Employees of the Quarter

1. Employees of the Quarter

3. Grace Sandoval - Histotechnician Clinical Instructor Oversees accuracy in the billing in CoPath DSR representative Keeps everyone updated in CAP safety regulations. “Grace has taken the initiative to ensure that the histology students have full exposure to our facility, ensuring that they receive all necessary skills needed for a successful career in Histology.” - Velma Resendez

4. Velma Resendez- Senior Histotechnician Created “Above and Beyond” award to honor worth Histotechnology students Always offers assistance to Pathologist with special stains and entering test in CoPath Organized charity events such as the adoption of a Christmas family and Toys for Pediatric Patients Recently promoted to Senior Histotechnician “Velma demonstrates a willingness to accept additional responsibilities and challenges. Velma always has a smile on her face and a kind word for you. It’s a pleasure to work with her.” - Douglas Krauskopf

5. Ana Garcia – Medical Technologist Ana developed an online tracking system to help monitor all reagent/antibody Quality Control. Ana attends extra training to advance knowledge in Flow Cytometry Ana helps train all the medical technologists students that rotate through the Flow Cytometry Lab. “Ana has only been out of school for a little over a year, but has the maturity and knowledge of someone that has been doing the job for several years…She is more than deserving of this award.” - Anna Tyler

6. Lauren Chesnut- Technical Director of Electron Microscopy “Laurens dedication to the department and its mission of excellent service warrants recognition, because of Lauren’s high dedication to service the needs of the department and her tireless efforts to ensure that quality comes first…this is appreciated by her colleagues and faculty throughout the institution and beyond who utilize the services of the electron microscopy laboratory…she is the ideal employee to receive this recognition.” - Dr. Reddick - STRL Quality Assurance Coordinator- Coordinates all activities associated with CAP- Former student of the School of Histotechnology

7. Dionisia “Joni” Laconico- Central Receiving Clerk - Jonie is considered the little mother of Central Receiving- Always considerate towards other people before herself- Always goes the extra mile- Developed a courier log for specimen tracking for the receiving area- Helped in organizing Central Receiving files. “ I appreciate Jonie for the wonderful person she is and I am glad to have her on our staff. Jonie epitomizes the attitude that is required to be on the front line in Pathology, to deal with difficult and varied people and still continue to wear a smile. Her eagerness to learn and devotion to her job is testament to her professionalism and caring nature.” – Kathleen Born

8. Alejandra Perez- Histotechnician I - Highly motivated- Continues to further her knowledge in Histology- Helps with the Histology training program by lecturing and training 3 students- Active member in the Texas Society of Histotechnology - Former student of the School of Histotechnology “Alex is a very dedicated employee and she realizes the importance of her job.” - Kim Pierdolla

9. Matt Martin, Co-Chief Resident - Resident in pathology for four years- Serving as co-chief resident - Thinks of innovative ways to improve medicine- One of his goals is to combine his pathology career with a charitable one “Matt is easy to be around; he smiles a lot, is enthusiastic about pathology, and is smart. He is quietly efficient, organized and shows initiative in getting things done. I trust him to do the right thing. He is well on his way to becoming a physician that others will look to. All these characteristics make him an excellent resident, so it is no surprise that he is one of our chief residents this year. I hope that our junior residents will follow his example.” – I-Tien Yeh, M.D. Professor

10. Bernadette West- Fellow, Transfusion Medicine - Resident in pathology for four years- Served as co-chief resident last year- Took the responsibility of reviewing all antibody identification and direct antiglobulin work ups- Bernadette always puts the patient’s wellbeing and safety first. “As a chief resident, Bernadette excelled in mentoring the junior residents and in accomplishing the demanding administrative tasks of her position. Her smiling and steady demeanor calmed the most stressing situations. Her focused attention solved the most complex problems. She has gained respect and admiration from the entire technical staff.” – Chantal Harrison M.D.

11. Diana Castro- Administrative Assistant II - Adapted well to all changes in the department- Administrative support for all Research Faculty in the Department- Diana volunteers her time within our institution in areas such as Staff Advisory Council and Special Events Council “Though she is responsible for doing the chores of numerous faculty members, when I need something done, I feel like she is my personal assistant, and I know that the work will get completed when needed. I suspect she makes all her assigned faculty feel this way. Not only does she juggle the different needs of various staff, she manages to do it with a cheerful attitude. Diana shows intellectual curiosity and is careful to get things right.” – Diana Medina/I-Tien Yeh & other faculty

12. Carlos Camarillo- Medical Technologist - Carlos does not hesitate to help whether it be with ideas or physical labor.- Carlos continues on a daily basis to contribute new and exciting ideas- Carlos works with University Health System’s outside clinics in testing of semi-annual comparability of patients results for automated chemistry. Carlos’ past years of experience, placing the patients well being as a number one, dedication to our department, extreme positive attitude and continual contributions for improvement, demonstrates his dedication to the profession of Medical Technology. – Dennis H. Smith