October 05, 2022

When did you join UTHealth Houston? What brought you here?
My husband and I moved to Houston at the end of 1991 and did so without me having a job. I worked temporary jobs for a while because I was trying to find something close to home but ultimately expanded my job search to include the Texas Medical Center since I had previously worked at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. I applied for positions here at UTHealth and began work in February 1992.

Tell me about your work history here.
I began working at UTHealth in February 1992 in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. I spent several years supporting three of the physicians and then eventually moved into working with the division director. While working in Pulmonary, the division director began his own company and eventually asked me to join as his full-time assistant; I left Pulmonary after working there for 7 years. I worked at the company for three years until the owner closed the business to move to the DC area to be near family. In 2002, thanks to connections at UT, I was able to find a job as the assistant to the associate dean for Information Technology Dr. Bill Weems. I continued to work in IT for 18 years until a restructuring of the department came along, and I was unfortunately laid off shortly before COVID hit. It took almost a year, but again, thanks to my connections, I was able to apply for and get a job in the Department of Surgery working as the senior executive assistant in the chairman’s office in January 2021.

What are you most proud of accomplishing?
Post-pandemic team morale. When I started in the Department of Surgery, we were still working remotely, so I had not had the chance to meet people in the department other than those in the chairman’s office. In August 2021, the department came back full-time. It was important for us to feel like a team again. I made it a point to say hi to people and let them know that the door is always open. I have been able to schedule events for the department staff that allows us to spend time together and get to know each other and just take a break from work, even if only for a few minutes.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
I really enjoy the variety of work that I do for the department where it seems like there is something new every day. The administrative staff throughout the department are amazing people. I also like the fact that I have been able to work with several of our division directors in Surgery due to staffing shortages. Now that Dr. Andrassy is no longer interim dean, I am looking forward to spending more time working directly with him and getting to know him better.

Why have you stayed?
UTHealth Houston is a great place to work because of the great benefits that we get from insurance to retirement. Vacation time, sick time, and our holiday schedule are an added bonus. UTHealth Houston offers a great work/life balance.

When you are not at work, how do you spend your time?
I love to cook! I love to bake! I love to read mysteries and political thrillers. I love to watch classic TV, but most of all I love to travel and am thankful that my husband loves to travel, too. We love to experience new cultures and going to places that we have only dreamed of going. Cruising is usually our go to when traveling because it is so relaxing. Cruising has taken us to some beautiful beaches and faraway places. Our last cruise took us to Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Estonia. Hawaii has become my new favorite destination not only because of its beauty but the people are very friendly. We have also been fortunate enough to travel to England, Wales, and France. In 2023, we will make our first trip to Spain. We still have a bucket list of places to go and hopefully we will be able to get to them all. Life is too short to be standing still.