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Every quarter — UVA Health recognizes Uteam Members of the Month for their outstanding service and commitment to our ASPIRE values. Congratulations to the latest winners, honored during the Uteam Member of the Month Quarterly Breakfast in May 2025 in the Education Resource Center:

University Medical Center

Hollie Daughtry, Pre-Certification Authorization Coordinator, Pre-Arrival Unit (PAU)
Nominated by: Derek Long

“I want to express my gratitude for PAU’s amazing work on a tricky case. The outstanding impact the PAU team has made on this patient’s health overall by advocating for the case is extraordinary. And undoubtedly, this has been a tremendous effort on Hollie’s part.

"I have had the fortune of speaking with her several times, even during hours when she was on leave — to discuss not only this patient’s case — but also numerous others that required nuanced and careful navigation. Her professionalism, dedication, and empathy for our patients is ... noteworthy of praise. I hope I also can contribute in any way to acknowledge her work, and I am very excited about the fruitful work that our partnership with your team will create in the future!"

Eva M. Johnson, Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, Radiology
Nominated by: Nicole Shreves and Doug Catalano

"During a recent encounter with a patient in the Emergency Department, Eva demonstrated exceptional emotional resilience and professionalism. Despite facing a challenging and emotionally draining situation, in which a patient expressed frustration in a loud and disruptive manner while they directed racial slurs at Eva and her coworker, she remained focused on providing care for [the patient] regardless of the uncomfortable situation.

"She persevered, focused on the needs of the patient — [providing] excellent care despite egregious behavior toward her. She demonstrated exceptional patience, accountability for completing the exam that was needed, and commitment to equity for treatment of all patients regardless of their behavior.   

"In preparation for Ultrasound Awareness Month, Eva spent several afternoons on her days off collecting donations from local businesses to support the goal of raising public awareness about the importance of ultrasound. Her efforts were instrumental in educating the community and supporting our sonographers, who are vital to our healthcare system. Eva also took time out of her own schedule to deliver food to her co-workers as an extremely generous gesture to show her gratitude and respect for their work. Her selflessness and generosity exemplify stewardship of the work we do in the Ultrasound Department and respect for her coworkers."

William Perkins-Goode, EMT, CT Department
Nominated by: Sarah Lourenzo

“Will comes into work every day with a smile on his face that is contagious. He is probably the most polite and respectful guy that I’ve ever worked with! He is gentle, kind, and patient with patients and team members. Even in the most frustrating and chaotic of days, Will is always calm cool and collected. He is constantly on the move, finding something to do, always lending a helping hand.

"It appears he serves in multiple roles in the CT Department. Although he may not be a technologist (operator), he sure is a great support system for the unit. He floats, prepping patients for their scans for multiple tables. He serves as the coordinator, which is a stressful job, determining when and where patients can go to get their scan. This deals with inpatients and outpatients, differing levels of priority including emergent scans (priority 1 and trauma patients), which encompasses six tables between the main department and Emergency Department.

"Will is often in frequent communication with the radiology nurses, helping to keep up to date on patient movement for procedures. He recently learned how to place ultrasound guided IVs that will help save wait time for patients that require that service.

"Will consistently demonstrates all of the ASPIRE values on a daily basis and I can’t speak highly enough of him. I’d love to see him get recognized because I feel he truly deserves it. I wish every department had a Will!"

Margaret G. Smoot, BSN, RN, CNOR, Assistant Nurse Manager, Perioperative Services
Nominated by: Joey Patterson, MSN, RN, CPAN, NE-BC, Nurse Manager, Perioperative Clinical Intake Team and Float Pool

"Outstanding demonstration of accountability, excellence, and integrity. The Main OR team member schedule inadvertently was wiped clean, resulting in a complete loss of all data, Margaret, an expert in [the program] and complexities of the schedule, immediately stepped in to troubleshoot the issue!

"Margaret was able to retrieve a read-only copy of the schedule, and, with the support of CIT team member Nikki Dolin, worked tirelessly throughout the day and into the night to restore and correct the schedule for the upcoming week. Thanks to Margaret's efforts, all team members were informed of their shifts and on-call schedules. She also successfully rebuilt the Main OR charge nurse spreadsheet, ensuring they could properly assign rooms for the 75+ cases performed daily in the Main OR.

"Most importantly, Margaret's swift action and unwavering commitment provided the Main OR charge nurses with the necessary tools to call in team members for urgent and emergent cases during the holiday. Her expertise, willingness to jump in, and dedication to the Perioperative team were invaluable during this critical situation."

Vilma Sebastian, RN, and Georganna Shaw, RN, (not pictured), Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Nominated by: Britanny McDaniel

"I gave birth to my daughter here at UVA Health. The next day after she was born, our baby girl was not eating and very tired, more tired than a newborn should be. The nurse came in and checked my baby’s blood sugar numbers and they were extremely low. That night, my baby had to be taken to the NICU and be put on a IV glucose drip. Although we had heard nothing but good things about the NICU, my husband were just heartbroken we would not be able to take our baby girl home after discharge.

"Overnight, Vilma was the nurse taking care of her. We called to check up on our daughter throughout the night, multiple times, and Vilma always kept us updated on our daughter’s sugar and condition — she was so nice every time we called and did not make us feel like we were a bother.

