Values are principles that guide behaviors and decisions. At the Brigham, four institutional values – integrity, collaboration, professionalism and empathy – were recently articulated as part of Brigham Health’s strategy to reflect how all staff members should interact with everyone who comes through our doors.

“These values are the same today as they were more than a century ago when the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital opened,” said Brigham Health President Betsy Nabel, MD. “These are values by which everyone within Brigham Health conducts themselves, no matter the role, to ensure that we provide the best possible experience to our patients, their family members and our colleagues.”

These four values were carefully selected by the senior leadership team, with guidance from several multidisciplinary focus groups involving staff from all levels of the organization.

Beginning in this issue, BWH Bulletin will identify stories in each edition that show our institutional values in action. Learn more about our values, including recent examples of how BWHers demonstrate them, on PikeNotes.

Integrity: Being honest and having strong moral principles. Integrity means doing the right thing, whether or not anyone knows that you did it, both as an individual and as an organization.

Collaboration: An effort by more than one person to accomplish a goal. It’s about teamwork and looking beyond personal goals and interests to support your colleagues in achieving something.

Professionalism: How you behave while you are at work, which includes demonstrating competence in your profession or not letting the challenges we face change the way we treat others.

Empathy: The ability to place yourself in another person’s position. You respond thoughtfully to how someone is feeling and express understanding of what they are going through.