UTMB was recently awarded a Clean Air Champion Award for its contribution to voluntary reduction in mobile emissions from the Houston/Galveston Area Council (HGAC). UTMB received the award specifically for its Victory Lakes Park ‘n’ Ride service for both employees and patients of UTMB. The Victory Lakes bus service provides 6,686 rides per month or 80,232 per year, which equates to about 3,300 cars not traveling to UTMB each month. This award was instituted in 2009 by HGAC to recognize businesses, local governments and other organizations that have demonstrated their commitment to the community by voluntarily implementing measures to improve the region’s air quality.
Lynda Alexander, UTMB Facilities Information Manager, has received the ARCHIBUS National Award of Excellence for the 2011-2012 upgrade of the ARCHIBUS software from 14.3 to 19.3 and the subsequent integration of space survey software from a custom application into the ARCHIBUS Web Central application.
This award recognizes an individual whose facility management practices contribute to creating and managing productive work environments and supporting business objectives. It further acknowledges professionals who demonstrate consistent and outstanding facility management strategies resulting in improved quality of service, facility effectiveness, and contributions to the overall profitability of their organizations.
Lynda credits the winning of this award to a core team of people, including: Mike Burke and Maricela Rodriguez of Business Operations and Facilities and also Tina Gonzales, Diane McCormick, Frank Valiulis and David Breish, all of Information Services. As winner of this award, Alexander will become a member of the Platinum Circle of the ARCHIBUS Hall of Fame at a ceremony in San Francisco later this month.
UTMB Police Officer Ronnie Johnson was promoted to sergeant in February 2013. He is a graduate of the University of Texas System Basic Peace Officer Training Course, was commissioned as a university peace officer in June 2008 and was licensed as a Texas Police Instructor in June 2011. He holds an associate’s degree from Navarro College, a bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University and is currently studying for a master’s degree in Criminal Justice. Sergeant Johnson’s role in a narcotics investigation in May 2012 earned him two letters of commendation from the City of Galveston, including one from the Galveston Chief of Police. “Sergeant Johnson has excelled as a police officer and a narcotics officer, and he has set a high standard for other university officers to aspire to meet,” said UTMB Chief of Police Tom Engells in promoting Johnson to the rank of sergeant.
Janie Pietramale is a fixture in the waiting area outside the operating rooms at UTMB. Friends and family members are understandably worried as they wait for their loved ones to come out of surgery, but Pietramale helps allay that worry with conversation and kindness during the wait. Sometimes family members camp out in the waiting room for hours without going to the cafeteria or even the restroom for fear they’ll miss a doctor’s update. Pietramale jots down their cell phone numbers and offers to call should the doctor emerge, which allows family members to take a much-needed break. Petramale says she knows patients are receiving the best care possible, but that “family members need care, too.” One family member recently called Pietramale “a gem,” and said “she makes an uncomfortable situation comfortable, or as comfortable as can be.”
Todd Leach, UTMB interim chief information officer and assoiciate vice president, was recently elected by his peers to sderve a three-year term on the national steering committee for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Information Resources (GIR). GIR is one of 16 professional development groups in the AAMC. The GIR constituencies consist of medical school CIO’s, clinical CIO’s, library leadership, educational technologists, faculty with information technology interests and research IT professionals. The national steering committee manages the affairs of the group, oversees at least one spring meeting of the members, influences technology standards and policies by collaborating with other groups and governing bodies, and identifies a number of projects and issues of interest to the group for implementation. The GIR also sponsors an annual Leadership Institute that is widely recognized as a best in class resource for developing information technology leaders in academic medicine. Todd is also a fellow of the 2007 GIR Leadership Institute. Todd was elected to the GIR steering committee the year after he served as Program Committee Chair for the GIR’s annual meeting in Austin. The meeting in Austin had the highest attendance of any GIR annual meeting.