Elizabeth R. Click, ND, RN, CLE – Assistant Professor at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University

Dear Colleagues:

The Centers for Disease Control report that the U.S. faces a national sleep deficit and it’s getting worse. Insufficient sleep is linked to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, obesity, anger and more. Fatigue is also related to workplace performance and safety issues, such as for truckers, pilots, air traffic controllers, and physicians.

We tend to take this kind of problem for granted. We get tired in mid-afternoon and perhaps eat something with sugar as a pick-me-up (encouraging that obesity). We may say this is part of the pace of modern life, pervasive use of technology at all hours of the day or night, and new demands of the economy. But wouldn’t it be better to take a nap instead of a cookie?

This may seem a personal matter but it really depends on social norms and employer policies. A few employers are beginning to conclude that they should encourage naps – thus Google “has a number of futuristic napping pods scattered around its Mountain View (Calif.) campus.’ http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_36/b4193084949626.htm The long mid-day break is still part of the culture in some societies. And a growing body of research shows that napping is a good idea.

Join us to learn about that work and discuss what might be done to allow more people to organize their days as Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, and Thomas Edison did.

Very best regards,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies

About Our Guest…

Elizabeth Click is an Assistant Professor at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. As a nurse with a background in wellness program management and working with groups, Dr. Click is uniquely qualified to speak and write about wellness and health management subjects. She received a B.A. from the College of Wooster with a major in psychology and a N.D. (Doctor of Nursing) from CWRU. She also is a Certified Lactation Educator and a Certified Wellness Practitioner.

Within the FPB School of Nursing, Dr. Click teaches in the undergraduate (BSN), masters (MN & MSN), and doctoral (DNP) programs. Dr. Click serves as a Co-Chair of the University’s Collegiate Behavioral Health Group and has been a Visiting Committee member for the School of Nursing for many years. Prior to joining the CWRU faculty, Dr. Click managed the wellness program at The Progressive Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio. While working at Progressive, Dr. Click was responsible for the design, development, budgeting and implementation of the Wellness Training curriculum. She incorporated wellness initiatives within corporate-wide programs and developed and communicated wellness policies and procedures. Programs that Dr. Click developed focused on the following topics: ergonomics, lactation, prenatal education, complementary medicine, bloodborne pathogens, spirituality, back health, stress management, child care, work-life balance, weight reduction, financial wellness and physical fitness. Many of these programs led to health improvements and cost savings amongst participants.

Prior to her Progressive experience, Dr. Click was on the faculty at the University of Tennessee, Memphis. Her research has been published in varied journals and she has spoken at a number of national conferences. Dr. Click’s major interest professionally and personally is in working with people individually and in groups to support their present level of health and to help them reach even higher levels of wellness.

Where We Meet

This year the Friday Public Affairs Lunch will convene each Friday when classes are in session in the Dampeer Room of Kelvin Smith Library from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The Dampeer Room is on the second floor of the library. If you get off the elevators, turn right, pass the first bank of tables, and turn right again.

Parking Possibilities

The most convenient parking is the lot underneath Severance Hall. We regret that it is not free. From that lot there is an elevator up to street level (labeled as for the Thwing Center); it is less than 50 yards from that exit to the library entrance. There is also on-street parking on both East Drive and Bellflower. Both are fairly short walks from the library.

Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

November 4: (Re)Regulating Financial Services: How Laws May Work in Practice.  Michael Wager J.D., Squire, Sanders and Dempsey

November 11: How are Successful Companies and Successful Universities Alike?  Richard E. Boyatzis, Distinguished University Professor and H. R. Horvitz Chair of Family Business, Departments of Organizational Behavior, Psychology, and Cognitive Science.

November 18: Wikipedia in the University.  Peter Shulman, Assistant Professor of History.

November 25: No Session – Thanksgiving Break

December 2: University Circle Update. Steven Litt, Architecture Critic, Cleveland Plain Dealer

December 9: Outsourcing and Offshoring Legal Services.  Cassandra Burke Robertson, Associate Professor of Law