Women in Medicine Month | Sandra Burks’ Commitment to Caring for Others Inspired Her Daughters to Do the Same

9.26.2023

Women in Medicine Month | Sandra Burks’ Commitment to Caring for Others Inspired Her Daughters to Do the Same

By Holly Ford
Photo by Marieke Cappa Photography

In recognition of Women in Medicine Month, we’re honoring some of the women who have dedicated their careers to making a positive impact on the lives of patients, women who are furthering our efforts to deliver quality care and women who are shaping the future of healthcare at UVA Health and beyond.

As a bedside nurse, clinical researcher and, now, as program director for iTHRIV, Sandra Burks, RN, BSN (above center), has played a variety of roles in patient care throughout her lengthy career, each impacting the lives of others in unique ways. All along, her daughters, Alli Burks-Paysour, RN, BSN (above right), and Jennifer Kragie, AC-PNP (above left), have paid close attention to just how far a nursing career can take you, no matter which path you decide to follow.

“I was always exposed to different sides of nursing that I felt were unique. My mom has worked in the clinical research realm for most of my life. Seeing this side of nursing made me realize that there is so much you can do with a nursing degree,” says Alli. “I loved the idea that I could study medicine and be in healthcare like my mom and sister, but I could also choose my own path and do something entirely different from them. My mom is in research, my sister works in pediatrics, and I have always worked with adults. My advice would be to find what you are passionate about and run with it.”

Get to Know: Sandra, Alli, and Jennifer

Tell me about your background:

Sandra: I am from Virginia, and I came from a family of Virginia Tech Hokie engineers. When I decided to attend the University of Virginia to pursue nursing, my father told others that the hardest thing he ever did was write that first tuition check to UVA. My son and his wife are both Virginia Tech graduates, and I’m incredibly proud of them. To this day, we have a fun family rivalry between UVA and VT.

Alli: My mom, Sandra, has worked at UVA for as long as I can remember. I used to come to work with her as a child on my days off from school. When my older sister, Jenny, left for college at UVA, I remember coming to visit her and falling in love with Grounds. My dad is also a Wahoo, and he instilled in me a love for UVA basketball that has only continued to grow and grow. It only made sense then, that I would go to UVA for college, too. I attended UVA's School of Nursing from 2014 to 2018, and loved every second of my time here.

Jennifer: Like my sister, I grew up in Harrisonburg and went to UVA School of Nursing. UVA was my top choice for school because it was close to home and familiar — but we still have a lot of love for the Hokies in my family. My brother graduated from Virginia Tech, so we are proud to be a "house divided!"

Why did you choose medicine as a career?

Sandra: I chose a career in healthcare because I wanted to be in a position to make a difference in people’s lives during times of great crisis. I saw it as a great privilege to be a part of individual and family lives in a very personal way during an important life event — whether it was a major surgery, after a traumatic event, or even the end of someone’s life. Nursing offered that opportunity to make real and tangible differences to people during these life events.

Alli: Growing up, I always used to say that I was never going to be a nurse because that was Jennifer and mom's thing. I said I wanted to be a doctor and get to tell them what to do. However, it did not take me long to realize that I had no desire to go to med school, and nursing is actually pretty cool.

My family certainly influenced my decision to go in to healthcare, but we have all taken our own paths, and it has been so fun to see us each specialize and make a difference in all these different areas.

Jennifer: I chose to study nursing because of the versatility the degree offered. After seeing my mom transition from bedside nursing to a role in research, I knew a nursing degree would give me a wide variety of flexible, rewarding job opportunities. My mom's passion for her work was certainly a big inspiration for me to pursue nursing as well.

Why did you choose to work at UVA?

Sandra: I never considered working anywhere else! For me, UVA was the place I wanted my extended family to come for care, and offered cutting-edge treatments that I wanted to learn about and be a part of.

Alli: After living and working in North Carolina for a few years after graduation, I was really excited when I had the opportunity to come back and work at UVA again in 2021. My mom is always keeping me up to date on the newest and greatest research that is happening around the University and the health system. For me, that is a huge draw to working here. I love being a part of a health system that is always working to advance medicine.

Jennifer: I graduated with my BSN in 2012, and worked for a few years in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. I started working in the PICU at UVA in 2015 when my husband and I moved back to the Charlottesville area to be closer to our family. I recently graduated from UVA School of Nursing again in 2021 with my master's degree and switched roles in the PICU to join the Advanced Practice Provider team as a nurse practitioner.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?

