Engaging Staff at Scale: Wadsworth Center’s CARE Steering Committee

In 2024, the New York State Department of Health-Wadsworth Center launched a new office dedicated to preparing the laboratory workforce for the public health threats of 2030: Community. Advancement. Recruitment. Engagement. (CARE). Since launching, CARE has led numerous workforce-oriented initiatives, including peer learning, employee recognition, leadership development, volunteer opportunities and academic engagement activities.

The critical component to CARE’s success is a commitment to enabling staff at all levels to meaningfully contribute to the laboratory. The initiative that most strongly embodies this principle is the CARE Steering Committee, a decision-oriented group designed to engage staff in workforce development and community engagement activities.

Key structural components for Year 1 and Year 2 are shown in the table. The group included representation from all areas of Wadsworth Center, including administration, bench staff, information technology and laboratory operations. The office has full support from executive leadership.

Table. Steering Committee structure for Years 1 and 2.
*Committee Chair role filled by the CARE Program Director for the initial two years.

The Steering Committee was designed to support meaningful action by the members with support and advocacy from the central CARE program office. As the Steering Committee matures, the group is self-governed, fostering a dynamic in which staff take full ownership of their activities.

Steering Committee Achievements

The Steering Committee initially tested a process for engaging with academic partners in our region and organized five events with broad staff participation. In its second year, the group focused on organizing eight outreach events at local colleges to promote summer experiential learning. The power of recruiting from colleges is exemplified by two Steering Committee members who were recruited to Wadsworth Center through earlier outreach.

The Steering Committee has organized multiple opportunities to volunteer at local community organizations, introduced a Center-wide picnic and brought staff together for lunchtime walks. All Committee activities involve staff from multiple areas. In an organization as widely distributed across distinct locations as Wadsworth Center, these opportunities to connect have been a significant driver of cross-program relational infrastructure.

The Steering Committee launched two new initiatives for professional development: 1) a peer training program that launched with a module on artificial intelligence and 2) "Wadsworth Perspectives," a lunch-and-learn style discussion where staff can learn about career paths. Strong components of staff development are also embedded in academic engagement and a new Committee-led pilot-scale public speaking opportunity: “Wadsworth Friends and Family Seminar Series.”

Wadsworth Center’s 2025–2026 CARE Steering Committee. Photo: Wadsworth Center.

Impact Highlights

• A total of 13 activities completed in Year 1, with many Year 2 activities building on those foundational successes.
• 100% of Steering Committee survey respondents agreed that there were meaningful opportunities to contribute.
• ~50% of Steering Committee members highlighted their role as representatives of their laboratory/program/division as meaningful.
• 40% specifically cited the opportunity to contribute to the betterment of Wadsworth as a highlight.

The Steering Committee is an exemplary model of engaging employees with meaningful opportunities to connect, create and succeed.