Connect

On the job, UVA Health Pharmacy team members support our mission of transforming health and inspiring hope for all Virginians and beyond. Off the job, they have a wide range of hidden talents! Recently, they brought the two together, participating in a Craft Fair that ran over the course of 11 days in their team member breakroom! 

Sparking Creativity and Connection Among Colleagues

An Engagement Committee of about a dozen team members coordinated the event as part of an effort to host fun activities to help colleagues connect on a personal level, cultivate morale, and have fun during breaks at work!   

Committee member Lauren Hill, CPhT, Pharmacy Technician, came up with the idea: “I thought it would be fun to showcase the multitude of talents on our team,” she explains. “Our team's Engagement Committee regularly coordinates activities for everyone to enjoy — from our annual Harry Potter Day, Juneteenth lunch, Easter Egg hunts, and an ice cream flavor tournament bracket to coincide with college basketball in the spring — to name a few. I thought it would be a new avenue to spotlight our team members’ talents outside pharmacy walls," she says.  

Team members from UVA Health Specialty and Home Delivery Pharmacy, Central Fill Pharmacy, and some Supply Chain team members visited the Craft Fair and their creative colleagues during their breaks, and before and after their shifts.  

Among them: Charlena Thompson, CPhT, Pharmacy Technician: “I enjoyed the many different items that were presented to us in a beautifully displayed manner,” she describes. “It’s nice to get a glimpse of what some of our technicians and pharmacists do in their spare time. I bought some items for myself, and as gifts. There were items such as jewelry, lotions, photography, and even 3-D printed ducks! It was like having a little farmers market all our own! I enjoyed it very much and hope we can do this again in the near future!"  

Bringing Great Joy

Eight UVA Health Pharmacy team members participated as vendors. 

Willie Michael, CPhT, Pharmacy Technician, showcased her son’s 3-D printing skills by offering keychains, fidget spinners, mini ducks, and a kitchen sponge holder and drain combination that proved to be a bestseller.  

Another team member, Karen Eutsler, CPhT, Medication Access Technician, Specialty Pharmacy, is a nature photographer and sold several of her prints. 

Emily Edwards, PharmD, helps patients at UVA Specialty Pharmacy by day, but spends her evenings and weekends designing resin and wooden jewelry, painting her homemade earrings by hand, and often wearing her creations to work! “We often only see glimmers of our co-workers' lives outside of work,” she shares. “It’s illuminating to see so many personalities and passions sparkle! As a vendor, the Craft Fair allows me and others to talk with our colleagues about our hobbies and how we spend our time outside UVA Health. It also brings great joy to those looking for unique gifts made with love!” 

Other team members offered more handmade wares such as bookmarks, canvas bags, candles, jewelry, keychains, soaps, T-shirts, etc.! 

All's Fair

“We promoted the Craft Fair as a chance to shop for Mother’s Day and Teacher Appreciation Week gifts, but we had a large and varied spread of items that could be shared at any time,” explains Emily Puckett, PharmD, Lead Operations Pharmacist, UVA Health Specialty and Home Delivery Pharmacy.   

“I am always amazed by the talents of our team members and our Craft Fair did not disappoint in showcasing them,” raves Adrienne Cobb, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy Central Fulfillment Services. “I went into the breakroom to get some water — and came out with two journals, four pairs of earrings, a dish sponge holder."

But wait, there's more! "And I am still eyeballing the lavender scented items!" she acknowledges. "I hope our team does this again so we can continue to highlight our team members' many hidden talents!" 

Puckett hopes to deliver on that request: “We’ll assess interest again closer to the winter holiday season and perhaps hold this event twice a year,” she says. Stay tuned!

Got (a Hidden) Talent?
Are you a UVA Health team member with a Hidden Talent? Or does your UVA Health colleague have one? If so, contact Connect to be considered for a future installment in this series!

See other installments in this series:
○ Run n' Roll: Connect with two UVA Health team members who are always on the go — from marathons to roller derby!
○ Honing Their Crafts: "Healing is about more than medicine — it’s about the human spirit."
○ Open Book: Pen to paper (or mouse to laptop), outside of work, one page at a time. Meet two novelists in our midst. “My role at UVA Health is such a nice balance with my creative life.”
○ Live From Charlottesville: These UVA Health team members also are broadcasters, calling all the shots or hitting all the right notes. Tune in!