Leland Fudge, RN, presented the award to Susie Fink
Applause to Susie Mink, clinical operations manager for Hospice in Utah County and the Wasatch back for Homecare, who received the Patriotic Employer Award from the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The award honors employers for having a supportive work environment for service members in the United States Armed Forces Guard and Reserve. Susie was nominated for the award by Leland Fudge, RN, who’s currently deployed full-time by the National Guard. Leland was able to get leave during his current deployment to present the award to Susie.
“I started working for Susie as a hospice nurse in January 2019 right out of nursing school,” he says. “She’s been a wonderful mentor and a significant source of emotional and moral support throughout my two and a half years with Intermountain. Susie goes above and beyond for all of her employees and demonstrates this dedication to an even greater degree when it comes to supporting our military. She’s been very quick to accommodate my National Guard service, which includes duties as a brigade headquarters company commander where I’ve had large demands and responsibilities to take care of—many of which come with little advanced notice.”
“Working with Leland has been great for our team,” says Susie. “He is our soldier. We support the ask no matter how long he needs to be gone serving his country. He always returns ready to continue serving hospice patients. It’s not uncommon to receive feedback on how kind, patient, and competent he is as he assistances many through their end-of-life process.”
Leland says he appreciates that Intermountain gives him the ability to attend annual military trainings for a few weeks each year, along with additional training in a Military Police Captains Career Course. He adds, “When Intermountain came out with a new policy to continue pay and benefits for two weeks of military training each year, Susie was quick to make sure I was aware of the benefit and that I applied for it. Thank you so much.”
Andrew Pavia, MD
Congratulations to Andrew Pavia, MD, chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at University of Utah Health and director of hospital epidemiology at Primary Children’s Hospital, who was voted “Utahn of the Year” in Salt Lake Tribune’s 2021 online reader poll. The Tribune’s leadership has annually chosen a Utahn of the Year every year since 1997, but first it lets Tribune readers give their say, and Dr. Pavia led the way with the most votes.
“Dr. Pavia has been a leader in sharing accurate information about children’s health and infectious disease since well before COVID-19 pandemic, and his communications during the pandemic have been invaluable,” says Katy Welkie, CEO of Primary Children’s Hospital and vice president of Intermountain Children’s Health. “By clearly and honestly communicating complex information about the pandemic, Dr. Pavia has helped keep families safe and informed locally and nationally. We appreciate his response and contribution to our communities, and we’re thrilled to see Tribune readers acknowledge his excellent work.”
“Throughout the pandemic, Dr. Pavia has gained a much-appreciated reputation among Utah parents for providing them with the medical information they need to know to best protect their families, friends, and their communities,” adds Gephardt Daily, a Utah news outlet.
Dr. Pavia is known worldwide as an expert in vaccine-preventable illness and public health and has spent a lifetime engaged in the frontline battles against emerging infectious diseases, especially those impacting children.
Jeff Harrison, MD
A shout-out to Jeff Harrison, MD, and Mike Noyes, MD, who are supporting US teams at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, which will be held February 4-20.
Dr. Harrison, an orthopedic surgeon at Intermountain McKay-Dee Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, will be the head team physician for the U.S. Women’s Alpine Ski Team. Dr. Noyes, an emergency medicine physician at Alta View Hospital, will be supporting the US Speedskating Team.
Dr. Harrison is not a stranger to the Olympics, having served in the same position during the 2018 Olympic games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. However, he says this year will be very different due to COVID-19 and the strict protocols in place
“It’s going to be a unique experience,” says Dr. Harrison, who says he’ll only be allowed to go to the U.S. Women’s Alpine Ski Team events. “We’re not able to go anywhere ‘outside of our bubble,’ which includes dinners and our lodging.”
Dr. Harrison says he’s looking forward to spending time with the team, including seeing the performance of Mikaela Shiffrin. “She’s the big star on the entire team of men and women with best chance of getting a U.S. Alpine Ski Team Olympic medal. She’s the best alpine skier ever.”
Dr. Harrison has been a member of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association physician pool since 1998, and has provided medical care to world-class athletes for years. He's lent his medical expertise to numerous world championship tournaments and served as the venue medical officer at Snowbasin Resort during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah.