Celebrating our diverse and unique team members at SSM Health
December 14, 2023 09:38 AM - Continuing our series of stories celebrating our many diverse and unique team members at SSM Health, this month we had a special opportunity to visit with four team members representing various faith traditions. Jessica Shafrin (Judaism), Shephali Wulff (Hinduism), Nedjla Sayah (Islam), and Dan Dwyer (Christianity), provided a window into their faith and how they authentically show up to work each day in service to our Mission.
Let’s begin with sharing who you are, and what you do at SSM Health.
Nedjla: My name is Nedjla Sayah, and I work in Communications as a Call Center Representative on the morning shift. I have been with SSM Health for six years, and enjoy my team members because they help me feel like I am at home. I love helping people because it makes me happy.
Jessica: My name is Jessica Shafrin, and I am the Manager of Pastoral Care for the St Charles County, Missouri region. I manage six chaplains within three SSM Health Ministries that include St. Charles, Lake St. Louis, and Wentzville. I love my work because I strive to be an image of spirituality for staff and patients which impacts interactions with people and advocating on behalf of individuals.
Dan: My name is Dan Dwyer, and I am the Regional Director for Mission and Ethics in SSM Health Wisconsin. I support our ministries on the West side of the region, which includes St. Mary's in Madison, the Dean Medical Group Saint Clare in Baraboo, the Monroe Clinic in Monroe and St. Mary's in Janesville. I love my work because I support Mission Integration programs that include spiritual care and ethics, and also enjoy my role as a liaison with our Wisconsin community health colleagues.
Shephali: I am Dr. Shephali Wulff, and I am the System Vice President of Quality and Safety. I have oversight over a few facets of quality and health care that include infection prevention, infectious disease, regulatory and patient safety, and clinical outcomes. What I love most about my job is the ability to positively impact the safety of care and ultimately the quality of care we provide to patients in all care settings.
Tell us how you bring your authentic self and your faith to work.
Nedjla: Our authentic selves make us who we are, at times we are visible and at other times we are not visible. At work, I am visible in my faith by wearing my hijab. When colleagues ask why, it is my opportunity to help them understand and learn about my faith. Another example is that I pray five times each day during Ramadan in a designated area, and my co-workers are very understanding. They want to get to know me better which helps me feel more comfortable at work.
Jessica: When I first started as a chaplain, I worked with individuals dealing with several things including abuse situations. My mentor was a Rabbi, and his mantra was ‘You Matter.’ It formed my career, and drives my authenticity. ‘You Matter’ is my guiding principle, and my goal is to reflect that back to others. It aligns with my theory in pastoral care that each person is made in the divine image.
Dan: I don't really think about my faith in the sense of something that I have as opposed to something I am. In terms of my Christian identity, I think of it more as a matter of being a virtuous person in the sense of being a good man, a good friend, and a good colleague. I grew up with a Catholic education, and we were taught that demonstrating humility in the pursuit of virtuousness should be the goal. It carries over into the work I do at SSM Health and in our Ministries.
Shephali: I was raised by a devout Hindu mom, an Atheist dad, and my husband is Catholic; however, I consider myself to be a cultural Hindu. It is important to me that my children understand both cultural traditions and religious holidays. We celebrate Diwali and Navaratri, a festival of nine nights celebrating the overcoming of light over darkness that leads into our new year. I demonstrate my faith authentically when I interact with people from the perspective of understanding that they are coming with good intent.
How do you express your faith in service to SSM Health’s mission?
Nedjla: In Islam we have a word, ‘Ibadah’, which means worship. Ibadah can be demonstrated in social courtesy, performing deeds of righteousness and community service. This aligns with our SSM Health Mission and Values. It is the path that leads to success and reminds of our creation in the world.
Jessica: In Judaism, we believe that time and space are sacred. When a chaplain sits with someone, they are saying the time and space where we are sitting together is sacred and you are sacred. When I knock on a patient’s door for permission to enter, this means you matter, and let’s create a holy space which is the presence of God.
Dan: In my pursuit to be self-aware and authentic, I invite people to encounter others as compassionate, respectful, and fully present. I then create an opportunity for others to do so through example. This aligns with our SSM Health Mission and Values. It is one thing to talk the talk and another to live it.
Shephali: In Hindu, there is a word that I think people recite frequently, but I am not certain is really understood and that word is ‘Namaste’. I think people think it means hello or goodbye, but what it really means is, ‘I see and respect the divinity within you.’ This aligns with our Mission that we reveal the healing presence of God, and presence is so much of seeing the divinity within.
This is the seventh story in our series featuring our unique and diverse team members, patients, and communities. Catch up on the previous Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, LGBTQ+, Hispanic/Latinos, Disability Employment Awareness-Teng Yang, Veterans and Native American profiles.
Additionally, please join us in a brief voluntary virtual reflection and prayer Celebrating Interfaith Cultures on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 10 am. Click HERE to join the Live Event. We have also curated the previous cultural Pause & Reflect sessions. We also encourage you to check out our DEI Education Catalog Listing which includes a variety of live and on-demand courses with shorter formats, deeper exploration and skill development.
