Dear colleagues:
Each year at this time, we observe the valuable tradition of giving thanks. We reflect on the opportunities we’ve been given, the challenges we’ve faced, the lessons we’ve learned, and the progress we’ve made.
As we enter the final months of yet another tumultuous year, many of us might be wondering, is there anything to be thankful for?
My answer is absolutely “yes.” I am thankful for our faculty, staff and trainees who have continued to persevere through the collective trauma of COVID-19 as a community, whether by adapting to remote instruction and working from home or maintaining essential operations at the medical center, or caring for the sick and injured at the many locations of Duke Children’s.
I am especially thankful for everyone in the Duke Children’s community who continue to step up to the coronavirus vaccination challenge. While we are in a very different place now with the prolific availability of effective vaccines and proven protocols, we are all acutely aware that we must find ways to continue to co-exist with the virus now more than almost 2 years into the pandemic.
In wishing all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving, let me express my gratitude once again to everyone in Duke Pediatrics, for your strength and dedication and for your collegiality and collaboration. I am so proud that we are members of a shared community founded on acceptance, inclusion, and belonging. Individually, we bring our unique perspectives, experiences, struggles, and successes; together, we form a community bound by the powerful connection of a shared mission and vision for a more just and equitable society.
Stay well and warmest wishes for a well-deserved celebration, rest and reflection during this Thanksgiving break!
Ann
Ann M. Reed, MD
Samuel L. Katz Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics
Chair, Department of Pediatrics
Physician-in-Chief, Duke Children’s