ABSTRACT
Engagement and morale are critical elements that contribute to effective functioning and goal attainment for individuals working together in an academic medical center. The COVID-19 pandemic was a significant and immediate threat to effective team functioning for physician academic departments. A department of surgery deeply engaged in the pandemic took multiple measures to maintain morale and engagement. To measure the effectiveness of these measures, the author compared survey data collected well before the pandemic with data collected from the same group during the pandemic. In 9 of the 19 compared questions, the responses were statistically significantly more positive or trended toward significantly better during the pandemic period survey when compared to the pre-pandemic survey. Maintaining morale and engagement through highly stressful circumstances requires intentional strategies and persistent execution.