Sandra: My work now is quite different from the work I did when I first started as a bedside nurse in the Intensive Care Unit over 30 years ago. Nowadays, the most rewarding parts of my job are about helping other people succeed in their research goals to find ways to improve the health of patients and communities. It’s still about helping others just in a different way, which is fun for me.

Alli: I think the most rewarding part of my job is feeling like I can make a difference in the lives of my patients. It is so amazing to get to see my patients go from super sick right after open-heart surgery to walking out of our unit to the floor and eventually going home. It is special to get to be a part of their journey to recovery. I always love when patients come back months later and tell us about all of the amazing things they have accomplished since their surgery, like running a 5K or triathlons. It makes us proud, and makes us feel like we really made a difference in their lives. I love what I do.

Jennifer: The patients and families that I work with. It is truly a privilege to work with patients and families during such difficult, vulnerable times in their lives. I love getting the opportunity to know families and see them through their PICU journeys. The UVA, Charlottesville community and my amazing coworkers are the other huge rewards of this job. I feel fortunate to be able to come to work and feel supported by this community. Not only are my coworkers incredibly skilled and committed to providing excellent care, they are equally committed to taking care of each other. I am incredibly grateful every day for my PICU and UVA family.

What are the pros and cons of working at the same place as your mother/daughter?

Sandra: Honestly, there are only pros for me. Having my daughters choose nursing and then choose UVA has been a huge joy for me. I love it when my colleagues say that they have interacted with one of my daughters in their work, and it gives me great pride to see them both pursuing their passion for caring for people in their own careers. We have pretty different schedules, so we don’t often see one another while at work, but we have a common shared vision and goal overall, which feels really good. I also like when our paths intersect: I’m in the research world, so when there is a research project happening that touches one of their areas, I love to hear their perspectives and sometimes I call on them to help me "ground truth" some of my understandings.

Alli: There are lots of pros to working at the same place as my mom and sister. We look a lot alike, and it seems like every day someone comes up to me and says, "Oh my gosh, are you Jenny's sister? She's so nice!" or "Are you Sandra's daughter? I love her!" It's always the same thing. Everyone loves my sister and mom. Because, of course, what's not to love? They are always quick to recognize me and tell me about how much they love them. Really the best part about working in the same place as them is just getting to be close to them and watch them excel at what they do. I'm so proud of the work that my mom and sister both do, and it is so special to get to witness it firsthand.

Jennifer: A pro is that I immediately felt very at home at UVA because of all the familiar faces. A con is being frequently reminded that my younger sister is much cooler than I am!

What inspires you?

Sandra: Being a part of change inspires me! I can look back on research that I have been a part of over the years and see how some of that research has changed the way we take care of patients at UVA. That excites and motivates me to look for the next innovative thing that will help us improve the lives of people in our community.

Alli: My family is what inspires me most. My sister and mom are so kind. The kindest, really. They make me want to be a better person and encourage me to be my best every day. I see how much they give back to others — their patients, the community, our family — and I just try to be like them. I'm so grateful for them.

Jennifer: I'm inspired every day by my family. I grew up watching my mom share so much compassion with her patients and her colleagues, and I've been able to watch her amazing work continue to grow and reach more and more people. Now I also get the privilege of watching my sister share that same beautiful kindness and become an amazingly skilled nurse. They have both touched so many lives, and they are a constant reminder of the type of compassionate nurse I want to be.

What advice do you have for women joining the field of medicine?

Sandra: Remain grounded in your passion. It’s easy to get caught up in the busyness — and the business — of healthcare. I find that when I take a moment and remember why we do this, I fall in love all over again with the work we do. Being a mother is probably one of the things in my life that I am most proud of and seeing my daughters follow their own passions to make a difference is incredibly rewarding.

Alli: My advice for women joining the field of medicine is to never allow yourself to feel limited. There are so many incredible ways that you can be involved in medicine and make a huge difference.

Jennifer: Remember why you chose to enter this field, and identify role models who will continue to inspire you throughout your career. This field is incredibly challenging and constantly changing. It's so important to stay grounded to what inspired you to choose this path in the first place. Look for qualities and characteristics in your colleagues that you want to emulate, and identify people who will help motivate and guide you along the way. I am incredibly fortunate to have found role models in both my mom and my sister, along with so many other incredible women in medicine at UVA.

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Thank you, Sandra, Alli, and Jennifer, for sharing your story! During Women in Medicine Month in September, Connect showcased UVA Health team members, including a series featuring pairs of mothers, daughters, and/or sisters — all working at UVA Health. While many of our colleagues offered to participate, we regrettably could not share all of their stories (as much as we would love to!). Connect is incredibly grateful to all of them, including: