MIT Reports to the President 2001–2002

Vice President for Human Resources and Equal Opportunity Officer

Centers, Programs, and Offices Affimative Action/Equal Opportunity and Diversity Programs Office Benefits Services Compensation Employee Relations Labor Relations Organization and Employee Development Staffing Services MIT Medical

The following reports of the Human Resources leaders reflect a year of progress in achieving the department's goals. Our overall purpose is to provide an array of programs and services that create a positive work environment and that support our leaders, faculty and staff in their efforts to achieve MIT's mission. Following are some highlights of HR activity this year:

The Rewards and Recognition Program is completing its second year. Both the Institute-wide Excellence awards and the locally provided Infinite Mile awards are enjoyed throughout MIT.

Leader to Leader was piloted this year. A major initiative to expand the depth and breadth of leadership capability within the Institute, this program supported the development of 18 fellows. Using both internal and external faculty, and with assistance from the Sloan School, it was quite successful.

Also piloted was the New Department Head Orientation. Designed for faculty who have been appointed as department heads, this individually tailored program acquaints them with resources at MIT that can assist with their managerial responsibilities. It is being expanded to serve new department heads in central administration as well.

On a related note, HR staff are working on the development of a New Employee Orientation that will provide a comprehensive welcome to all new employees coming to work at MIT. Scheduled to start in January 2003, this program will offer online benefits enrollment, a delightful video welcome, and an introduction to MIT's mission and a sense of the organization.

Improving the effectiveness of our pay programs is an ongoing effort in HR. This year the compensation staff have undertaken the reclassification of all support staff jobs. This is a comprehensive effort affecting 1,200 employees ultimately and will take effect in 2003. The compensation team also published guidelines for managers on handling compensation matters. This is highly valued.

Benefits enhancements are planned in the coming year. An improved vacation policy will make MIT a more competitive employer, and a new short-term disability plan will help both staff and their managers in the event of disability.

In the labor relations area, contract negotiations were successfully completed with the SEIU and the RDTEU for both campus and the Lincoln Laboratory.

We have launched a professional development series for HR professionals in both the central HR office as well as those in the departments, labs, and centers. Called HR Partners, this initiative offers enhanced communication about HR matters to these individuals as well as forums for education in our field.

We have established a new staffing and recruitment service for the Institute. The office will expand the pools of qualified applicants for available positions, streamline the application process, and emphasize minority recruitment. These efforts are assisted by the Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity and Diversity Programs Officethat also produced a report on minority staff at MIT and assisted the Lincoln Laboratory in a compliance audit by the OFCCP.

There is continued growth in services to broad segments of our community by both the Careers Planning Office and the Center for Work, Family and Personal Life. The center was key in supporting the Council on Work and Family in conducting an Institute-wide survey that explored aspects of work life here. Additionally, staff have been instrumental in developing the model and arrangements for a vastly expanded child care program for the children of MIT faculty and staff.

All HR staff, along with many from IS, FSS, Payroll and the DLCs, have been enmeshed in the implementation of a new HR/Payroll system that will replace outmoded legacy systems. The project's development has included work by numerous interdisciplinary business process teams, with review by a design review team, a policy advisory group, a sponsors' group and an executive steering committee. A massive project with many moving parts, the new system promises streamlined transaction processing and significant new capabilities in support of business decision-making.

HR staffing as of June 30, 2002, was as follows:

• Of 54 administrative staff, 42 are female and 12 are male. Of these, there are six black American females, two black American males, two Asian American females, one Asian American male and one Native American. The rest are 34 white females and eight white males.
• Of 28 support staff, 23 are female and five are male. Of these, there are three black American females, one black American male, one Hispanic American female, and two Asian American female. The rest are 17 white females and four white males.

Following are comparisons with the prior year:

	2001	2002
Administrative females	75%(36)	78% (42)
Administrative minorities	21%(10)	24% (13)
Support staff females	76%(19)	82% (23)
Support staff minorities	32%(8)	29% (8)

We were pleased to have Jean Holtman join us this year as director of benefits.

Under the leadership of Dr. William Kettyle and Annette Jacobs, the Medical Department continued to provide valuable services to a significant portion of the MIT community. A detailed summary of the department's activities is included with this report. Highlighted in the summary are these major activities:

• Completion of the department's strategic plan, with new programs underway
• Participating in and responding to the Mental Health Task Force Report
• Improving services to patients and the community based on needs identified in the ComMITment to Care program
• Improving fiscal planning and reporting
• Completion of a staff survey on the workplace environment
• Enhancements in electronic management of clinical data

The Human Resources and Medical Departments are both pleased to serve the MIT community. We welcome comments and suggestions relative to this report or any of our programs and services.

Laura Avakian
Vice President for Human Resources and Equal Opportunity Officer

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Affimative Action/Equal Opportunity and Diversity Programs Office

The Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Office/Diversity Programs prepares the MIT Affirmative Action Plan and to consult with the Institute's departments, laboratories and centers to ensure MIT's compliance in the areas of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity. The office also provides assistance in minority recruitment, hiring, advancement and retention of underrepresented minorities and women.

Work on the HR Diversity Initiative for Minority Staff culminated with the delivery of the final report submitted in June 2002. The research conducted to investigate the minority staff issues in regard to diversity and affirmative action uncovered a series of facts that closely mirror the issues of low representation and limited professional development opportunities that have been recognized in past studies. The recommendations proposed were drawn from the review of past and current best practices reviewed in the study and the input of a cross section of MIT staff. The review, approval, and implementation of the recommendations are proposed to occur by end of year 2002.

The office assisted the Lincoln Laboratory in an Office for Federal Contract Compliance (OFCCP) desk audit of their Affirmative Action Plan. The review required the office to assist in providing reports and documents in response to the audit requests and to participate in the strategic planning meetings with the Lincoln Laboratory staff and consultants. The audit was successfully completed and the final report found Lincoln Laboratory in compliance with minor suggestions for improvements for meeting gender and minority goals.

Membership on the Committee on Campus Race Relations (CCRR) has continued in the role of co-chair for the Education Subcommittee, and the subcommittee has collaborated this year with other members of CCRR to support the development of a diversity course to be piloted in the fall of 2002. The Freshman Orientation diversity session, which was successfully piloted last year, is being planned again for the 2002 orientation program. Efforts are underway to expand the diversity orientation to other segments of the MIT community and discussions have begun with regard to a Teaching Assistants' (TA) diversity training. An IAP Open House to display MIT race relations/diversity videos and other related videos and print materials was conducted to expose members of the community to information and materials that can be used to inform and educate groups within MIT about the subject. Support was also given to CCRR's Race of the Future Subcommittee to the video taping of conversations among Muslim students. Their experiences within their own communities at MIT and their reactions and the effects of 9/11 have been captured on three tapes.

In support of MIT's minority recruitment efforts, the office has provided assistance as requested for specific position openings, has expanded participation in local job fairs and special interest conferences for contact with qualified applicants, and has maintained affiliation with special interest organizations for networking opportunities. These activities have added increased numbers of minority applicants to the applicant database maintained by Human Resources. This support is intended to enhance the full-service assistance expected of MIT's Minority Recruitment Program that the AA/EO Office supports and, together with the Human Resources Officers, to create additional opportunities for hiring underrepresented minorities.

The 2001–2002 MIT Affirmative Action Program was produced and prepared for dissemination to the academic and administrative management staff of the Institute in July 2002. The Tech Talk Supplement was also printed and distributed during July 2002. The office continues to modify and streamline the contents of the AAP to assist the DLC representatives to reduce the time commitment to narrative preparation and to more appropriately reflect the inclusion of only the information required under the guidelines of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).

Regina Caines
Director

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Benefits Services

In July of 2001, SAP became the system of record for benefits administration following the successful conversion of all employee, retiree and external subscribers benefits records to the new system. During this period of data transition and auditing, the benefits staff attended SAP training and worked with FSS on testing the system for accuracy before final implementation.

Building on the successful conversion, the benefits team went to work with members of the Financial System Services (FSS) and Information Systems (IS) to build a web-based employee self services system that was used with great accomplishment during the 2002 Open Enrollment period.

The system allowed employees to make changes to their benefits through a secure online system that would automatically update their record in SAP in "real time." The system also allowed employees to view and create records for family members on the plans, view the cost of the plans and how much MIT was contributing to the benefits.

Continuing through 2002, our team again worked with FSS and members of MIT Information System and built a New Hire web application. This tool allows newly benefits eligible employees to enroll in all available health and welfare benefits online. The system also allows easy access to Fidelity Investments's web site so employees can enroll in their 401(k) Plan thus allowing new employees the capability of a more expedient full enrollment process.

In addition, another enhancement that the teams worked together on was "View your Benefits" a SAPweb application that allows current benefits eligible employees to view their personal benefits enrollments and family member information online throughout the year.

