What's in a name? The process on renaming a neuroscience department

In recent years Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, California has effectively merged a variety of programs under the auspices of a single department. While these separate programs share certain similarities in terms of procedure and technology, a problem has arisen in terms of departmental identity. The department name was becoming a misnomer in that the department's original designation, a sleep lab, did not take into account the additional neurodiagnostic testing being offered. To combat this, an effort was made to rename the department in such a way that would reflect changes in programs and services while also providing an overall sense of community within the department. Procedurally, the renaming was designed as an all-encompassing staff project. During the presentation of the project, staff discussed the mission as well as vision statement of Huntington Hospital. The staff was supplied with a list of all diagnostic procedures and programming currently being offered. Correlations between services were accented and a two-week timeline was established to allow staff time to brainstorm. Ultimately, the benefits of the naming contest were twofold: first, department members gained an understanding of all aspects of the department, and second, the combined input created an overall sense of departmental unity amongst the staff.