he’ll be tall enough to ride.”

P. Renee MooreOffice coordinator, Jewish Life at Duke University26 years at Duke