Beginning January 2002, Benefit Concepts, Inc. became the third party administration for the Institutes Flexible Spending Accounts. Participants to these plans now are able to view their account balances, claim payment, and check history via the web or using an interactive voice response (IVR) phone system.

There were several staff changes during the year. Lauren Kaszanek and Theresa Howell joined the Benefits team as benefits administrator following the departure of Jessina Marquez and Sharon Clarke. Ms. Clarke was promoted to benefits counselor in April of 2001. Paula Hong is the newest member of the team providing support for Human Resources and Benefits in the front reception area.

Shawn Foley
Manager

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Disabilities Services

The Disabilities Services Office (DSO) developed a functioning integrated disability management program for the Institute. All units of DSO are identified as having a role in supporting departments, students, employees, and Human Resource Officers regarding accommodations, leave and attendance issues. The program incorporates return to work and workplace accommodation initiatives, as well as, leave and attendance management strategies and when needed, transitioning the employee to long term disability.

The Workers' Compensation program now has a new web site and online Supervisor's Report of Occupational Injury/Illness. This ensures prompt reporting of injuries and avoids delays in necessary medical treatment and benefits due to employees. As of July 1, 2002 we have ended our relationship with Sedgwick, our former Third Party Administrator for Workers' Compensation and have contracted with Liberty Mutual/Helmsman Management Services, Inc. It is our hope that the Liberty Group will better serve MIT employees through improved case management and ensure substantially lower claims cost.

DSO continues to consult with the Department of Facilities in the area of physical access. Recent projects include the Zesiger Center and the Media Lab extension.

In October, Barbara Roberts was recognized for her work providing excellent services to students and staff by receiving the MIT Excellence award.

It became necessary to hire an additional full-time staff member (Kathleen Monagle) in DSO, whose responsibilities would be to provide services to students with disabilities. By way of this reorganization, we were able to provide prompt, comprehensive, professional services to all students with disabilities—learning, physical, and psychiatric. The result is that students benefit from having one contact person in this streamlined approach to disability accommodations. Faculty and staff also benefit from simplified communication and access.

Other benefits of a staff member dedicated to students include enhanced opportunities for collaboration with Academic Affairs and Counseling and Support Services, full time participation at Committee on Academic Performance (CAP), strengthened ties with the Freshman Office and various academic departments through discussions of individual student cases, and an enhanced role in commencement exercises via full involvement throughout the planning stages with Facilities and Guest Services.

Over the past year we have made several changes to the Long Term Disability Program (LTD). A medical consultant was hired to evaluate denied LTD claims upon appeal and the LTD Plan was finalized. We have augmented our services to work with employees immediately who are eligible or express an interest in returning to work by offering vocational assistance and training. We have also taken steps to equalize benefits for all MIT employees. Training is also being provided to supervisors on the provisions of the new plan. With ongoing training it's our hope to provide departments, labs, and centers with the necessary information they need to assist their staff through what could be a difficult transition.

Barbara Roberts
Manager

Center for Work, Family and Personal Life

Responding to increased demand for client services and significantly greater involvement in the management of large-scale, collaborative projects, the Family Resource Center embarked on a strategic planning process this past year that culminated in a number of dramatic changes in direction and organization.

The center's new mission statement identifies its primary purpose as enriching the creativity and productivity of the MIT community by supporting the broad diversity of family structures and life experiences represented within its faculty, staff, and student populations. The center seeks to accomplish its mission through a continued combination of direct and indirect services that have the highest standards and incorporate cutting-edge knowledge of the field. Thus, the center also works actively to contribute to MIT's reputation as an employer of choice, and to serve as a model for other organizations locally, nationally, and internationally.

The most visible change at the center involved the addition of the words "work and personal life" to the center's name, reflecting its increasing role in programs and projects designed to enhance quality of life at MIT, as well as its more traditional role in offering services for families. A new logotype and brochure were developed for the newly named Center for Work, Family and Personal Life.

Steps were also taken this year to broaden client services, such as by adding new seminar topics to include issues across the lifespan, as well as to streamline customer service, such as by enhancing the center's web page and appropriately increasing the roles played by the center's administrative assistant and others.

New projects were selected to focus on the collection, analysis and dissemination of information on community needs and best practice models, and on fostering collaboration and strengthening coordination of MIT's many "work/life" human services and activities, both within and outside of HR.

One such project, a new web site called MIT Lifesites, coordinated by Rae Simpson and launched in September, provides quick access to the hundreds of services, activities, programs and groups that support personal, family and community life at MIT. Information about the site was widely disseminated, and feedback has been very positive. The center provides ongoing maintenance for the site.

Rae continued to co-chair the Council on Family and Work, together with Claude Canizares, and beginning in February, Roy Welsch. A key project for the council for the year was planning, designing, administering, and analyzing a quality of life assessment, to investigate factors that contribute to a sense of community, support, and mission at MIT among faculty, staff, and students. Data gathering activities included interviews, focus groups, and an Institute-wide survey distributed in October and November, with the assistance of the consulting firm WFD Inc.

Dreyfoos Entry to Child Care Center

Kathy Simons continued to spearhead the campus child care expansion and reorganization initiative that will more than double current child care capacity and add infant care. Key accomplishments this year included the selection of an outside management vendor, Bright Horizons, to partner with MIT in managing campus child care programs; the completion of design development of the new Stata child care center; and creation of a new position of "Child Care Administrator" within the center to coordinate child care planning and program development, and to provide vendor oversight.

Interior Child Care Center Entry

Both Kathy and Rae continue to be engaged in and in demand for local, national and international initiatives that bring recognition to MIT and its strengths as a "family-friendly employer of choice." Rae Simpson gave keynote addresses at conferences in London, Mexico, Los Angeles, and New York regarding her research on the parenting of adolescents, and she organized a leadership meeting here on campus in January to help launch a major national initiative on adolescence. In addition, she organized a special session on international issues in parenting education at the Family Support America conference in Chicago in April. Kathy's work with the New England Work/Family Association included organizing a program for the fall quarterly meeting on the importance of integrated conflict management systems to work/life efforts, and sponsorship of the event on campus.

Child Care Center 1st floor constuctruction, Feb. 2002

Kathy's and Rae's respective titles changed this year as well, to Manager of Work/Life and Child Care Initiatives, and Manager of Parenting Education and Research. In October, Kathy and Rae were recognized for their work in creating a positive, supportive, and inclusive place for employees and faculty to work, by being among the first recipients of the MIT Excellence Award.

Erika Simmons joined the center staff in October, replacing outgoing administrative assistant, Catherine Bellanti.

Kathy Simons, Manager of Work/Life and Child Care Initiatives
Rae Simpson, Manager of Parenting Education and Research

Retirement Programs

The Retirement Programs Office is responsible for retirement counseling, overseeing the administration of the MIT retirement plans, and providing investment education to the community. In the past year, our office has counseled more than 750 employees to help them prepare for retirement.

In FY2001, the Retirement Programs Office expanded the investment education service based on program attendance and feedback. To meet the needs for fundamental investment education, "Basics of Investments" is now being presented on a quarterly basis on campus and at Lincoln Laboratory. In light of the investment climate during the past year, we offered quarterly presentations reviewing the market environment and the investment options available through the MIT 401(k) Plan. In addition, the following presentations were offered through IAP: Estate Planning Basics, Qualified Retirement Assets in Estate Planning, Understanding Your Retirement Plan, The Financial Market Today, The New Tax Law—Effect on the MIT 401(k) Plan and Basics of Investment. Total attendance at presentations exceeded 2000.

The MIT Supplemental 401(k) Oversight Committee met four times during the FY2001. This committee is responsible for monitoring the core investment options available to the 401(k) plan participants. The committee, with the support of the Retirement Programs Office, began a comprehensive review of the Single Portfolio and Asset Class investment options.

The Retirement Programs Office has initiated a review of the systems and administrative processes with the dual goal of streamlining processes and providing participants with enhanced access to information about their retirement benefits.

Ellen Weiss
Manager

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Compensation

In FY2002, the Compensation Office participated in 26 external salary surveys conducted by universities, associations, and consulting groups from across the country. The office also conducted one major salary survey for faculty with 20 participants. These survey results provided a strong base for determining our market position and in developing our review allocation proposals to the MIT Corporation's Executive Committee.

Nine separate salary review allocations covering approximately 7,000 campus employees and faculty and 2,300 Lincoln Laboratory employees were administered. In an effort to assist DLCs move from a paper driven review process to an electronic review process with the implementation of HR/SAP, electronic spreadsheets were offered to DLCs to conduct their reviews this past year. A number of DLCs took advantage of this opportunity.

