Finding Joy and Purpose Through Connection

Dr. Nanci Murphy, a pharmacist and retired Associate Dean at the University of Washington, and Dr. Tricia Cheung, a Pharmacist at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, WA, discuss the concept of ikigai, which translates to “reason for being.” They help healthcare professionals stay connected to the reason they entered the field of healthcare and to find strong connections to other members of their healthcare communities. Listen to learn more about how Dr. Murphy and Dr. Cheung use the teachings of ikigai to bring healthcare teams together through joyful, community-building activities.

“Finding Joy: The Health Care Professional’s Journey to Well-being" is a podcast resource developed by a team of interprofessional education researchers from Washington State University Health Sciences Spokane. They’re promoting well-being among students, faculty, and healthcare professionals during challenging times. Funding is provided by the Health Resources and Services Administration.

The Interprofessional Education Research team wishes to thank the following individuals for their invaluable contributions to this project:

• Dr. Barb Richardson, nurse, educator, and interprofessional champion;

• Cameron Cupp, creator of the “Finding Joy” musical score and current enrollee at WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine;

• Washington State University staff from Marketing and Communications, Financial Services, and the Collaboration for Interprofessional Health Education Research and Scholarship; and

• Claire Martin-Tellis, Executive Producer, and Solen Aref, student intern, who developed the first five episodes of the “Finding Joy” podcast.

This episode of “Finding Joy” was produced by Doug Nadvornick, Program Director, Spokane Public Radio.

If you would like to reach out, please contact our team by sending an email to: [e-mail] We also encourage you to visit our podcast blog as well as our team's website at: https://opioideducation.wsu.edu/about/.