Each quarter, Uteam Members of the Month from the Medical Center, School of Medicine, and UVA Physicians Group (UPG) are recognized for outstanding service to UVA Health and their commitment to our ASPIRE core values: Accountability, Stewardship, Professionalism, Integrity, Respect, and Excellence.

Below are the honorees for the fourth quarter of 2021. Click a name to read an excerpt from the corresponding nomination (and leave a comment below to thank the honorees for their dedication to our patients and each other!). Congratulations team!

Nominations have been edited for brevity, clarity, and privacy.

MEDICAL CENTER

• October 2021 Uteam Member of the Month: Cassie Dawson, Access Associate, Radiology Support Services
• November 2021 Uteam Member of the Month: Robert Growden Jr., Supervisor - Imaging Tech, Interventional Radiology
• December 2021 Uteam Member of the Month: Mildred “Cookie” Leonardi, Health Unit Coordinator, Peri-Operative Services

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

• October 2021 Uteam Member of the Month: Leah Daniel, Senior Financial Analyst, Pediatrics
• November 2021 Uteam Member of the Month: Jennifer V. Phillips, Manager, Clinical Research
• December 2021 Uteam Member of the Month: Lauren Armstrong, Assistant Director for Operations, SOM Office of Grants & Contracts

UPG

• October 2021 Uteam Members of the Month: Cristina Campbell, Clinical Operations Program Supervisor, Satellite Offices Management, & Tiffany Nickell, Project Assistant, Clinical Operations, Satellite Offices Management
• November 2021 Uteam Member of the Month: Melinda Geer, Patient Care Specialist 2, UVA Primary Care Culpeper Family Practice
• December 2021 Uteam Member of the Month: Donna Prince, Team Care Specialist , UVA Pediatrics Harrisonburg

Medical Center

Cassie Dawson, Access Associate, Radiology Support Services
October 2021 Uteam Member of the Month

“Cassie Dawson is hereby nominated for the Uteam Member of the Month award in recognition of her exceptional customer service skills, her dedication to our ASPIRE values, and for the support she provides to our patients and patients’ family members on a daily basis. As one example of Cassie’s customer service skills and the way in which she provides support to our clients, I recently received the following email from the parent of a patient who was undergoing an extensive diagnostic MRI at our ERC imaging center:

“'Today is a ray of sunshine. Let me first start by saying, that I am the type of person that never, ever writes these messages. However, today I felt compelled to share with you my experiences with one of your employees, Cassie D. in the Education Resource Center as we waited for my 16-year-old daughter to have her MRI. Cassie was seriously a ray of sunshine on what is a rainy, dreary day. I have been in the ERC all day since 10 this morning and here I still sit waiting for my child to finish with her MRI. It has been a challenging day to say the least. Watching your child struggle with drinking all the contrast when she already is not well. Then after an hour in the tube, they take her out and make her drink more contrast and start all over again.

“Cassie picked up on my worries and stress and has been warm and friendly. From the time we walked in, she greeted us with her southern charm and grace. She has really made this awful experience so much more pleasant. She was wonderfully warm, charming and an overall GEM to be around. You must know how lucky you are to have someone who represents your hospital standing front and center in the middle of a pandemic that makes people feel as though have just won a car on The Price Is Right instead of stuck in a hospital for testing. You are lucky to have her. She does not miss a beat and treats everyone with grace and kindness.

“In a time when businesses are understaffed, and employees are overworked it is easy to let time pass without telling those we work with how much they are valued. Please see that Cassie D. knows that her kindness this day was truly appreciated by my daughter and myself.'

“Again, this is but just one example. In addition, I have personally observed Cassie make arrangements for front desk coverage at the ERC imaging center so that she could personally escort a patient to another imaging location in the hospital when the patient reported to the incorrect location – and I have anecdotal knowledge that this happens on a regular basis. Cassie does not hesitate to help our patients, their family members, or a UVA Health colleague. It is this dedication to service and our ASPIRE values that were evident in, and reflected by, Cassie’s recent performance evaluation: ‘Cassie has a caring personality, which, along with her team engagement, allows her to shine on our team. She cares for the waiting area like it was her own home — providing maps and additional information. Cassie always has puzzles and games for patients and family members to work on while they are waiting, and she is often praised and thanked by our clients for providing them and for the fact that they are themed for the time of year.

Cassie is always willing to go the extra mile to make patients comfortable and at ease. If a patient needs assistance, Cassie calls the front door team to assist with a wheelchair and to get them to their next appointment, or she will take this upon herself, if needed.”