Compensation, HRIS, and representatives from academic areas addressed long-standing difficulties with the review process for "Other Academics." In order to test various approaches, a pilot was introduced which divided "Other Academics" into two groups. Salaried instructional appointments were to be reviewed on an annual basis and salaried research; unsalaried instructional and unsalaried research appointments were to be reviewed on a quarterly basis. Upon completion of the pilot, it was agreed that the approach worked well for salaried instructional appointments; however, there were concerns about a quarterly review process for salaried research, unsalaried instructional and unsalaried research appointments. A determination was made that, going forward (and pending the transition of DLC's to HR/SAP), the appointment process will be conducted on an annual basis for salaried instructional appointments and on a biannual basis for all others.

As the HR/Payroll Project Team works toward the implementation of SAP, Compensation staff members have been involved in various ways. During the Business Process Redesign Phase, Compensation staff were team sponsors, team leads, and team members. During this phase, current business processes were evaluated and recommendations for improved future processes were formalized. This was done in conjunction with members of the MIT community; i.e. those that will be end-users. Teams that focused on compensation practice included the Job and Position Classification and Annual Salary Review Team and the Position Management Team. Compensation continues to provide expertise and support during the "Blue Printing" stage, where team members are engaged in the day-to-day requirements of the system.

As Compensation continues to develop strong relationships with DLCs, a greater understanding of their organizational structures and compensation needs has been gained. Much discussion has taken place regarding recruitment, retention, and turnover. On an ongoing basis, the office works with departments across the Institute to review job content, recommend appropriate titles and grades, and address internal equity and external market issues. Initiatives include an analysis of I/T pay across the Institute and an approach of more uniform titling in certain administrative positions. Throughout FY2002, Compensation was involved in discussions that resulted in 90 administrative position classification or reclassification requests and 135 administrative and support promotions.

In July 2001, Compensation introduced a new set of Pay Decision Guidelines. Since then, the office has continued to revise existing guidelines and has developed new guidelines where appropriate (e.g., Off-Cycle Merit Increase Guidelines and Temporary Assignment Pay Differential Guidelines).

Compensation, in collaboration with the Medical Department, developed an approach for providing shift differentials to nurses who work evening and/or night shifts. This method of paying for off-shift work is consistent with community practice and has assisted MIT with its recruitment and retention efforts. Compensation also collaborated with the Budget Office to provide more comprehensive budget reporting during FY2002. Specifically, through data analysis, the number of active full time employees and the costs associated with interim increases and promotions were captured for quarterly reporting purposes.

In September 2001, the Compensation Office began a review of the Support Staff structure. An Advisory Group, which included representatives from across the Institute and Lincoln, partnered with Compensation. Project goals include: updating and standardizing several support staff job descriptions and titles; updating salary ranges; determining how MIT pays in relation to other area employers; and reviewing pay equity within departments and across the Institute. Others involved in this project have included senior leadership from the schools, members of the Administrative Advisory Council II, and several members of the Working Group for Support Staff Issues.

Accomplishments to date include: development of standardized job descriptions for secretarial, administrative assistant, and clerical roles; development of position summaries for many other support staff positions; collection of market data; and development of instructions for classifying support staff jobs. Compensation conducted 38 Manager/AO briefing sessions in which the details of the support classification project and process were explained. During the summer, additional information sessions will be provided for support staff. Classification and subsequent salary adjustments will occur in the first quarter of 2003.

Barbara Jablon
Director

Human Resources Information Systems

Human Resources Information Systems' (HRIS) responsibilities include the identification, planning, and implementation of HRIS changes and updates in order to meet the strategic needs of the Human Resources Department. This encompasses meeting customer and user needs; implementing legal and other requirements; approving security access (including the data warehouse); updating and maintaining systems tables; creating and maintaining ad hoc reports; keeping up-to-date on developing HRIS technology; and developing the local area network.

HRIS staff members have participated in the numerous SAP Business Process Redesign Teams. Their role has enabled these teams to identify current Human Resources processes and make recommendations for change. Following these recommendations, HRIS was involved in the development of the blueprint documents for Organization and Compensation Management and Personnel Administration; i.e. providing detailed requirements of the organizational structure and identifying system requirements. This has, in turn, led to the configuration and conversion of the SAP Human Resources organizational structure—first in a test environment and then in a production environment. It has also given the Personnel Administration Team the information required to build the system.

HRIS has been instrumental in the redesign of the telephone directory. In past years, departments have updated employee addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses on directory forms generated by HRIS. The process has proven to be one that is extremely manual and time-intensive. The new process has been designed around an employee self-service application. This will allow employees to update their own information via SAPweb, and represents a major change in the way we do business. This new self-service application is currently in the testing mode, and will be available to employees next fiscal year.

HRIS continued its effort to redesign existing Human Resources web pages. These web pages will become more integrated; they will shift from a look that is functionally based (e.g. Benefits, Compensation, HRIS, etc) to one that is much more service oriented. This new approach was identified, in part, through conversations with the intended audiences; including employees, prospective employees, managers, and retirees. These changes will provide for easier navigation.

Other HRIS efforts have included the conversion of benefits technical programs to brio query, the implementation of the new "Other Academics" annual and biannual review, and the development of web business forms and letters.

Claire Paulding
Manager

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Rewards and Recognition Program

June 30, 2002 marks the end of a second fiscal year in which the MIT Rewards and Recognition Program has existed across the Institute and at the Lincoln Laboratory. As the program continues to become an integral part of MIT culture, it is meant to enhance the belief that MIT is "as excellent an employer as it is an educator." In turn, this will contribute to improved employee morale and job performance, increased quality of customer service, and better management practices.

The quantitative and qualitative feedback collected to date underscores the program's continual success in providing multiple and frequent opportunities throughout the year for MIT staff to recognize one another (both individuals and teams) for exceptional contributions to their office, their department or school, or to the Institute as a whole.

The program continues to consist of three equally important components:

• The Infinite Mile awards (typically bi-annual or annual recognition, customized around department's particular culture, values, and goals, and administered at the local/department level). In FY2001 and FY2002, 392 administrative, support, service, sponsored research and other academic staff have been honored with individual or team awards for exceptional contributions and achievements made in the areas of: communication and collaboration, results/outcome orientation, customer/client service, community building, leadership/role modeling, and/or innovation.
• The Appreciation awards (frequent, on-the-spot "thank yous" among managers and colleagues within and outside one's own department and administered at the local/department level). Most areas are recognizing staff by presenting gift certificates and team appreciation luncheons and other recognition celebrations. It is estimated that over 2,000 staff from Main Campus and Lincoln Lab have received some form of informal recognition via the Appreciation Awards over the past 2 fiscal years.
• The MIT Excellence awards (annual recognition at an Institute-wide public celebration for exceptional contributions that align with MIT's mission, goals and values). The first annual awards ceremony was celebrated on October 3, 2001, with over 300 staff in attendance. Over 120 nominations were received. Fourteen individuals and seven teams were recognized for exceptional achievements in the following areas: Building Bridges, Fostering an Inclusive Workplace, Leading Change, Making a Difference in our Communities, Serving the Client, and Working Smarter/Getting Results. The next annual ceremony is scheduled for October 16, 2002. Closer to 130 nominations were received this year, which attests to the sustained enthusiasm and support for rewards and recognition.

In all three components of the Rewards and Recognition Program, peer-to-peer recognition, manager to employee recognition, and employee to manager recognition have been prevalent. A great number of nominations, for both team and individual awards, have been written by faculty on behalf of their remarkable staff.

The program administrator position has made it possible to provide on-going assistance in the design and revisions of customized Infinite Mile and Appreciation Awards programs, the collection and dissemination of data, the financial processing and record keeping of the budget allocations and expenditures, the delivery of professional development workshops to the local areas' key contacts and their design teams, the continual outreach to facilitate communication and share resources, the creation and maintenance of multiple forms of publicity (including a web site, Tech Talk and Faculty Newsletter articles), and the administration of the annual excellence awards celebration.

Jacqueline Stinehart
Program Administrator

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Employee Relations

The primary responsibility of the Employee Relations and Human Resources Services section is to provide high-level HR consulting as well as operational/transactional support for employee/faculty appointments, transfers, promotions, annual reviews, etc. The staff consists of seven Human Resource Officers (HRO's), six Human Resources Representatives (HRR's), the director of Employee Relations, and one administrative assistant.

HROs and HRRs are assigned to specific schools and organizational areas and serve as the primary point of contact and centralized HR resource for these client groups. The HRO is responsible for partnering with client groups to understand their business operation as it relates to their human resource needs, for working with the DLC to assess and address employee relations, staffing, and managerial issues and concerns. In addition, the HRO is a primary resource for HR-related questions, for counseling services, and coordinating other HR services or assistance as needed to help a DLC address or manage a particular problem or opportunity.

