As part of my job, I give new hires an overview of UNMC at new employee orientation. I always tell them it’s a privilege to work at UNMC.
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Tom O’Connor |
Easy. It’s the people.
As we celebrate Spirit Week, I want to salute just a few of the folks who make UNMC vital.
- Bill Lydiatt, M.D. — Head and neck cancer surgeon. While treating a man for tongue cancer, he learned that the patient had recently published a book of poems. When the patient’s next appointment rolled around, Bill had gone out, bought the book and read it. The patient — Ted Kooser, who went on to become the U.S. poet laureate.
- Sue Daubman — Longtime oncology nurse for The Nebraska Medical Center. One of her former lymphoma patients once told me that he actually looked forward to his appointments because of Sue.
- Patty Mata — Receptionist in the chancellor’s office. Patty has never met a day she didn’t like. If you ever call the chancellor’s office and get Patty on the horn, you’ll see what I mean.
- John Benson, M.D. — Internist and health care reform guru. I attend a bi-weekly health care reform meeting with John. Watching him lead that meeting is like watching a maestro conduct an orchestra.
- Amy Lamer/Keith Swarts — Two anchors in business services. Got a job that needs to be done on campus? Call Amy or Keith. They’ll come through and they’ll do it with smiles.
- Scott Shurmur, M.D. — Interventional cardiologist. Scott has a memory like Google and his dad was an NFL coach. When it comes to cardiology or football, you can’t stump him.
So now it’s your turn. Tell us who at UNMC is vital to you.