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Robert Growden Jr., Supervisor - Imaging Tech, Interventional Radiology
November 2021 Uteam Member of the Month

“Bob Growden is a Supervisor in Interventional Radiology who exemplifies the ASPIRE values and is one of the most dedicated, conscientious, and diligent team members with whom I’ve worked. He is committed to continuous improvement and never shirks from being engaged in whatever project needs to be executed to ensure the highest quality and cost-effective patient care possible. In addition, Bob is absolutely steadfast when it comes to patient and team member safety and is a leader on the department’s Safety Committee.

“One morning, a team member in Interventional Radiology reported to work and shared with Bob that he had been experiencing unusual symptoms for several days after having had the first COVID vaccination. The symptoms were very concerning to Bob since it had been a week since the employee’s vaccination and sounded to Bob like it could be something much more serious. Bob insisted that the team member go to Employee Health, and in fact, escorted the team member there to make sure the team member got there safely. After reviewing the symptoms, Employee Health sent the team member directly to the emergency room. From there, immediate interventions took place that were very likely lifesaving. Had Bob not acted quickly and resolutely, the team member would probably have had a major health event at work and could potentially not have survived. This is but one example of Bob’s dedication to excellence and accountability to ensure that staff are well and safe in the work environment and that patient safety and quality of care are maintained.

“In addition, some other brief examples are as follows:

• “He worked tirelessly on getting the control panel door to IR Procedure Rooms 4/5 changed out due to the collision hazard created by the floorplan design changes implemented by the architects for the South Tower that caused that door and the door going from the control panel into IR5 to collide, creating a significant safety hazard.
• “Bob balanced privacy issues for an employee who has an impactful long-term condition. He worked with the employee to get him time to deal with the health issue, modified his schedule to help him be less at risk for unexpected health events, all the while protecting him from the rumor mill without telling staff what the specific issue was (per request from the employee).
• “Bob recognized a gap in CT experience level among staff and worked diligently to get staff more experience in those procedure rooms. He also worked with Siemens to arrange formal education, bargaining to use some of IR’s angio-education credits for CT education of IR staff.
• “Bob educated a surgeon as to why he wouldn’t want to use a balloon-expanding stent in a Superficial Femoral Artery (SFA) during an interventional procedure. Ultimately, the surgeon understood Bob's rationale and used a self-expanding stent, resulting in a successful outcome for the patient. Bob did this in a professional and respectful way, which is probably why the surgeon listened to his reasoning. Bob is a tremendous asset as a champion for team member and patient safety and quality patient care, and we are very fortunate to have him on our team.”

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Mildred “Cookie” Leonardi, Health Unit Coordinator, Peri-Operative Services
December 2021 Uteam Member of the Month

“The PACU [Post-Anesthesia Unit] is a unit in the hospital that deals with a large variety of patient populations and holds a large number of staff members. We care for patients post-operatively, transfer them to inpatient beds, discharge them, and help navigate their entire trajectory of care. It is often a nonstop pace that is very demanding.

“Our unit would fall apart if it was not for our HUC Cookie, more formally known as Mildred Leonardi. Cookie is the glue that holds us all together. She is a never-ending resource and support for both the staff and the patients. She does not hesitate to jump in and lend a helping hand whenever someone needs it. I often find myself telling myself, ‘Cookie will know the answer,’ whenever there is something I am unsure or uncertain about. She fully embodies accountability. Her caring personality and endless love for her grandchildren and family transfers to the care and compassion she shows to her coworkers, patients, and their families.

“One of our coworkers lost a family member suddenly and unexpectedly. The unit quickly put together a meal train to help support our coworker and the family. Cookie went above and beyond and had the idea to donate PTO [paid time off] to our coworker to help facilitate an adequate amount of time to grieve. Because of Cookie, we were able to help support our coworker during this extremely difficult time.

“We recently had a pediatric patient who was having their cancer port removed after going into remission. One of our nurses called and asked Cookie for help. Cookie excitingly went to the gift shop and bought the patient a balloon and card with her own money. She took time away from her busy schedule to help coordinate a celebration for this patient. This small act meant a large deal to the child’s parents. After many months of sadness and stress, they were able to take a deep breath and celebrate. This would not have been possible without Cookie.

“Cookie is an integral part of our team in so many ways. One of her biggest strengths is her ability to diffuse tense situations and provide comfort. There was a recent situation in which a pediatric patient came through the Emergency Department for an emergent surgery. This child had a single mother and two young siblings. An arrangement had been made prior to the patient going to surgery that the mother and her two young children would be allowed to come to the PACU for the child’s recovery.