A large percentage of HRO time is spent counseling and advising client groups and employees on subject areas that include:

• Policy interpretation
• Risk management and employment related law
• Conflict resolution
• Sound management/business practice
• Compensation (job classification, salary determination, etc.)
• Organizational restructuring
• Discrimination and harassment issues
• Hiring process and decisions (interview skills, policy, procedure, salary offers, etc.)
• LOA and Family and Medical Leave Act concerns
• Performance management
• Corrective action consulting
• Grievance and employment-related investigations
• Identifying and coordinating referral services as necessary (EAP, Disability Services, Campus Police, etc.)

In conjunction with Staffing Services this group also provides support to departments in the processing of job listings, applicant materials and employment advertising through the MIT web site, other on-line sites, and various publications.

A major focus of Employee Relations and Human Resource Services this year was the HR/Payroll project. Debra Gratto, area director, sponsored several SAP design teams. Nearly all HRO and HRR staff served on one or more of these teams or were involved in data gathering and the evaluation of the administrative processes and systems related to the project. The specific SAP teams sponsored were: Recruitment, New hire to Orientation, Personal Transactions, Employee Transactions and Appointment Team, The Exit Team and the LOA Team.

Another initiative this year was the development of a three-pronged approach in developing stronger communication and HR partnerships between central HR and HR practitioners in the DLCs. In conjunction with OED, Employee Relations and Human Resource Services rolled out the beginning stages of the following three components:

• "HR Partners" email, an email communications designed to communicate important HR related information to the MIT HR community including the rationale related to the communication as appropriate
• "HR Forum," a half-day educational program for HR practitioners in the community. The day featured Laura Avakian, vice president of HR, who presented an overview of contemporary HR philosophy. Complex HR case studies were also presented. The cases where designed to demonstrate the myriad of issues that can be embedded in HR issues and the various resources available in HR.
• "HR Lunch and Learns" and department-based training were the third component. This included tactical training in the Family and Medical Leave Act, Interview Skills, corrective action, and affirmative action.

Employee Relations and Human Resource Services staffing changes have included the following: Che Eagle and Lucy Lui joined HR as human resources officers this year. They replaced, Susan Shannon and Mary Markel respectively. Sue left the Institute and Mary Markel transferred to Biology as a personnel administrator. Eileen Calvey transferred to an HRR position from the Lincoln Laboratory and Maria Santos joined the team when she transferred from MIT Press. Mary Files, HRR, was promoted to a supervisory position and transfer to IS. Anne Lafleur was hired to a newly classified position as administrative assistant. Wendy Williams was hired as manager for the new Staffing Services function that was spun off from the Employee Relations and Human Resources Services area this year. This was a retooling of the previous Recruitment Services previously under the direction of David Lee who left the Institute in December 2001 and Debra Gratto.

Debra Gratto
Director

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Labor Relations

The Office of Labor Relations is responsible for negotiating and administering the collective bargaining agreements covering approximately 1,200 MIT employees in five bargaining units. Labor Relations also oversees MIT's representation in grievance arbitrations and, in some cases, before administrative agencies in employment-related cases.

In January 2002, the Institute agreed to new three-year contracts with the Campus Bargaining Unit of the Service Employees' International Union (SEIU) and the SEIU's Lincoln Laboratory Bargaining Unit. Those agreements cover the period July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2004. In February 2002, the Institute agreed to a similar three-year contract with the Security Officers' Independent Union (SOIU) at Lincoln Laboratory, which also runs from July 2001 to June 2004. The wage increases in these contracts were consistent with MIT budgetary guidelines. The Institute's collective bargaining agreements with the Research Development and Technical Employees' Union (RDTEU) and the Campus Police Association (MITCPA) will not expire until June 30, 2003.

The number of grievances reported to the Office of Labor Relations in calendar year 2001 dropped from the previous year, from 57 to 36. During AY2002, the Office of Labor Relations heard 24 Step Three grievances. From January 1, 2001 to June 30, 2002, nine cases that had been filed for arbitration were resolved or withdrawn before the arbitration hearing, and no arbitrations were heard. In the past year, one case was filed before the National Labor Relations Board and dismissed (in favor of the Institute). In addition, two cases that had previously been pending with the NLRB were settled. Seven of the cases that were withdrawn or settled were part of a comprehensive agreement between the Institute and the Campus Police Association in May 2002.

The office is currently monitoring one case filed with MCAD; all others are overseen by the Senior Counsel's Office.

In addition, the office provided advice and counsel to departments, laboratories, and centers on issues that involve union relations, collective bargaining, employment litigation and employment policy. The office continues to try to resolve conflicts at an early stage, and to consider the concerns of both unions and management in working toward mutually satisfactory results.

Marianna Pierce
Director

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Organization and Employee Development

Advancing the organizational effectiveness of MIT and its departments and promoting the professional development of the MIT community remains the mission of the Organization and Employee Development (OED) team. Its overarching goal, to help build and support a culture of development at MIT, is supported by the interrelated activities of OED's client-focused, component teams: organization development consulting, professional development programs, career planning, and learning environment services.

Organization Development Consulting

During the last year, organization development consultants placed a particular emphasis on broadening their client base by providing increased consulting services to areas under the provost (academic departments, research labs, and centers). This effort has begun to bear fruit: the number of engagements in these areas during the first sixth months of this year was greater than the total number of such engagements the previous year. Examples of consulting services provided to areas under the provost include work with the Media Lab, Engineering Systems Division, Biology, and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

OED successfully completed the pilot of Leader to Leader (L2L), a leadership development program for leaders from the MIT community. In this program, L2L Fellows partner with senior leaders and MIT faculty in a proactive and systematic effort to build MIT's internal leadership capability. During the ten-month pilot program, the 18 L2L fellows who completed the program built leadership skills that are closely aligned with the strategic needs and culture of MIT.

OED also initiated a project to coordinate the New Department Head Orientation, a program piloted under the auspices of the provost and the executive vice president. The New Department Head Orientation provides a customized set of one-on-one conversations between senior Institute administrators and new heads in academic and research areas.

Organization development consultants also served as consultants in many areas of the Institute. Below are a few examples:

• MIT Libraries—helping to determine how the libraries will provide reference services in the future
• Chancellor's Office—assisting with the design and facilitation of the student leadership development planning summit
• HR Payroll Project—implementing a sustainable change management methodology, collaborating with HR, Payroll, and departments, labs, and centers toward successful implementation of the HR and Payroll SAP modules, facilitating and supporting various communications
• Environmental Programs and Risk Management/Senior Counsel—consulting with EHS leaders on organizational issues, facilitating meetings of the EHS Working Group and ad hoc Subcommittee, facilitating the startup of the MIT Safety and Security Operations Team
• Administrative Advisory Council II (AACII)—assisting with the design and facilitation of AACII's September kick-off meeting; facilitating a forum planning sub-team.

Professional Development Programs

During the past year, OED sponsored a wide range of open enrollment professional development courses for the MIT community. OED's courses focus on the areas of leadership and management, communication, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, financial management and reporting, individual development, and career planning.

Over the course of the summer, fall, and spring semesters of the past year, OED offered 93 professional development courses. A total of 1343 MIT employees and affiliates participated in these courses. OED continued to offer its courses to employees of member institutions of the Boston Consortium and, for the first time, publicized its courses to MIT alumni.

Specific professional development initiatives that OED staff undertook this past year included:

• Expanding OED's MIT Leader Seminars by adding two more senior leaders as new instructors
• Collaborating with employees of Financial Systems Services to offer a new course, "Fundamentals of Financial Management: Foundations," that teaches financial managers and administrators learn about financial management at MIT
• Expanding its leadership offerings by designing a new course entitled "Making the Distinction: Doing, Managing, Leading" that helps managers and supervisors develop strategies to manage and lead others effectively
• Designing and offering a new course, "Myers Briggs Type and Change," that helps participants understand how developing an awareness of their type preference can help them to work collaboratively with others during times of change
• Offering a pilot of a self-study web-based training course (by Harvard Business School Publishing) "Coaching," through which participants explore and examine the benefits, challenges, and techniques for useful, productive coaching

In the spring of 2002, OED hired a web content coordinator whose work intersects the four areas of OED. The web content coordinator's initial priority is to shape the OED web site into an up-to-date, dynamic resource that ultimately advances individual and organization development of the MIT community. In an initial, temporary phase, OED's web site was revised to offer resources and tools in the areas of organization and professional development. The web content coordinator continues to build OED's web site into a sustainable resource for individuals and groups at MIT.

Career Planning

OED's Career Planning at MIT team experienced a very successful first year of operation. This multi-service career center provides career-planning services to all of MIT's employees and their organizations. Its services are designed to support MIT's commitment to help employees assume responsibility for their own successful development as well as linking that development to the strategic direction of the organizations in which they work. Employees utilize these services to enhance their careers by exploring new career directions, identifying developmental opportunities, implementing career change, and/or finding new positions.

