Where did you say you’re from?

It’s easy enough to just talk about where someone came from, but the precision thinkers in the laboratory at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth had a better idea to really pin it down.

Travia Flippin, microbiology manager, came up with a fun way for the team to learn more about each other: dropping (physical) pins on the map showing their birthplaces.

“I saw an article from Travel Channel about mapping your travel bucket list by hanging a map on your wall and using push pins to mark where you’ve been,” Flippin said. “I immediately thought about our diverse lab team and how fun it would be for us to learn more about each other.”

More than 100 participants dropped pins in 22 states and 17 countries across five continents.

“We knew we were diverse, but the results were more impressive than we anticipated,” said Jason Naranjo, director, Laboratory Services.

“This contributes to Texas Health Fort Worth’s goal of creating an inclusive environment for each other and for our patients,” said Joseph DeLeon, hospital president. “Learning more about each other is key.”