Thomas McGrath, Director of Finance and Administration, and members of the Employee of the Month Committee were excited to present the last Employee of the Month Award (EOM) of the year to Linda Chio, Social Science Research Assistant in Stanford Prevention Research Center (SPRC). The announcement was followed by a hearty round of applause and comments from the colleagues who nominated her.

When it comes to working with seniors, Linda Chio has the magic touch.For the past four years she has been a key player in the LIFE Study, a research project designed to help 200 frail older adults improve their quality of life. Her cheerful, reliable, and respectful voice on the phone and her excellent communication skills were key to the success of the project, including its 90 percent retention rate, which is almost unheard of given the long-term nature of the project and ages of the participants. On more than one occasion she turned things around when a participant started to disengage from the program.

Linda is always willing to help her co-workers and volunteer for extra work if it will benefit the study or the group. She’s a master multi-tasker who schedules all participant appointments, manages the project calendar, arranges transportation, confirms staffing, conducts 1-2 hour long cognitive tests, chases down medical records, and much, much more. Once at a staff party she was given a set of juggling balls to symbolize her ability to keep multiple things in air, while keeping people happy at the same time. “It is great to work with such an amazing group of colleagues who are so supportive,” says Chio. “I’ve been able to learn a lot in this position and am very thankful.”

The Department of Medicine is grateful to have such a dedicated member of the staff and honored to name her as our December Employee of the Month

As the November Employee of the Month, Luz Sanchez, Social Science Research Assistant in the Division of Infectious Diseases, has a little something extra to be grateful for this year. Luz is the 11th staff member in the Department of Medicine to be chosen as the Employee of the Month (EOM). Her colleagues and members of the Employee of the Month committee gathered around as Thomas McGrath, Director of Finance and Administration, read some of the comments that contributed to her being this month’s winner. A round of applause congratulated a wonderful staff member described as a kind, caring, and warm human being ready to lend a hand to anyone who needs it.

Luz began her career at Stanford’s diarrheal diseases site in Chiapas, Mexico, 25 years ago as part of a research group led by Julie Parsonnet, MD. In that role, she built a laboratory, directed a team of Mayan workers, went into remote villages to collect biological samples, and worked as a field director alongside investigators from Harvard, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Stanford, and Mexico. Independent and hardworking, she often dealt with difficult public health challenges, including developing her own goat herd in order to provide blood agar.

About 15 years ago, Luz came to Stanford to work in the laboratory of Julie Parsonnet, MD, George DeForest Barnett Professor in Medicine and Professor of Health Research and Policy. “She has never shied away from extra responsibilities,” says Parsonnet. “She does whatever is required, whether it is direct recruitment, phlebotomy, sample collection and processing, data entry, data management, or field team supervision. All told she has probably been responsible for recruiting almost 10,000 people and managing their research activities. Her work is simply extraordinary.”

A shy smiling Luz accepted the award. It was easy to see why everyone admires her, what an amazing resource she is to the Division of Infectious Diseases, and why she deserves to be the Employee of the Month.

On a beautiful fall day, members of the Employee of the Month Committee, and Department of Medicine Director of Finance and Administration Thomas McGrath took

a trip to the Falk Center to present the October Employee of the Month Award (EOM) to Terra Coakley,Research Program Manager in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. Faculty and staff also gathered, excited to hear a professional, courteous, and efficient employee get rewarded for her outstanding efforts.

Colleagues and faculty describe Terra as a highly effective manager and the definition of someone who goes above and beyond. It’s no exaggeration, to say that the success of Stanford Center for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease and the Stanford Amyloid Center is owed in large part to her tremendous talents and work ethic, remarked Ronald Witteles, MD.

Terra juggles a wide range of tasks and responsibilities and is a crucial part of the whole endeavor in Cardiovascular Medicine. Patients love her, nurses love her, the San Francisco 49ers love her (she organizes the annual push-up competition with the team). All of which, may have something to do with her uncanny ability to have not just thought of something before you ask her about it but to have actually done whatever it was. “She also seems to know things that nobody knows: immigration, NIH grants, management, business contacts and much more, and I’m honestly not sure where she learns most of it,” says Euen Ashley, MD. Terra Coakley is an outstanding employee, passionate about the work she does, the division she supports, and a perfect example of what the EOM program stands for.

