When Duke's lab facilities closed due to COVID-19, those who traditionally spend the majority of their professional time at the "bench" doing research experienced a transition to other areas of focus. Reproductive Sciences Division Chief Susan Murphy, PhD, and her team were among them, and they immediately stepped up to help support their Ob/Gyn colleagues working in the clinical setting — those on the front lines.
Dr. Murphy was instrumental in the creation of the Department's Treats for Teams initiative for coworkers by arranging deliveries of treats and "care" boxes to bring smiles to those who are working so hard, many in redeployed capacities.
In addition to her work on this initiative, Dr. Murphy, graduate student Chrissy Crute, Friederike Jayes, DVM, PhD, and the rest of the Reproductive Sciences Team bought supplies and created "care boxes" full of sweets, healthy snacks, tissues, stress-relief tools, “mindfulness” cards with wellness tips, and bookmarks for coloring (along with colored pens). Also included in each box is a card with heartfelt messages from Reproductive Sciences, all transcribed from the digital files to handwritten format by Dr. Murphy and her daughter. Duke Ob/Gyn donated pocket-sized hand sanitizers to include. The boxes are adorned with "Duke #HealthCareHeroes," which Dr. Murphy personally created using a silhouette cutter. The boxes will be hand-delivered (safely!) to all Duke Ob/Gyn clinic locations next week. Stay tuned for photos!
A special thank-you to our Reproductive Sciences Team for being so flexible. The Team had just moved their laboratories from West Campus into the new space in the Chesterfield Building in downtown Durham – a huge initiative that couldn't have happened without Brian Antczak and Carol Grenier, Lab and Safety Managers, and Emma Dolan, Rose Schrott and Dillon King, graduate students in Pharmacology and Cancer Biology (Emma) and in the Nicholas School (Rose and Dillon) – when the COVID-19 pandemic happened. We are appreciative of their collaborative team spirit and willingness to shift their efforts to support our providers on the front