"Early that morning, in the NICU, Georganna was the one taking care of our baby girl. She greeted us with a very sweet smile and went over how our daughter’s night went, answering all our questions with a smile and made us feel more and more at ease with how she handled and took care of our daughter.

"After speaking with Vilma over the phone and then meeting Georganna that morning, we just instantly knew that our baby girl was in the right place. After I got discharged, my husband and I stayed in the NICU for as long as we could throughout the day and night, not wanting to leave our daughter’s side. After a couple days, our daughter’s blood sugar numbers became stable and she was taken off the glucose drip! My husband and I eventually went home to get some rest.

"That day, the doctor came by, looked at our baby’s chart and surprised us with the best news ever — our baby has been doing so well and blood sugars were stable that we could go home!

"I couldn’t have asked for better nurses to take care of our daughter! They (besides my husband and me) were her biggest cheerleaders! Every time her blood sugar went up or was at a good standing they would jump for joy! They not only took care of our daughter but they also looked out for my husband and I as well. They tried to make us as comfortable and secure as possible during our stay, made sure that we were eating and taking care of ourselves, and that when we had to leave the NICU for any reason at all — we had no worries because we knew that our baby girl was going to be well taken care of!

"Thank you so much Vilma and Georganna for everything!"

UVA School of Medicine

Cody Ragland, Project Manager, Pediatrics Administration, Department of Pediatrics
Nominated by: Elizabeth Shifflett, Chief Operating Officer, Department of Pediatrics, UVA School of Medicine

"Exceptional accountability and stewardship! Cody consistently goes above and beyond to ensure the department's financial health and operational success, demonstrating a level of persistence and follow-through that truly is outstanding.

"Every month, Cody takes the initiative to meticulously follow up on charges ... ensuring the department receives rebates totaling thousands of dollars. His dedication to this process reflects his unwavering commitment to stewardship and responsible management of resources. This is just one example of Cody’s exceptional work ethic.

"When you ask Cody to take on a task, you can trust it will be completed thoroughly and efficiently. He not only gets the job done but does so with remarkable attention to detail and professionalism. His follow-through is second to none, and his contributions have had a tangible and positive impact on our department.

"Cody is a true asset, and I can think of no one more deserving of this recognition!"

Candice Wills, Senior Grants and Contracts Administrator; Research, Grants, and Contracts
Nominated by: Alex V. Torres, MS, CRA, Research Finance Program Director, Department of Pediatrics, UVA School of Medicine

"Candi Wills ... easily has been the best grants and contracts administrator I’ve ever worked with. Her attention to detail, willingness to go the extra mile, and congenial and pleasant personality/work style have been a godsend to the Pediatrics research enterprise. She is exactly the type of role model for how to carry out your team’s mission as well as how to work effectively with other departments.

"I know that whatever I submit to her will be reviewed in a way that guarantees a finished product with no administrative errors. Additionally, in an effort to maximize time and reduce additional burden for my benefit, she went ahead and made edits to ancillary documents herself and uploaded them. This is going above and beyond, and helped me out greatly.

"Candi did our department a huge favor by working after-hours to make sure that we met [an] important, time sensitive deadline. She never complained nor hesitated to step in to help get this done. She is the consummate teammate and I am so lucky to have the privilege of working with her on a daily basis!"

University Physicians Group (UPG)

Jessica Bodden, Physical Therapist, Orthopedic Center Ivy Road (OCIR) (not pictured)
Nominated by: Michael McMurray

"Not only is Jessica an OCIR Rising Star Award winner, BEE award nominee, Excellence in Interdepartmental Collaboration Award nominee, and regularly mentioned in patient satisfaction surveys —she models each of the ASPIRE values every day!  

"A specific example occurred during the operation challenges because of the IV shortage causing some surgeries to be cancelled. During this time, Jessica took the opportunity to help out in the clinics — which was appreciated by team members as well as patients. This work helped to relieve some of the responsibilities of the other team members and added benefit to the patient visits.

"A clinic manager said Jessica 'has done everything from exercises with patients, sling training/fitting, and a one-time evaluation to document whether six weeks of PT would benefit the patient or not because of an MRI denial. She’s so nice and open to helping in any way she can for the patients on the blue floor.'

"Another said, 'It was wonderful to have her and I know the patients appreciate it as well. She was able to help teach PTs how to use a walker, exercises for the non-operative patients — and all of the pre-ops got to have a one-on-one session for their home post-op exercises. Jessica also was not afraid to get her in the mix and just help where it was needed — a welcome addition to the team!” 

Lory Raines, Senior Benefit Specialist, Human Resources
Nominated by: Christine Rudge

"Unwavering professionalism, reliability, and commitment to being a trusted partner. Lory consistently embodies accountability, professionalism, and respect — ensuring that her colleagues receive the support they need with kindness and efficiency.

"Recently, a team member urgently required benefit information, and without hesitation, Lory prioritized her day to assist them. Her dedication was evident as she navigated the situation with care and urgency, ensuring the team member had the resources they needed.

"Additionally, Lory demonstrates stewardship in her careful management of third-party vendors, ensuring they meet the organization’s standards and deliver quality service. She proactively addresses any concerns, maintains strong vendor relationships, and works diligently to resolve issues — all while advocating for the best interests of our team members and organization.

"Lory’s commitment to Integrity in all interactions, along with her helpful and positive attitude, makes her an invaluable asset to our team!"