Members from the Division of Oncology gathered for a staff meeting along with members of the Employee of the Month committee. All of whom waited patiently for the guest of honor, Margaret Wootton, the September Employee of the Month (EOM). A round of applause broke out as she entered the room. Margaret was speechless; she was delighted to be chosen and presented the EOM award by Department of Medicine Director of Finance and Administration Thomas McGrath.

Margaret’s colleagues in the Division of Oncology feel lucky to work with a “consummate professional.” As one of the most respected faculty affairs coordinators in the School of Medicine, she is a great team player, and has trained and mentored several FA coordinators in the Department and other academic units. Her current job involves numerous aspects related to faculty recruitments and appointments. She loves to write and edit and also maintains the division’s website and takes pride that her written work reflects Stanford’s excellence.

Margaret has worked for Stanford for 27 years. Her career started as an admin in the Dean’s Office before moving on to Executive Assistant to Dean Korn and then working for Charlotte Jacobs. She began working in her current position in Faculty Affairs in the Division of Oncology in 2006 and faculty and staff couldn’t be happier. Colleagues referred to her as a “faculty whisperer and “long form genius.”

“Can I take my glasses off,” she said, with a smile, as cameras flashed to capture a moment she will long remember. “Thank you so much. The Department of Medicine and the Division of Oncology has been a wonderful place to work. I feel lucky to have been here and to be able to contribute.”

Dr. Harrington, members of the Employee of the Month Committee, and staff members from the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology caught Carlos Perez by surprise when they gathered to present him with the August Employee of the Month (EOM) Award. Wearing a smile from “ear to ear” made it easy to see why faculty and colleagues describe him as a friendly, reliable, resourceful, and a pleasure to work with type of guy. Carlos consistently goes the “extra mile” for faculty and co-workers.

As Administrative Associate in Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Carlos’ responsibilities encompass managing a very busy work load, keeping very complex faculty calendars, managing multiple calendars for clinics, procedures, academic meetings and travel for seven plus faculty and more. All of which he does efficiently, patiently and with a smile. He is extremely organized, professional and eager to take on additional duties. Carlos does critical scheduling for the whole division while never wavering from the top notch support for his faculty. His career at Stanford began in 2005, working in finance for Stanford Hospital and Clinics before taking on his current role in the Division in 2010.

His colleagues admire the way he is always accessible, treats co-workers and physicians with “utmost respect,” and never complains. Upon being chosen for the award, he remarked, “You want to go beyond and work 110% every time because these guys are great to work with. I love the environment, I love working for the University. I was very surprised that out of a group of staff and employees at the Department of Medicine that I was chosen as Employee of the Month.”

The second floor conference room in MSOB was flooded with members of the Employee of the Month (EOM) committee and General Medical Disciplines’ faculty and staff who were excited to present the July EOM Award to Pooja Dagli Loftus. 

Pooja is known to always go above and beyond in her role as a Statistician where she successfully runs analyses and “even goes further and checks the underlying assumptions for plausibility, proposes additional analyses and thinks of creative alternatives.” Pooja does all of this with an “incredibly positive demeanor and enthusiastic attitude” which we all witnessed as she entered the crowded conference room for what she may have thought was a routine meeting. Pooja was calm and collected as she listened to Dr. Harrington, Chair of the Department of Medicine, who quoted the colleagues who had nominated her for the award.

She took a seat and listened with a warm smile as Dr. Harrington told the group how Pooja explains the concepts of data set analysis and programming to medical students and how hardworking she is, “as she is currently working with over 20 on projects ranging from CE QI projects to complex long-term funded research.” Some of us may be unfamiliar with the statistical lingo, but we all know what it means to be a “breath of fresh air” or “
a remarkable addition to our Division” which is how colleagues refer to Pooja’s contributions and presence at GMD.

It may have been one of the most emotional Employee of the Month (EOM) award presentations as Thomas McGrath, Director of Finance and Administration for the DOM, and members of the EOM committee interrupted a staff brunch at the Stanford Prevention and Research Center (SPRC) to surprise June’s recipient, Carolyn Prosak.  It was a pleasure to see Carolyn’s excitement as she listened to the words that had earned her this honor. 