During this past year, Career Planning at MIT staff delivered services to over 800 employees through a number of programs. These include:

• Individual career coaching/consulting to members of the MIT support staff, administrative staff, sponsored research staff, and faculty
• Brown bag series on job search skills, writing resumes and cover letters, resume critiques and networking
• Career workshops and courses
• Customized career programs for specific departmental groups
• Partnerships with departments, labs, and centers to implement career development strategies
• Career assessment tools including Pinpoint, Myers-Briggs, Holland's Self-Directed Search and Campbell Interest and Skill Inventory
• Extensive resource lending library
• Targeted promotion of tuition assistance benefits

During the past year, an Informational Interviewing Network was developed to help employees learn more about positions and departments at MIT, how other members of the community have invoked career growth and change, and what options are available. All members of the MIT community are invited to join or use this actively utilized network throughout their career exploration.

Learning Environment Services

OED's Learning Environment Team is responsible for the management and operation of the MIT Professional Learning Center (W89), administration of OED's Professional Development Programs, and the overall administrative work of OED.

The mission of the MIT Professional Learning Center continues to be to provide a quiet, clean, and pleasant environment in order to support effective training based on trainer and/or customer needs. It has seven state-of-the-art computer-training rooms and two professional development rooms.

Since its inception in 1996, utilization and demand for services of the Professional Learning Center have continued to increase. In FY2002, utilization of the Professional Learning Center's professional development rooms was 62 percent and utilization of its computer training rooms was 51 percent.

This year the Learning Environment Team collaborated with Information Systems to implement the use of laptops in the Professional Learning Center's classrooms to provide greater flexibility in classroom configurations and to support clients in delivering training on both Windows and Macintosh platforms in the same classroom.

In the area of support for OED's Professional Development Programs, the team provided registration services for all participants and administrative services for trainers who delivered 93 courses to the MIT community. Of the 1,343 participants, 119 were members of the Boston Consortium.

This year the team provided technical and administrative support for OED's pilot of a web-based training course. To date, the team has received and processed 45 account requests for the web-based training course titled "Coaching by Harvard Business School Publishing."

Margaret Ann Gray
Director

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Staffing Services

In response to the recommendations of a community-wide Recruitment Team and in an effort to respond to the service needs of the Institute for a centralized staffing function, the Staffing Services Group became its own entity within the Human Resources Department during the past year. Kristen Morreale, the first dedicated recruiter was hired in December 2001; Jane Hamilton continues as the primary contact for hiring managers when jobs need to be posted and/or advertised and Martha Kudzma is responsible for the approximately 5,000 resumes MIT receives on a monthly basis. Wendy Williams, with experience as both an HRO and career planning consultant assumed the manager's role after David Lee resigned. Robert Martinez, a second recruiter, was recently hired bringing with him not only a strong recruiting background but the advantage of speaking both Spanish and Portuguese as well.

Staffing Services has begun to offer its services on a limited basis through a pilot program with the School of Engineering. In addition, Kristen Morreale is supporting the new director of OpenCourseWare by coordinating the recruiting process for key positions. She has also helped to fill several HR positions including the director of Benefits.

The first and primary goal of the Staffing Services group is to initiate and support proactive approaches to recruiting ensuring that MIT has a well qualified and diverse applicant pool for all our open positions. In 2001, Staffing Services received 843 Requests for Personnel (RFP), the form that initiates the recruiting process. Through April 2002, we received 232 RFP. Each RFP usually initiates a series of transactions including posting the position on MIT's web site and in Tech Talk, coordinating advertising requests and receiving and forwarding resumes as they are received for each open position. Tracking data including RFP's by type and month, the number of resumes received per month, the number of vacancies, how long positions have been open, what positions stay open for greater than 30 days will help to anticipate related trends allowing us to shift workloads and priorities and consider continuous improvements to our processes.

Streamlining resume management and applicant tracking processes systems is a key priority. In the fall, it is highly likely that we will upgrade from RESTRAC to WebHire, a web-based system that will allow the Staffing Services staff to have almost immediate access to applicant resumes once they have been forwarded by an applicant. An effort is being made to encourage all applicants to apply on line to ensure this ready access and eliminate most paper processing. WebHire can be integrated with SAP eliminating the need for duplicate data entry of new hire information and for the position and/or posting information required on an RFP. To ensure that this data will be integrated, Staffing Services has engaged SAP team project members to work with the group on work flow processes and the eventual integration project.

Collaboration between the HRO's and Staffing Services is critical. However, it is just as important that we have a shared understanding of the work for which we are collectively and separately accountable. Using the Applicant Tracking and New Hire to Orientation work flow process maps developed by the SAP teams, we are continuing to clarify roles and responsibilities and note where we can add value to the recruiting and hiring process.

During the coming months, we will be exploring the feasibility of having an internal temp pool and identifying the MIT skills and qualifications that would most valued if we moved forward with this initiative. We will also be collaborating with the Affirmative Action Office to coordinate a plan outlining diversity initiatives including the strategic placement of advertising, community outreach and visibility at job fairs and other recruiting events.

Wendy Williams
Director

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MIT Medical

The mission and values of the MIT Medical Department were re-examined and re-affirmed as part of our strategic planning process. The activities of the Medical Department—both day to day and long range are focused on meeting the healthcare needs of the MIT community with high quality, available care at a reasonable cost.

Key points:
Strategic Plan	Release in the fall of 2001—Implementation programs and projects are underway
Mental Health Task Force Report	Supplemental Budget Proposal submitted and approved—enhanced staffing and out-reach efforts being put in place
ComMITment to Care	Identifying areas requiring enhancement and embarking on initiatives to improve service to our community are ongoing
Performance Evaluation	A process to provide review and evaluation of every member of the Medical Department has been developed and is being implemented
Enhancements in Fiscal Planning and Reporting	Reporting financial status, monitoring funds flow and effective and responsive budgeting procedures have been put in place and are being implemented and refined
Staff Survey	We have conducted a staff survey on workplace environment as part of the strategic plan implementation. We will conduct it again in two years after some interventions and changes in how we work together to take care of the community.
Enhancements in Electronic Management of Clinical Data	Our practice is evolving into the electronic world of data management.

Strategic Plan

The mission, vision and values of the MIT Medical Department were examined, debated and discussed with consultative input, careful self-examination and scrutiny of the needs of our community, and information from other systems of healthcare and societal issues affecting healthcare delivery.

Four major goal areas were identified and work has begun on implementing programs and plans to achieve these goals. The goal areas incorporate several aspects:

• Student health—substantially improve service to students as well as their overall satisfaction with the Medical Department
• Workplace environment—create a more positive and effective workplace environment
• Services—enhance services through continued innovation
• Financial performance and resource management—effectively steward the resources entrusted to the Medical Department and deliver services in a cost-effective manner

The MIT Mental Health Task Force Report (see http://web.mit.edu/chancellor/mhtf/) was released in November 2001 after a period of public review and comment. The report calls for enhanced services for students and other members of the MIT community and urges increased efforts at outreach and at collaboration across the MIT community. Based largely on the findings of the task force, which included members of the MIT Medical Department Mental Health Service, several initiatives were undertaken:

Evening hours were established for the Mental Health Service. The set up parallels the expansion of hours of scheduled services deployed by other services within the Medical Department.

A joint supplemental budget request was developed and presented. Working with Dean Larry Benedict and the office of the Dean for Student Life, the proposal outlined and demonstrated the needs for increased funding for both personnel and program development to facilitate and enhance the availability of mental health services and to increase efforts at outreach. The request was funded to support the additional personnel (mental health clinicians and health educators). Although program development was not directly funded, approval to use the fiscal reserves of the Medical Department was approved for these programs. The Medical Department is committed to work toward heeding the recommendations of the task force.

Residence support teams were established which included at least one mental health provider for each living group. Internally, three provider teams were established to promote more in-depth discussion of cases, improve collaboration around high-risk patients, and define best practice guidelines. In April 2002, a new intake system was developed which provides for a same-day phone assessment of new patients by one of three senior clinicians, scheduling of an intake appointment within a week depending upon the level of urgency, better matching between patients and clinicians, and more even distribution of cases across the service.

Responding to the recommendations of the Mental Health Task Force and in keeping with the Strategic Plan's focus on meeting student needs, the department ran advertisements in campus newspapers during the spring semester. Two of the advertisements were designed to help students identify the symptoms of stress and depression and to encourage students to seek help. A third advertisement introduced and promoted the new streamlined Mental Health intake process.

A collaborative social marketing program has begun involving the Medical Department, students, faculty, campus police, and members of the office of the Dean for Student Life. With the input of a professional agency experienced in social marketing, a campaign is being designed to meet the unique needs of the MIT community. The goals are to try to reduce the incidence and severity of risk taking activities and to lower the threshold for getting help for mental health problems, thereby enabling students to function more effectively academically and socially and to decrease the negative impact of emotional problems on students' lives.

