In a place where the work is fast-paced and deeply meaningful, taking time to slow down can feel like a luxury. Between caring for patients, conducting research and educating future healthcare professionals, it's easy for conversations to stay focused on the task at hand.
CreativiTEA, a new program offered through the Office for Organizational Well-Being's Arts for Well-Being in Academic Medicine (AWiAM) program, was designed to create space for something different: simple, authentic human connection. The event invites faculty, staff and learners to share a cup of tea, exchange stories and connect with colleagues outside the context of work.
The idea grew from an unexpected moment during Visual Explorer, another AWiAM event, where the conversation around a photograph shifted to participants sharing tea traditions from their different cultures. Joey Burke, MSN, a nurse ethicist with UK HealthCare, and Renee Gallagher, M.Ed., administrative operations coordinator in the UK College of Medicine Office for Organizational Well-Being (OWB), realized that something as familiar as tea could open the door to meaningful conversations that extended well beyond professional roles. Ultimately, the duo turned that realization into CreativiTEA.
In a large academic medical center, it's easy to move from meeting to meeting without ever getting to know the people working alongside you. CreativiTEA aims to change that by creating a low-pressure environment where there is no agenda beyond conversation. Each gathering begins with participants selecting a teacup and choosing from a variety of teas. Those simple choices often become conversation starters, leading naturally into discussions about favorite mugs, family traditions and shared experiences.
While tea provides the setting, the organizers say the program is ultimately about creating opportunities for people to feel seen, heard and valued. Those small moments of connection help create environments where people can build trust, foster collaboration, strengthen workplace relationships and contribute to a healthier organizational culture.
For Burke, whose work as a nurse ethicist often involves navigating complex conversations, those connections matter. Trust is rarely built during difficult moments, but grows through everyday interactions, shared experiences and opportunities to simply spend time together. Gallagher sees those same moments as an essential part of organizational well-being.
This work also aligns more broadly with how we’re taking care of our people and partners, a key pillar of the college’s strategic plan, Care Across the Commonwealth. In an environment where so much energy is devoted to caring for others, creating opportunities for colleagues to care for one another helps build a supportive culture that allows everyone to do their best work.
The OWB works with departments, leaders, learners, faculty, and staff to strengthen the organizational conditions that influence how people work, learn, and thrive. Through leadership development, departmental partnerships, organizational assessment, coaching, and educational programming, the office focuses on improving systems, relationships and workplace culture. The AWiAM program is just one example of this broader approach, using participatory arts experiences to intentionally strengthen connection and build social capital across the academic medical community.
The next CreativiTEA session is Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 11 a.m. - noon ET, in MN 136 in the Willard Medical Education Building. An interactive map for wayfinding can be found here.
