Biophysical Society Bulletin | May 2022

Career Development

Regaining and Preserving Wellness during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic The recent 66th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California included a workshop focusing on re- building research momentum during the COVID-19 era. The event was organized by BPS Members Sarah Bondos and Silvia Cavagnero , and included presentations by Wendy Ingram , CEO and co-founder of Dragonfly Mental Health, and Amy Honig- man , Senior Clinical Psychologist at the University of Califor- nia, Berkeley, specializing in graduate-student wellness. Lynn Zechiedrich , the Morrow Chair and Professor of Molecular Virology and Microbiology and Co-Director of the PhD Pro- gram in Quantitative and Computational Biosciences at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, joined as a panelist for a lively discussion with ample participation by the audience.

maintaining a healthy network of friends and finding plenty of community support are key steps to help recovering wellness, both during and after the pandemic. Zechiedrich provided several practical examples from her experience in academia. She high- lighted the importance of having kept regular online meetings during the pandemic and encour- aged PIs to check in with their students often, asking how they are doing and offering understand- ing and encouragement. She also explained that PIs are not mental

Workshop panelists Amy Honigman and Lynn Zechiedrich proudly show their BPS Meeting badges after the workshop.

health experts, but should know how and to whom to refer for assistance at our institutions. She concluded by men- tioning that PIs might need help themselves and that giving people the opportunity to help is beneficial to everyone. She noted the importance of refraining from a natural inclination to give advice or to relate other people’s issues to personal experience—just listen and care. An animated Q&A session concluded the event, including tips on finding appropriate therapists for complex cases, discus- sions on the importance of alternative counseling (e.g., online therapy services), and remarks on normalizing conversations about stress and mental health. More information on Drag- onfly Mental Health (www.dragonflymentalhealth.org), an organization that promotes the mental health of graduate students and academic personnel, was also provided. This workshop was sponsored by the Biophysical Society Commit- tee for Professional Opportunities for Women. TIPS FOR IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH • Everyone focuses on “wellness” and “crisis,” but there are steps in between, including stress, distress, and disease, where rapid intervention is of very high value. • Practicing gratitude and self-compassion are the best things you can do for yourself and your lab personnel/trainees during crisis. More than 3,000 publications support this conclusion. • Maintain healthy networks of friends and supporters. Continue to hold group meetings. Stay connected. • When talking to people experiencing stress, refrain from giving advice or quoting personal experiences: just listen and care. • Be ready to refer people to appropriate mental health experts and organizations. • When dealing with someone in distress, ask: “Do you want to be left alone?” “Do you want to talk?” “Do you want to talk to an expert?” Then listen and respect the person’s decision. • Talking about stress and mental health, including asking whether someone is having thoughts of suicide, does no harm.

The workshop defined the many challenges posed by the recent pandemic and advised scientists, including princi- pal investigators (PIs) and trainees, on how to recover and maintain mental health. Ingram discussed how the world- wide pandemic affected individuals differently, citing recently published data. She stressed the importance of awareness, compassion, and flexibility. Honigman described the anxiety and depression brought about by the pandemic and highlight- ed the stress experienced by many researchers. She agreed with Ingram that an effective recovery requires inner strength and compassion for oneself and others. She encouraged the audience to celebrate even small successes on a regular basis and, importantly, to take a few minutes every day to practice gratitude. She advised PIs to do a lot of compassionate listening. Both of them emphasized that cultivating and Workshop organizers and panelists. From left to right: Wendy Ingram, Silvia Cavagnero, Sarah Bondos, Amy Honigman, and Lynn Zechiedrich.

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