ComMITment to Care

ComMITment to Care (C to C) principles and priorities continue to be an integral part of our strategic plan. Professionally-done patient satisfaction survey data for 2001 informed the choice of four themes for quality performance benchmarking purposes during 2002: promptness in returning phone calls, helpfulness on the phone, providing more information about delays, and exam room comfort. Medical chiefs of services and clinical coordinators, working collaboratively with staff in each area and with each other began interventions to improve performance in these areas during March. These efforts continue with results being monitored.

An introduction to C to C principles is part of each new hire orientation, and communication workshops are held for all new employees. Awards for one individual and one team who exemplify C to C behavior are given by the department at our annual department meeting.

Performance Evaluation

The principles outlined in our Strategic planning process and the principles that provide the foundation for our C to C program are being incorporated into an evaluation program that applies to every member of the Medical Department.

For the first time, annual performance reviews for all clinical staff, including physicians, took place this spring. We are piloting the process this year, and with help from Judith Stein from the MIT Office of Organization and Employee Development, will be modifying the process, with input from those who participated, and develop a training program for the fall. The ultimate goals are: to ensure that all Medical Department staff are reviewed annually; to relate individual goals and development plans to the department's strategic plan; and to develop clear and consistent measures for employees to understand how performance is evaluated.

Enhancements in Fiscal Planning and Reporting

During the year significant progress was made in developing methods of displaying and monitoring the complex and convoluted flow of funds of the department. Working with the Budget Office and with the Comptroller's Office, reporting systems are being developed that will more accurately and more usefully report the fiscal health of the Medical Department using the data warehouse to help report on a programmatic or lines of business basis.

In an effort to expand the concern for and involvement in fiscal responsibility beyond the department financial staff, the FY2003 budget process broadened the cast of participants to directly include service chiefs, administrative managers, and clinical managers in much more active rolls than they had previously played. Armed with data on past financial performance and current spending levels, they were asked to provide actual spending projections for the new fiscal year and to present in written form any requests for new positions, programmatic changes, and capital equipment needs for the fiscal year under consideration and three years into the future. Prior to the budget being finalized, the managers and chiefs were invited to present arguments in a public forum to support requests for additional funds, after which all participants and financial and administrative staff members were asked to vote on how they saw the pool being distributed. The process was considered by all to be a success and an effective tool in the financial education of the staff.

Staff Survey

The department recently conducted an all employee survey regarding workplace environment, based on key issues identified in the development of the strategic plan. We were gratified that approximately two-thirds of the employees participated. Several working groups have been formed around identified issues. The survey will be conducted again in two years to help evaluate how we are doing in reaching our goals.

Enhancements in Electronic Management of Clinical Data

Evolution of our practice into the electronic world of data management continues. Documentation with the use of electronic messaging, transcribing of notes, online pharmacy documentation, online formulary, and online lab results in our system is improving the quality of the data management that is so vital a part of modern health care. Access to referring hospitals of MGH and MAH information systems and access to MIT Medical information from remote locations is also being developed.

Community Activities

Many members of the Medical Department participate in community outreach efforts, including health screening and health education programs for the MIT community, freshman orientation, new student registration, and flu vaccine clinics in the fall.

Several clinicians participate as premedical advisors for MIT undergraduates. In addition, many staff members are involved as instructors in the MIT/Harvard Health Sciences and Technology programs.

The continued participation of the members of the MIT Medical Department in the teaching activities at Harvard Medical School, Harvard teaching hospitals and nursing education programs in the area benefits those institutions as well as the Medical Department, the Institute and the community we serve.

Medical Care Activities

Evening Hours—MIT Medical heard in a number of ways from several segments of our community that there was a need for expanded hours of operation. In September 2001, in response to this request, Internal Medicine and Mental Health extended their hours until 7:00pm, four nights per week while Dental, Allergy, Dermatology, Pediatrics, Eye, and X-ray provide evening hours one-to-two times per week. The pharmacy and laboratory also remain open until 7:00pm, four nights per week for patient access and convenience.

After Hours, Howard Heller, MD

A staff of licensed physicians provides 24 hour a day, seven days a week care for the MIT community. Most of these physicians are fully trained or nearing completion of full training in Internal Medicine or Pediatrics. Many are in the course of advanced sub-specialty training at local area hospitals. In addition, a dedicated staff of nurse clinicians provides urgent and limited appointment based care.

Dental Service

Jay Afrow, DMD, MHA, Chief

During the past year the MIT Dental Service has completed the upgrading of its physical plant and added staff to meet the increasing demand for dental services. A part time hygienist, a per diem periodontist, and a per diem oral surgeon have been added to our care team. The additional staffing has reduced wait times for both oral surgery and hygiene from three months to three to four weeks. These additional clinicians have allowed the MIT Dental Service to begin offering dental implants as a restorative option for patients. Both the surgical placement and the restorative portion of the process can now be completed within the MIT Dental Service.

The Dental Service continues to increase its visibility in the MIT community. Presentations have been given by several providers on dental issues at IAP lectures, orientations, Lincoln Lab, and at other campus venues. The addition of our new oral surgeon, Dr. Bonnie Padwa, has allowed the Dental Service to increase its interactions with the MIT Department of Pediatrics. With advanced training in pediatric oral surgery, Dr. Padwa is able to provide consultations on craniofacial abnormalities eliminating the need for these patients to leave MIT Medical for evaluation.

Health Education Service

Marlisa Febbriello, MPH and Laura Anne Stuart, MPH, Health Educators

The Health Education Service has increased its staff with the addition of two new assistant health educator positions. The service is now staffed by two health educators, two assistant health educators, and one support staff. The funding approved as a result of the Mental Health Task Force Report will allow the hiring of two additional health educators to offer more community outreach and activity.

This year, the annual Health and Wellness Fair held during orientation was greatly expanded, providing more information to incoming students on how to access health-related resources at MIT. Renovations began at MedSTOP, the satellite health education center located in the Stratton Student Center, to make it more student-friendly. The MedLINKS program continues, with 67 MedLINKS participating this year representing 16 residence halls and FSILGs. During the academic year, the Health Education service coordinated or participated in 14 campus-wide outreach events designed to raise students' awareness of health issues such as stress management, responsible alcohol use, and sexual health. Health educators also coordinated or facilitated 20 interactive workshops (primarily in residence halls and FSILGs) attended by almost 400 undergraduate and graduate students.

Health Education programs for the MIT community (including faculty, staff, retirees and students) have continued to grow. Two new programs were added over the past year. Educational "info-stops," which are displayed monthly in the E-25 atrium, provide educational materials on specific topics including stress management, nutrition, osteoporosis, and cancer prevention. The "your health" series offers free one-hour workshops and lectures that address the various health issues that are of interest to the entire MIT community. Lectures are offered at lunchtime to meet the needs of faculty and staff, and at 7:00pm to meet the needs of students. Wellness Classes continue to be popular with a total of 400 participants attending one of the 46 10-week classes that were offered at MIT Medical/Cambridge and MIT Medical/Lexington. Twelve childbirth classes, and 48 parenting classes were also offered. IAP was very successful with an increase in the average of participants per session jumping from 18 to 26. This year, 28 workshops were offered with a total of 767 participants. The car seat loan program has increased in popularity. An average of 30 car seats are on loan at all times. Health promotion bulletin boards addressing student and staff health concerns are changed monthly throughout the buildings. The boards increase awareness of healthy behaviors and resources within MIT and MIT Medical.

Inpatient Medical Service

William A. Ruth, MD

The 18-bed JCAHO accredited hospital facility continues to provide care for members of the MIT community. The facility provides management of acute illnesses that do not require the intensive care of a major hospital. Support during acute illnesses for students remains a vital function of the Inpatient Unit. It also provides post-operative care for patients following orthopedic, gynecologic, and general surgical procedures. In addition, the unit provides end of life services for MIT patients.

During the past year the renovation of the medication room was completed, ensuring more organized access to medications. We are continuing to work on improving communications between physicians, nurses, pharmacy, social service, and nutrition with weekly meetings to review patient issues.

Medical Service

David V. Diamond, MD, Chief

A new internist joined the Medical service. Along with excellent clinical skills and an interest in the care of young adults, Dr. David Shein also brought experience in the development and deployment of an electronic medical record. The triage nursing staff increased from one to three members, in order to provide better access to clinicians by appropriate triaging of phone, e-mail, and walk in clinical needs.

At the Lexington facility, neurology has been added. Members of the MIT Medical Department participated actively in the 50-year anniversary celebration and in Family Day. Members of our occupational health team worked closely with Safety and Personnel to develop preventative and incident related care.