“When the child reached recovery, there was a degree of miscommunication that caused a stressful delay in uniting the mother with her post-operative child. When Cookie heard about this, she quickly went to the lobby to help mitigate the misunderstanding. Cookie not only showed immense professionalism, but she also advocated for the patient and their mother. Cookie showed excellence by providing a source of comfort for a stressed, exhausted single mother during a very difficult time. “Minutes later, Cookie came through the recovery room doors, holding the patient’s youngest sibling’s hand, leading the mother to her child. Once they arrived, Cookie went above and beyond to find a meal for all of the children and the mother. Cookie worked with the nurses to find toys and things to entertain the patient’s siblings until the patient was cleared to be discharged home. This situation in particular was surrounded with a large amount of tension, and Cookie handled it with a great deal of integrity. Her selfless actions and virtue of respect guided by her caring nature, led to a very happy mother and child. This act was one of countless acts that Cookie has performed during her time in the PACU while fully embodying the UVA ASPIRE values. I don't know what we would do without Cookie helping to hold us all together.”

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School of Medicine

Leah Daniel, Senior Financial Analyst, Pediatrics
October 2021 Uteam Member of the Month

“Leah is a rock star! During the times of COVID, she helped the department with our financial rebound in many ways, but most notably, by finding opportunities for revenue recovery. She found missing days of inpatient coding, deliveries, and NICU [Newborn Intensive Care Unit] procedures, all of which contributed to the department turning our finances around and ending the year meeting budget after losing over $2 million in collections due to COVID. She also played an active role in training our new billing supervisor on Epic and billing control best practices. In addition to this, somehow, she found time to design and implement a tool in our department that is a single source for sharing and storing information as well as CV management. She did this all on her own accord because she saw an opportunity for our department to be more efficient. Leah has a positive attitude, and an attention to serving her customers, our physicians. She is such a key part of our team, and I know she fits the description of this award.”

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Jennifer V. Phillips, Manager, Clinical Research
November 2021 Uteam Member of the Month

Nomination 1

“Jenny Phillips is an exceptional team member for iTHRIV in support of the clinical translational research community at UVA. As the project manager for the iTHRIV CTSA [Clinical and Translational Science Award] pilot studies program, Jenny meticulously oversees the process for gathering scientific reviews and supports the decision making for this multi-institutional program. She is the primary point of contact for all applicants and reviewers — and her thoughtful approach reassures everyone about the rigorous review process and the support of applicant teams. Jenny works for applicant teams to address their questions, and then makes herself available to awarded teams throughout the year to help keep them on track for accomplishing their goals. She is a role model for others, and always reminds me about the focus of, ‘How will this improve the health of our community?’ In addition to her work with the pilot studies program, Jenny manages our Workforce Development programs for iTHRIV. In this role, she supports a number of training programs for the research community. I want to highlight her leadership of the new iDRIV program, which focuses on training for early-stage researchers from underrepresented backgrounds. This program has been a huge success and is heavily supported by Jenny's efforts. Her positive spirit makes working with Jenny overall a joy, and we are so grateful for her being on the iTHRIV team.”

Nomination 2

“Jenny is a remarkable steward of iTHRIV pilot and feasibility resources, which are distributed among iTHRIV institutions to support early stage clinical and translational research with the potential to improve lives. She manages peer review for dozens of applications, provides supports to awardees, and assures compliance with regulatory requirements with competence, meticulous organization, kindness, and a sense of humor (all signs of her consistent professionalism).”

Nomination 3

“Jenny Phillips is an outstanding team member in iTHRIV and goes above and beyond to develop programs to support the iTHRIV research workforce. In addition to developing and leading a new program on best practices for mentors, she has worked to develop multiple programs that support underrepresented persons to assure their success in health-related research fields. She continues to lead the proposal development program for iTHRIV, which is offered several times a year and registration fills within several hours of each offering being made available as this is such a highly sought-after program. She embodies the ASPIRE values with accountability for the success of her programs, incredible respect for all persons, and outstanding professionalism. She has the highest integrity and continually strives for excellence. I cannot imagine a better applicant for Uteam Member of the Month. She is a role model for us all.”