Carolyn’s colleagues “admire her positive attitude, exceptional work ethic and constant quest for new knowledge.” Carolyn has been with SPRC for over 15 years and while she is a trained dietician hired to develop nutrition counseling materials, she has supported the research at SPRC in many other diverse ways—from health education workshops to computerized data collection and environmental assessments of assisted living facilities—with her “can-do attitude.” 
Beyond the research support that she offers SPRC is the rapport she has built with research participants and the air of comradery that she brings to the office. Her peers highlight the demands of “conducting research to provide translatable data with providing an atmosphere for participants that is engaging, productive and worthy of their time” and praise Carolyn’s ability to do this so seamlessly.

Department Chair Robert Harrington, MD, and members of the Employee of the Month (EOM) committee were excited to present the May EOM award to...drumroll please...Danielle Hendrickson! Danielle is an Administrative Coordinator in the DOM Central Office, where she supports multiple senior members of the DOM. She is one of the first faces you see as you walk in to the busy central office where her colleqgues say she is, "a breath of fresh air" with her contagious smile and energy.

Colleagues speak of Danielle's unparalled work ethic in addition to the enthusiasm that she brings to the central office saying that, " she goes above and beyond" and "on several occasions she has offered to help me with something that was clearly not her responsbility." More noteworthy is the genuine nature that her colleagues referenced with which she offers support and respect to all those who venture in to the central office--whether potential faculty, the janitor, or someone that is just trying to find the ER.

Stephen Fabay is an IT Support Specialist, providing desktop support to hundreds of Department of Medicine faculty and staff, which is no easy feat as they are scattered all over the School of Medicine and its off-campus offices.

In addition to offering desktop support and recently working diligently on the encryption project, which colleagues say would have been a dreadful experience without him, Stephen offers his client groups satisfactory service that goes above and beyond the call of duty. One client says, "He is solutions driven and has the total intent of customer satisfaction... a true team player." Another client says, "Even though he supports a lot of people, he makes me feel like I'm his only customer."

He is committed and passionate about what he does and it shows when he offers clients looking for new computer accessories recommendations on products or when he responds promptly and enthusiastically to service requests.

Stephen accepted the EOM award with a smile and with the same enthusiasm that he brings to work.

Christine Geibel provides administrative and program support for the Center for Health Policy and the Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research (PCOR), and interacts regularly with a broad constituency base. Christine runs the fellowship programs and is the liaison for faculty affairs, which gives her the opportunity to share her view of Stanford with candidates who come in for interviews. “I love Stanford; it’s one of the best places in the world. I grew up in this area, left for school, and when I came back I knew I wanted to work here.”

Faculty, staff, and fellows describe her as someone who embraces the spirit of the EOM Program. Along with her excellent judgment, dedication, and grace, comes a keen ability to assess a situation, face challenges head-on, and recognize how and when to ask for support. "Christine has gone far beyond the description of her duties, in a particularly demanding time, she has contributed enormously to the mission of PCOR, and has my strongest support for Employee of the Month,” said Division Chief Doug Owens.

John DiMario provides IT support for three divisions within the Department of Medicine, SPRC, BMIR, and GMD. Fellow employees describe him as incredibly skilled, efficient, responsive, and an individual who goes above and beyond his duties to ensure that things go smoothly for the people he supports. According to those who nominated him, John never complains and is extremely professional, no matter how busy he is. He is the first to volunteer for special events, and bakes the best darn brownies around! Upon receiving the award he was quick to thank his co-workers, and also said, “It is thoughtful to have a program that recognizes the work that employees put in behind the scenes to make Stanford such a great institution.”

Gloria Samuel has worked in the same Stanford office for the past 17 years. As an administrative associate she keeps track of more than 1000 licensees, two thousand master trainers, handles accounting, maintains and updates NIH records and forms, and arranges logistics for a myriad of training sessions at Stanford, in addition to other administrative tasks."Gloria is the public face of our Center,” said Kate Lorig, PhD , Emeritus Faculty and Director of Patient Education. “Her interactions by phone, email, and in person with thousands of people each year have made the Center known for outstanding customer service."