Dec. 1, 2007 — The Schneider Regional Medical Center, Charlotte Kimelman Cancer Institute and Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center honored outstanding health care providers Friday with the announcements of their employees of the year. Schneider also named its nurse, departmental director and physician of the year.
Each year, employees in all departments at the medical center are polled to determine the employees of the year.
Monique Francis was named the Schneider medical center employee of the year. She is the executive assistant to the vice president for nursing and patient care, a position she has held since 2003. Her career at the medical center began in 1994 as assistant coordinator of administrative services in the vice president’s office.
The Charlotte Kimelman Cancer Institute employee of the year is Yolanda Liburd, R.N. an oncology nurse who administers chemotherapy medications to cancer patients. "It is an honor to know that your fellow employees think enough of your hard work to vote you employee of the year," said Liburd, whose nursing career spans 24 years.
The staff of the Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center considered the efficiency of their accounting department when they voted Movel Vanterpool their employee of the year. Vanterpool is a billing specialist, who is very proud of her selection. "It takes a lot of work to coordinate all the information with every department," she said.
The Schneider nurse of the year is Mary Ayeni, R.N. After spending the early years of her nursing career in New York, Ayeni joined the SRMC Medical/Surgical Unit, where she enjoys taking care of those "who come from surgery to you on a stretcher, and reward you by leaving the hospital walking."
She said she wasn’t looking for any honor when she learned of her selection, that she was just doing her job.
The medical center’s laboratory has produced the director of the year. Gwendolyn Rojas has managed the facility since 2003. Her career began in 1980 at the Knud Hansen Hospital as a medical technologist. In the years since, Rojas has specialized in microbiology and blood banks. Her
"I know that I love what I do," she said, "and that I want to make a difference in our facility."
A specialist in interventional and vascular radiology, Dr. Jeffrey Guller was named a co-winner of physician of the year in a tie vote. Dr. Guller reflected on the technological advancements in his field since he started his practice nearly 20 years ago, noting that the way he spends his work day now has almost nothing to do with what he learned.
"It is beautiful to be able to treat common conditions with increasingly less invasive methods, which means less pain and less cost to patients, but equally effective treatments," he said. The Mount Sinai Medical School graduate said he is "honored to have been selected Physician of the Year, and just as honored to work with a skilled and dedicated medical and hospital staff."
Tied in the vote for physician of the year was emergency medicine specialist Dr. Clayton Wheatley. He said it's professionally rewarding to receive such accolades from colleagues.
"I was surprised and humbled that they felt that I’ve helped them in their jobs, since they are people I have looked up to all my life," he said. Wheatley is a native of St. Thomas whose medical training began at Tufts University. He was the first ER director at what was then St. Thomas Hospital.
After working at several mainland facilities, including Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami,Wheatley returned to St. Thomas in 2005. "It is a great source of satisfaction for me," he said, "to be treating the people that you’ve known all your life, and those who mentored you."
The Schneider Regional Medical Center employees of the year will be honored at the annual Christmas party on Dec. 15, 2007, at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort and Spa.
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