The Scope E-Newsletter Awards 2010 Employees Honored for Excellence

The Graduate School of Medicine recently honored employees with the fourth annual Employee Excellence Awards program. Excellence Awards are given to staff members who go beyond the scope of their jobs by providing outstanding job performance, courtesy and customer service, community service and leadership.

Excellence in Job Performance
Patti Hamilton
Administrative Support Assistant III
Surgery

Dean Neutens, Patti Hamilton and Dr. Goldman

Hamilton is considered a fixture in the Department of Surgery, helping residents and faculty to excel. She is said to be an integral part of helping the Surgery Residency, Vascular Surgery Fellowship, and Critical Care Fellowship programs to flourish. She has taken the initiative to develop novel tracking methods to assure residency compliance and is said to develop solutions to issues before they arise.

In nominating Hamilton, Michael Freeman, MD, Chief and Program Director, Surgery's Division of Vascular Surgery, said, "There are few people who have gained the respect of both residents and faculty as has Patti. I believe that she deserves the recognition of being an employee who strives and attains excellence in her job."

Excellence in Courtesy and Customer Service
Peggy Hull
Information Technology Analyst II
Health Information Management and Services

In supporting the GSM HelpDesk, Hull provides exceptional customer service and often goes beyond the call of duty to ensure people's needs are met in a timely manner. She works with a positive attitude in every situation, which often includes recovering multiple crashed or virus-infected computers in a single day. Hull is known for following up with people to ensure things are working properly. She demonstrates excellent problem solving skills and approaches each situation as an opportunity to learn something new and provide superior customer service.

Don Peruski, Systems Manager, HIMS, said, "People often go out of their way to personally call me to say what a good job Peggy did and how nice she was. In addition to the exceptional feedback she receives on customer satisfaction surveys, she always volunteers to take on tasks that require research and learning something new."

Excellence in Community Service
Tim Willen, EMT
Clinical Assistant III
Family Medicine

Dr. Steven Spalding, Tim Willen and Dean Neutens

In his job, Willen is known for his positive attitude and for volunteering to help others, often going beyond his job requirements to assist physicians with patients. Numerous patients have commented on his kindness, friendliness and sincere, caring attitude. He is well liked by his peers and serves as a role model for all through his professionalism. Outside of work, Willen is active in his church and missionary work.

In nominating Willen, Steven Spalding, MD, Associate Professor, Family Medicine, said, "Tim's attitude and work ethic serve our clinic well. Simply put, Tim is one of the best employees, persons, I have worked with at UT over the last 17 years."

Excellence in Leadership
Shannon Campbell
Senior Research Assistant
Radiology

Dr. J. Mark McKinney, Shannon Campbell, Dean Neutens

Campbell has been an integral part in encouraging scholarly activity among residents in many departments. He annually lectures on the aesthetics of poster presentations and, in his spare time, assists residents with poster construction. He is said to be a great mentor for the poster side of research. In addition to assisting with poster and PowerPoint presentations, Campbell maintains Radiology software and assists faculty and staff when problems arise.

In nominating Campbell, Ronald Lands, MD, Associate Professor, Family Medicine and Medicine, said, "Shannon has participated in special projects beyond his normal responsibilities, mentored residents (and me), and had creative ideas regarding national presentations, and by example demonstrates leadership in the GSM."

Honorable Mentions
This year, in addition to the overall winners, the following employees have been recognized as outstanding nominees in the Employee Excellence Awards program. Congratulations to the following:

Performance:
Martha Branch, Administrative Assistant II, Graduate Medical and Dental Education
Susan Hargrove, Nurse Practitioner, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Bertha Jarnagin, Administrative Specialist I, Radiology
Laura Maples, Coordinator II, Communications and Outreach

Courteous and Customer Service:
Shannon Campbell, Sr. Research Assistant, Radiology
Lolita Davis, Medical Administrative Coordinator, Human Immunology and Cancer Program
Carol Houser, Administrative Coordinator I, Dean's Office

Community Service:
Travis Turner, Information Technology Specialist I, Health Information Management and Services

Leadership:
Brenda Chaves, Administrative Specialist I, Dean's Office

The Employee Excellence Awards are given annually in June. A complete list of guidelines as well as the nomination form can be found on the GSM Pulse Intranet site.