Members of the department continue their involvement in various Institute committees such as COUHES, Committee on Biosafety, Animal Care Committee, and Ergonomic Committee. The Practice Management Team, an interdisciplinary group, organized as a result of recommendations of our ongoing ComMITment to care program, has addressed operational issues, including appointment availability, patient communications, staffing levels, and continues to coordinate innovations in patient centered services.

Mental Health Service

Peter A. Reich, MD, Chief

As part of ongoing efforts to respond to the mental health needs of the MIT community, a number of initiatives were implemented this year. In September 2001, the office hours were extended to 7:00pm Monday through Thursday to better match student schedules. During its first two months, 131 new patients have come through a new intake system, and overall the numbers of new patients coming to the Service have increased by 10 percent compared to last year. The walk-in service continues to be highly utilized, especially by students. On average, 38 percent of the walk-in patients were new to the service, and 71 percent of the patients were students. The high utilization by both new and existing patients and positive feedback regarding the new intake system suggest that publicity efforts have been successful and that there is more widespread acceptance of the Service.

During the year, in response to the Mental Health Task Force Report, an internal capacity study was undertaken to assess the clinical and non-clinical demands on the Mental Health Service. Site visits were conducted to learn from two other select schools. This study supported the need for increased mental health and health education staffing to allow for more comprehensive care especially for the MIT student community.

During the year, the Mental Health Task Force, co-chaired by Kristine Girard, MD and Efrat Shavit, '02, presented its final report to the chancellor after facilitating a 45-day open discussion of the report in the MIT community. Broadly, the report has recommended increased staffing in the Mental Health Service, increased outreach and education including the development of a social marketing campaign over several years to address attitudes around mental health, and development of guidelines at the Institute level to foster mental well-being. A core team has been established to develop the social marketing campaign in conjunction with an outside marketing firm. The chancellor has created and charged the Mental Health Task Force Implementation Group, co-chaired by Kristine Girard, MD and Arnold Henderson, director of Counseling and Support Services, to oversee the implementation of the Task Force initiatives.

Peter Reich, MD plans to step down as chief of Mental Health effective June 30, 2002, and Kristine Girard, MD has agreed to serve as acting chief of Mental Health in the interim until a new chief is identified.

Nursing Service

Laureen K. Gray, RN, CS, Chief

Nurse practitioners and registered nurses continue to provide clinical care in the inpatient and outpatient areas of MIT Medical Department. This year, the Nursing Service has been reshaped to include three outpatient RN's. These nurses are available for direct patient care within the scope of practice of an RN. Providing patients with self-care advice by telephone and email, and facilitating the making of appointments with the appropriate clinician are some of the activities that are involved.

Several MIT nurse practitioners and registered nurses provide supervision for graduate and undergraduate nursing students from the major colleges and universities in the Boston area. The Nursing Continuing Education Committee organized the Annual Nursing Conference Day on June 14, 2002, which focused on key topics related to the health and wellness of a college-aged community.

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Lori Wroble, MD, Chief

Dr. M. Susan Schilling joined our group November 1, 2001 at 65 percent, replacing Dr. Delli-Bovi who left June 30, 2001. Dr. Schilling came from a large hospital practice at Brigham and Women's Hospital and has settled in easily here. She was previously the chief of Harvard University Ob-Gyn Service and has experience in providing university based health care.

Our year has been hectic as we fought and negotiated our way into keeping our inpatient practice at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH). In spite of the new strategic goal of Brigham and Women's Hospital to decrease the hospital's deliveries and effectively down size the obstetrics service, we were able to negotiate our continued ability to use the BWH as our venue for both obstetric care and gynecologic surgery. We now anticipate continuing our 25-year association with BWH indefinitely.

Statistics for July 1, 2001–June 30, 2002

Patient Visits	9,109
Patients Cared For	4,062
Deliveries	175
Caesarean Section Rate	18.9%
Primary	13.2%
Secondary	5.7%
GYN Surgeries	63
Major	17
Minor	29
Missed Ab	17
LEEP (done in office)	8

All our practitioners continue to participate in community activities, including IAP lectures, pre-med advising, MedLINKS advising, participating in the HST Program's introduction to clinical medicine, HMS Primary Care Mentorship Program, precepting MGH Nurse Practitioner students and supervising residents at the Brigham and Women's Gyn Clinic. Our providers also participate actively on departmental committees and initiatives as well as various Brigham and Women's Hospital committees and with Harvard Medical School student testing on their Ob-Gyn rotation.

Pediatrics

Mark A. Goldstein MD, Chief

Using the departmental strategic plan as a framework, five pediatricians and two nurse practitioners deliver care at the campus site and the Lincoln Laboratory medical offices. Pediatric clinical staff participated in campus educational activities including lectures, IAP and talks before student groups. Moreover, staff delivered presentations at the Lincoln Laboratory. In addition, members serve as educators in local, regional and national medical and nursing meetings.

A performance improvement study during the 2001–2002 year demonstrated that double the number of asthmatic children (54 percent) were offered or received the influenza vaccine compared to the previous year. A performance improvement study of newborns with jaundice began during the year and will be completed in late 2002.

The MIT Pediatric Service was a site also for instruction of nurse practitioner students, Harvard Medical Students, pediatric residents from the Children's Hospital as well as the Massachusetts General Hospital and fellows in Adolescent Medicine from the Children's Hospital.

Our campus pediatric nurse practitioner served as consultant to the MIT summer day camp and participated as a board member at the Technology Children's Center. The nurse practitioner performed home visits to on campus living groups for some pediatric patients. Nurse Practitioner Pat Bartels also was presented the MIT Medical Department Infinite Mile award for community service in 2001.

With the institution of 48-hour discharges after routine deliveries at Boston hospitals, the Pediatric Service commenced very early follow ups of certain newborns. This practice has been of particular value for children of students, many of whom have little extended family support shortly after the birthing process.

Our secretarial staff, including the medical assistant, has made every effort to promote a personalized and friendly atmosphere that is inviting to our patients and families. To further achieve that goal, videotaped encounters have been utilized to promote more effective interactions with our children and their parents.

Student Health

Mark A. Goldstein MD, Chief

To improve access for students to medical care, walk in clinics were initiated on four afternoons each week. After rapid triage by a nurse, a physician or nurse practitioner evaluated the student. In addition, in response to student requests for extended hours, appointments where students could see a clinician in the office setting were established from 5:00pm–7:00pm on Monday through Thursday evenings.

Increased efforts to lower barriers to mental health care have addressed several initiatives. All incoming freshmen are now asked to answer eight questions about mental health. This information will be utilized to help the Medical Department staff understand the mental health needs of the students.

The Medical Department sponsored the spring meeting of the Charles River College Health Association, a consortium of local college and university health services. The theme of the meeting—mental health on campus—drew a large audience. The discussion was open and exceedingly helpful to the participants.

Clinical Director for Campus Life

In a fashion analogous to the structural changes underway in the office of the Dean for Student Life, a new position has been created and filled that is intended to foster enhanced connectivity between students and the Medical Department. Working more closely with other helping services on campus—dean's office, housemasters, campus police, etc.—the occupant of this position will be able to continually assess the medical and health education needs of the student community and be able to connect resources with need. Maryanne Kirkbride will assume this role on August 26, 2002.

Surgical Service

Lawrence Geoghegan, MD

The surgical service completed the first semi-annual staff evaluation.All surgical specialists met individually with the chief of service. Individual surgeons received a booklet containing data from patient satisfaction surveys, ComMITment to Care information, and activities update forms. This framed the evaluation process for each individual. The resulting discussions proved valuable to participants and the department.

MIT surgeons are participating in nationwide trials to evaluate efficacy of sentinel node mapping in breast cancer patients. Theoretically tumor cells from breast cancer will migrate to the first or sentinel lymph node in the axilla. With the use of radioactive isotopes, this node can be identified and removed. If it does not contain tumor cells the assumption is that the remaining lymph nodes will also be uninvolved. The early results are very impressive with a very low false negative rate. This data suggests that sentinel node biopsy could replace standard axillary dissection in node negative patients in the near future. This would virtually eliminate the 15 to 20 percent morbidity associated with the present operation.

The surgical service is also monitoring the new mammogram policy allowing our patients' access to the breast center at Mt. Auburn Hospital in certain recommended clinical situations where equipment and availability at Mt. Auburn will provide results quickly for both patients and clinicians.

The surgical service performed 182 major procedures in FY2002.

Performance Improvement

Ruth Fishbein, Performance Improvement/Risk Management Coordinator

MIT Medical uses evidence-based performance improvement to continuously enhance the quality of services provided to our patients. Current priority areas, consistent with the Medical Department's strategic plan, include: improving patient services; increasing patient satisfaction; and improving the workplace environment. Examples of specific activities include a Medication Safety Team looking to assure safe and effective medication administration practices, an Anticoagulation Team working with patients to assure effective management of their anticoagulation therapy, and service specific activities to improve telephone communication with patients.