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Lauren Armstrong, Assistant Director for Operations, SOM Office of Grants & Contracts
December 2021 Uteam Member of the Month

Nomination 1

“Lauren has consistently gone above and beyond in her support of clinical translational research in working with our iTHRIV team over the past few months. She has been the primary liaison with colleagues at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through some challenging conversations and has maintained a positive/supportive tone in all negotiations, demonstrating the highest level of commitment to customer service and relationships. Her work with our iTHRIV team on the NIH annual progress report for the CTSA [Clinical and Translational Science Award] was exceptional, demonstrating her commitment to the research mission for UVA. She has been a strong communicator, detailed reviewer, and added such value to our team throughout this experience. We are better because of her!”

Nomination 2

“Lauren Armstrong is an amazingly knowledgeable and rigorous member of the grants and contracts team. She has gone out of her way to help teams, like iTHRIV, with large, complex grants. She is so incredibly thoughtful, rigorous, and still creative in her work to help teams get to success. She recently helped iTHRIV submit to the NIH an enormous annual report (RPPR) that has significant complexities and sensitivities which she managed with poise, expertise, and patience. She has the highest integrity and is the ultimate professional. She is always respectful and is completely committed to excellence in her work product and excellence for the teams with whom she works. She is always accountable and a good steward of resources. I cannot imagine a better nominee for the Uteam member of the month. iTHRIV is incredible thankful to have Lauren Armstrong as part of our team.”

Nomination 3

“Lauren managed a massive, complex submission to the NIH for the UVA CTSA award. She also handled well some complex concerns that arose.”

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UPG

Cristina Campbell, Clinical Operations Program Supervisor, Satellite Offices Management
Tiffany Nickell, Project Assistant, Clinical Operations, Satellite Offices Management
October 2021 Uteam Members of the Month

“Over the course of the last year, Tina and Tiffany worked closely with our practices, UPG Legal, UPG Finance, and CPG [Clinical Practice Group] leadership to take an inventory of the contents at our storage units and develop a plan to destroy and/or consolidate the contents of those storage units. COVID put the brakes on that plan last year, but these two individuals quickly picked the project back up when it was safe to do so.

“In October, they arranged for a company to come and destroy the documents that were ready for that and for another vendor to haul away old furniture and equipment that were no longer useable from five units that were ready to be purged. They took it upon themselves to go through the contents of all five units to ensure the content was what we thought and that it was all ready for destruction, according to the parameters of the vendors. They coordinated some help from other team members, but they by and large did the work to get these storage units empty. These storage units cost anywhere from $1,000 to $3,400 per year to rent.” Their planning, preparation, literal heavy lifting, and perseverance to get the job done, easily saves our organization approximately $10,000 in a year. They have clearly demonstrated the ASPIRE values of Stewardship, Professionalism, and Excellence.”

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Melinda Geer, Patient Care Specialist 2, UVA Primary Care Culpeper Family Practice
November 2021 Uteam Member of the Month

“I received a handwritten letter from a patient nominating Melinda Geer for the Daisy Award. The patient explained how professional, passionate, attentive, responsible, and all around a ‘life saver’ Melinda is on a daily basis. In the words of the patient: ‘Loved and adored by peers, patients, and doctors, Melinda Geer believes in enriching the lives of all whom she encounters on a daily basis! Even as COVID-19 has frayed nursing staffs all over the world to the core these past 18 months, Melinda Geer has constantly been a beacon of illumination that brings into focus all that is good in the medical profession. Please consider Melinda Geer as you take nominations for the esteem Daisy Award that recognizes superior service among our beloved nursing corps."

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Donna Prince, Team Care Specialist , UVA Pediatrics Harrisonburg
December 2021 Uteam Member of the Month

“Donna exemplifies the ASPIRE value of inclusivity every day in our office. She continually welcomes others and makes them feel at home, especially new hires. As a new UPG employee, I felt lonely and intimidated. Donna's big smile and positive attitude made me feel included and respected. I have seen her continually show this optimism towards our other three new hires. She always wants to step in and help, unprompted. For example, I was advised to give a patient a nebulizer treatment when I first began and had no clue how. During my UPG training, we never had the opportunity to teach this skill. Donna stepped in and showed me step by step and didn't leave my side until I felt comfortable.

“Donna also exemplifies professionalism. She builds lifelong relationships with our clients, providing a continuity of care. From taking care of mothers when they were young to their newborn babies, everyone knows and loves Donna. She has had creative ideas of how to celebrate new mothers with newborn treat bags. Collaborating with our providers, she also helped develop special birthday bags. She works well as a team, and this has been shown on several occasions. Whether she is helping me input my immunization information or helping others find birth information, she is always busy helping others. She has been working with UVA Pediatrics Harrisonburg for well over 20 years. She is more than deserving of this award.”

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