We thank our guests for sharing their time with us. Through their words we gain a better appreciation of the fact that we are all woven into a common fabric revealing the divinity in all humans
Let’s begin with sharing who you are, and what you do at SSM Health.
Nedjla: My name is Nedjla Sayah, and I work in Communications as a Call Center Representative on the morning shift. I have been with SSM Health for six years, and enjoy my team members because they help me feel like I am at home. I love helping people because it makes me happy.
Jessica: My name is Jessica Shafrin, and I am the Manager of Pastoral Care for the St Charles County, Missouri region. I manage six chaplains within three SSM Health Ministries that include St. Charles, Lake St. Louis, and Wentzville. I love my work because I strive to be an image of spirituality for staff and patients which impacts interactions with people and advocating on behalf of individuals.
Dan: My name is Dan Dwyer, and I am the Regional Director for Mission and Ethics in SSM Health Wisconsin. I support our ministries on the West side of the region, which includes St. Mary's in Madison, the Dean Medical Group Saint Clare in Baraboo, the Monroe Clinic in Monroe and St. Mary's in Janesville. I love my work because I support Mission Integration programs that include spiritual care and ethics, and also enjoy my role as a liaison with our Wisconsin community health colleagues.
Shephali: I am Dr. Shephali Wulff, and I am the System Vice President of Quality and Safety. I have oversight over a few facets of quality and health care that include infection prevention, infectious disease, regulatory and patient safety, and clinical outcomes. What I love most about my job is the ability to positively impact the safety of care and ultimately the quality of care we provide to patients in all care settings.
Tell us how you bring your authentic self and your faith to work.
Nedjla: Our authentic selves make us who we are, at times we are visible and at other times we are not visible. At work, I am visible in my faith by wearing my hijab. When colleagues ask why, it is my opportunity to help them understand and learn about my faith. Another example is that I pray five times each day during Ramadan in a designated area, and my co-workers are very understanding. They want to get to know me better which helps me feel more comfortable at work.
Jessica: When I first started as a chaplain, I worked with individuals dealing with several things including abuse situations. My mentor was a Rabbi, and his mantra was ‘You Matter.’ It formed my career, and drives my authenticity. ‘You Matter’ is my guiding principle, and my goal is to reflect that back to others. It aligns with my theory in pastoral care that each person is made in the divine image.
Dan: I don't really think about my faith in the sense of something that I have as opposed to something I am. In terms of my Christian identity, I think of it more as a matter of being a virtuous person in the sense of being a good man, a good friend, and a good colleague. I grew up with a Catholic education, and we were taught that demonstrating humility in the pursuit of virtuousness should be the goal. It carries over into the work I do at SSM Health and in our Ministries.
Shephali: I was raised by a devout Hindu mom, an Atheist dad, and my husband is Catholic; however, I consider myself to be a cultural Hindu. It is important to me that my children understand both cultural traditions and religious holidays. We celebrate Diwali and Navaratri, a festival of nine nights celebrating the overcoming of light over darkness that leads into our new year. I demonstrate my faith authentically when I interact with people from the perspective of understanding that they are coming with good intent.
How do you express your faith in service to SSM Health’s mission?
Nedjla: In Islam we have a word, ‘Ibadah’, which means worship. Ibadah can be demonstrated in social courtesy, performing deeds of righteousness and community service. This aligns with our SSM Health Mission and Values. It is the path that leads to success and reminds of our creation in the world.
Jessica: In Judaism, we believe that time and space are sacred. When a chaplain sits with someone, they are saying the time and space where we are sitting together is sacred and you are sacred. When I knock on a patient’s door for permission to enter, this means you matter, and let’s create a holy space which is the presence of God.
Dan: In my pursuit to be self-aware and authentic, I invite people to encounter others as compassionate, respectful, and fully present. I then create an opportunity for others to do so through example. This aligns with our SSM Health Mission and Values. It is one thing to talk the talk and another to live it.
Shephali: In Hindu, there is a word that I think people recite frequently, but I am not certain is really understood and that word is ‘Namaste’. I think people think it means hello or goodbye, but what it really means is, ‘I see and respect the divinity within you.’ This aligns with our Mission that we reveal the healing presence of God, and presence is so much of seeing the divinity within.
This is the seventh story in our series featuring our unique and diverse team members, patients, and communities. Catch up on the previous Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, LGBTQ+, Hispanic/Latinos, Disability Employment Awareness-Teng Yang, Veterans and Native American profiles.
Additionally, please join us in a brief voluntary virtual reflection and prayer Celebrating Interfaith Cultures on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 10 am. Click HERE to join the Live Event. We have also curated the previous cultural Pause & Reflect sessions. We also encourage you to check out our DEI Education Catalog Listing which includes a variety of live and on-demand courses with shorter formats, deeper exploration and skill development.
We thank our guests for sharing their time with us. Through their words we gain a better appreciation of the fact that we are all woven into a common fabric revealing the divinity in all humans