Risk Management activities focus on proactive steps to reduce risk to patients and the facility and are part of MIT Medical's patient safety program.

Administrative Activities

Annette Jacobs, Executive Director; Shelagh Joyce, Director, Information Systems; Ellen Offner, Director, Health Plans, Finance, Strategic Planning and Marketing; Anthony Rogers, (retired) Director, Operations; Deborah Friscino, Director, Operations

The retirement of several key, long-term employees in the administrative area allowed an opportunity to review the organization to assure strength in our ability to support the strategic plan initiatives and the clinical activities of the department.

An internal candidate, Deborah Friscino, the chief pharmacist, was promoted to the position of director of Operations. Her many years of experience in the department, combined with her clinical background and management and leadership skills, have made her an excellent addition to the senior management team. With Laureen Gray, director of Nursing, she is developing and strengthening the clinical coordinators as a team.

Dr. Kettyle and Ms. Jacobs are building on this activity by working to develop skilled, capable teams in each service. Meetings with the entire group of chiefs of services and clinical coordinators are held regularly and with each team monthly.

Medical records now reports to Shelagh Joyce, the director of Information Systems, as we plan for and implement an automated clinical management system/electronic medical record.

The needs for increasing facility maintenance (E23 is twenty years old) and longer range space planning caused us to create a new full-time position—facilities manager/safety officer. Previously, these responsibilities had been divided among a number of people.

The partial retirement of Sally Wright, the personnel administrator, has provided the opportunity to recruit a trained human resources professional, who will help with the training, coaching, strengthening, and developing of all staff in the department who have management responsibilities.

Over the 2001–2002 year an effort to broaden the management model by increasing the responsibilities of service chiefs and clinical coordinators has been undertaken. Putting the decision-making process closer to the point of care has important advantages. Hopefully, this design will allow a more agile, responsive approach to meeting the needs of the community and the Institute. Part of this process has involved fostering administrative teams that are service specific and that are supported by financial, personnel, and administrative and clinical expertise.

Health Plans

Increasing enrollment, particularly among Lincoln Laboratory employees, is a goal we always maintain. During the calendar year 2001, enrollment increased eight percent overall, and 11 percent among Lincoln employees. In 2002, the staff implemented a three-tier pharmacy reimbursement for both health plans in an effort to control pharmacy costs and maintain benefit parity with other MIT health insurance benefit options. A variety of consumer information initiatives, including a new web site allowing patients to look up the reimbursement for each specific drug, kept member confusion to a minimum.

The Health Plans worked collaboratively with physician representatives from internal medicine and surgery to expand our provider network to improve access for our patients and minimize paperwork. The Health Plans office also implemented an automated customer service module, which provides a systematic method for documenting member interactions and follow-up via an automated ticker system, thereby, enhancing our capability to be responsive to members.

The Health Plans and the Clinical Services administrations continued the work of constantly monitoring and modifying benefits in the insurance plans and available services in the Medical Department setting in order to meet patient needs, maximize the use of available financial resources, and maintain a critical mass of necessary services.

Furthering that process, the outside actuary used by the Health Plans conducted an in-service for all provider staff outlining insurance principles such as adverse selection, the delicate balance of adding benefits to a plan versus the impact on affordability of premiums to support changes and the impact of high cost cases on the viability of health plans.

Communications and Marketing

In addition to the work being done relating to the Mental Health Task Force recommendations, the communications and marketing team released a major redesign of both the print and web versions of health@mit in November. In keeping with MIT Medical's mission to care for all the diverse MIT community, health@mit is one of the most widely distributed publications at MIT, sent free to all MIT community members.

The group has also collaborated closely with two undergraduate students, Rupa Hattangadi '03 and Jennifer Schymick '02, who are the co-coordinators of a major student health information web project that MIT Medical is funding and will launch in the fall of 2002. (Initial feasibility funding was provided by UROP). Designed by MIT students to reach out to MIT students, VIVO will combine:

Health information, searchable by keyword, that provides guidance for a healthy lifestyle, news on diseases, information about drug interactions, and advice on common student health concerns, interactive activities, including health quizzes and an adventure game with scenarios from MIT student life, and facts about MIT Medical, including profiles of clinicians, information on accessing services at MIT Medical, the scoop on student health insurance coverage and more.

Medical Department staff and students presented this project at a national meeting. This project will become a model for developing a similar website for health plan members.

Information Systems

The first year of running the department's new billing/claims/referral system has been completed. Manual processes have been automated, electronic data interfaces have been implemented with multiple MIT departments, and additional functionality has been realized. Additional systems and functionality will be continually evaluated and if appropriate implemented in future years.

Work is well under way to assure Medical meets the HIPAA regulations that go into effect the spring and fall of 2003. An operational assessment has been completed; from it priorities have been identified and workgroups created.

Across the MIT campus Medical has created an executive HIPAA committee—this has resulted in working collaboratively with MIT Human Resources, Senior Counsel's Office and the Dean's office. The purpose of bringing the different departments into a larger oversight group is to provide a vehicle to educate and provide assistance on HIPAA related issues that are consistent and shareable within the MIT community.

As a result of an administrative reorganization, an even closer synchronized approach to utilization of the electronic and paper patient medical record has developed. With this increased collaboration some of the goals that will be realized are—reduced redundancy of patient data storage, improved turnaround in communications between the patient and provider, and more complete patient data available to the provider at the time and venue of care.

MIT Medical has identified and acted upon the need for a full time IS trainer. This newly hired resource will coordinate all IS related training as well as conduct training sessions and competency training on all the billing and clinical applications, HIPAA regulations, and system related policies/procedures.

Appointments, Promotions and Terminations: June 1, 2001 through May 31, 2002

Appointments
Asumadu, Deborah	05/13/2002	Outpatient Nurse
Bhojani, Ratna	05/13/2002	Chief Pharmacist
Bright, Robert	03/25/2002	Facilities Manager/Safety Officer
Carroll, Kim	11/27/2000	Inpatient Nurse
Chansky, James	09/10/2001	Social Worker
Fischer, Rita	09/10/2001	Social Worker
Fishbein, Ruth	05/01/2002	Performance Improvement/Risk Management Coordinator
Fogarty, Katherine	12/01/2001	Financial Systems Coordinator
Forgues, Lynn	09/05/2001	Triage Nurse
Forristall, David	01/01/2002	Applications/Technical Specialist
Kassel, Peter	08/15/2001	Psychologist
May, John	08/20/2001	Manager, Health Plan Enrollment & Benefit
McLaughlin, Margaret	01/21/2002	Nurse Practitioner
Mechegia, Mahlet	09/10/2001	Dental Hygienist
Morabito, Mary	11/19/2001	Nurse Practitioner
Neylon, Deirdre	01/01/2002	Assistant Health Educator
Perry, Jane	12/10/2001	Laboratory Manager
Rahim, Rahimah	11/26/2001	Triage Nurse
Recklet, Jennifer	06/01/2001	Program Coordinator, Spouses&Partners at MIT
Schilling, Susan	11/01/2001	Obstetrician/Gynecologist
Shein, David	12/01/2001	Internist
Stuart, Laura	11/26/2001	Health Educator
Ward, Suzanne	03/01/2002	Optometrist
Wattendorf, Maryann	09/05/2001	Marketing Manager
Zelas, Laurie	08/01/2001	Clinical Nurse Specialist
Terminations
Amsler, Linda	11/23,2001	Triage Nurse
Arnone, Laurie	08/31/2001	Physician Assistant
Baral, Gina	08/29/2001	Health Educator
Biller, Bruce	06/30/2001	Internist
Brager, Amy	03/31/2002	Psychiatrist
Cecca, Eileen (Retired)	01/30/2002	Nurse Practitioner
Delli-Bovi, Laurent	06/30/2001	Obstetrician/Gynecologist
Edwards, Rodney (Lay Off)	02/01/2002	Manager of Medical Records/Asst Facilities Manager
Israel, Elliot	08/01/2001	Pulmonologist
Long, Patricia	12/21/2001	Performance Improvement Coordinator
Nigro-Beland, Patricia	08/31/2001	Inpatient Nurse
Nordberg, E. David	06/30/2001	Chief Radiologist
Rogers, Anthony (Retired)	04/30/2002	Director of Operations
Wittman, N. Lynn	12/31/2001	Optometrist
Wright, Janet "Sally" (Retired)	06/01/2002	Manager, Administrative Services
Promotions
Friscino, Deborah	04/01/2002	Director of Operations
Girard, Kristine	08/01/2001	Associate Chief of Mental Health
Gross, Robert	01/01/2002	Chief of Eye Service
Lecorps, Yolette	03/01/2002	Manager of Medical Records

William Kettyle, MD, Medical Director
Annette Jacobs, Executive Director

 

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