Laurence Boitet, PhD

Session Title: Build Your Bouquet: Creating Meaningful Community (co-presentation with Dr. Katherine Meese and Dr. Geoffrey Silvera)

Social isolation and loneliness is a growing problem. Recent research has found that chronic loneliness is as bad for your health as smoking approximately 15 cigarettes per day. As our work environments change from in-person to hybrid or remote, we have new challenges in creating a sense of community and connections. In this interactive session, we will discuss what kinds of people we need to intentionally add to our communities and social networks, and practical ways of doing so.
We will frame the discussion around building a bouquet of flowers—a diverse network of people that enrich our career journeys and lives. Collecting hydrangeas and air plants, and avoiding Venus fly traps!

About Laurence:

Laurence Boitet, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Education in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Heersink School of Medicine and the Director of Biomedical Scientist Trainee Wellness in the UAB Medicine Office of Wellness. She earned her PhD in Cell Biology from UAB in 2019, after which she completed a postdoctoral fellowship mentored by Dr. Katherine Meese. Dr. Boitet’s research focuses on biomedical scientist engagement within the academic medical center. Her work has been published in the Journal of Healthcare Management, Journal of Healthcare Risk Management, and Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, among other journals.