To advance in competition Mady has to successfully overcome increasingly difficult obstacles.
A leap and a cheer for Intermountain caregiver Mady Howard, RN, who’s been on the TV show “American Ninja Warrior” three times and made it to the finals twice, including this year.
Mady has been a top competitor on the show that draws millions of viewers who watch athletes take on increasingly difficult obstacles. Sometimes she’s recognized by those who have admired her grit and determination.
She now works in the St. George Regional Hospital Infusion Services but used to work in the ICU at the hospital, where she met one of those fans.
“I had one patient in the ICU and the first thing she said when she was brought up from the ED was, ‘Is the Ninja nurse here today? Could she be my nurse?’ It was so funny,” Mady says.
In her first season she made it past the qualifiers, the semi-finals, and to the finals in Las Vegas. Her second season she made it to the semi-finals. She skipped the next season because she was pregnant with her first child but in her third season she made it to the finals again. Each time she made it to the finals she was eventually derailed on a rollercoaster-type obstacle that seems to require almost as much luck as it does strength to be overcome.
To win the contest and become an official American Ninja Warrior, you have to make it through four stages in the finals and the last stage is a difficult timed rope climb. So far, in 14 seasons, only two people have made it all the way through all four stages and won the $1 million prize and only two female competitors have made it past the first stage in the finals, Mady says.
Contestants submit a three-minute video to be invited to compete, she says. Each year thousands of people apply to be on the show but only a few are selected for the contests. This news story that aired on the Community Education Channel includes a few seconds of Mady’s first video and footage of her training. You can’t train and practice on any specific course that will be on the show but there are Ninja Warrior gyms you can go to and train on obstacle courses modeled after those that have been featured on the show, she says. There’re two such gyms within 20 minutes of where Mady lives.
“A lot of it’s just building upper body strength and then doing the best you can, like practicing and preparing yourself so you can face whatever they throw in front of you,” she says. “It’s a really fun community. We have a coach who sets up obstacles and we try to get through the course. For me, it’s a really fun way to keep in shape and workout and to do it with a community of people who are there to support you.”
When their skills are tested in the televised competition, they get one shot at the new course and are eliminated from the competition if they don’t make it past all the obstacles. Her gym has a roller-coaster obstacle, but it hasn’t been the same as the obstacles she’s faced on the show.
“The timing is completely different, so it’s hard to get the timing,” she says.
She says they get to see the course the morning of the competition.
“And so, from the moment I see the course, I go through each obstacle in my head and how I want to feel, and which hand I’m going to start with, and I make a plan for each obstacle,” she says. “Then I just focus on doing the best I can. I focus on my breathing. I just feel as confident as I can, and I go for it.”
Mady, who was a gymnast at Southern Utah State University, offers two tips for making your own fitness journey successful:
- Find a community of people you can work with to hold you accountable doing something you love.
- Set little attainable goals you can achieve and keep pushing yourself.
Karyn Springer, MD, has named assistant dean for Intermountain Population Health Clinical Learning at the U of U.
Congrats to Karyn Springer, MD, a family medicine physician at the North Orem Clinic, has been named assistant dean for Intermountain Population Health Clinical Learning at University of Utah Health.
The appointment is part of Intermountain Healthcare’s joint focus on the Population Health initiative with University of Utah Health’s Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. In this position, Dr. Springer will connect medical students with physician mentors, and help the students gain meaningful clinical learning experiences. She will begin her appointment on October 1.
“I’m excited to participate actively in shaping the scholars’ experiences and enthusiasm around population health,” Dr. Springer says. “The program truly reflects the strong collaborative relationship between Intermountain and the University of Utah in training future physicians who will serve our communities by providing high-quality, team-based care. This is truly an innovative way to get ‘upstream’ in improving the health of our communities.”
In a letter announcing the appointment, Dr. Michael L. Good, dean of U of U’s School of Medicine, wrote that Dr. Springer’s “wisdom, vision, and collaborative energies have been exceptionally valuable to our medical education program.”
As assistant dean, Dr. Springer’s duties will include:
- Being a liaison with the School of Medicine’s leadership on planning and decision making for the Population Health Scholars Initiative.
- Facilitating educational experiences for students in Intermountain Healthcare facilities and provider groups.
- Maintaining avenues of communication between Intermountain Healthcare and the school’s leadership to allow for growth and enhancement of our relationship and the development of new initiatives.
“We’re proud to have Dr. Springer leading the first ever educational program focused on training the next generation of physicians in population health,” says Intermountain Healthcare Interim President and CEO Lydia Jumonville. “This is one of many steps Intermountain plans to make to help our system and our nation move toward helping keep people and the communities in which they live healthy.”
Dr. Springer holds multiple leadership positions for Intermountain, including serving on the Canyons Region Board; acting as board chair for Intermountain’s Utah Medical Group; and serving as the senior medical director of Graduate Medical Education Strategy.
Stephanie Drake was featured in a national trade publication, Tech Nation.
Congrats to Stephanie Drake, clinical engineering manager, who was recently featured in a national trade publication called Tech Nation.
The engineers Stephanie supervises do maintenance on medical equipment like defibrillators, anesthesia machines, and even thermometers. As LDS Hospital was responding to the pandemic, Stephanie led the efforts to expand the ICU, which included preparing an area across the hall for the move and getting it set up with the right equipment.
She says her boss Mike Powers, clinical engineering director, nominated her for the recognition.
“Out of 150 caregivers in engineering at Intermountain and thousands nationally, Stephanie was recognized by one of the top three magazines and periodicals in this space,” Mike says. “To be featured in Tech Nation is definitely a significant recognition.”
Mike Powers says Stephanie always takes that step from good to great.
Recognition on this scale is apparently not something Stephanie is used to experiencing.
“Most of the time clinical engineers like to stay under the radar and just do our own thing and take care of stuff,” she says. “It’s been cool to be recognized because I’ve done this for a long time. Now that people know a little bit more about me, it’s kind of a weird thing. It's really cool.”
Mike and Stephanie are veterans.
“Now that she’s left the service, she still continues to go above and beyond looking for opportunities to help, to give back, to contribute when people are a little downtrodden or overworked,” he says. “And no matter what I’ve tasked her with over the years, she’s always come through and accomplished it a little bit better than you would expect. There’s good and then there's great and she always tends to take that step from good to great. It doesn't matter the task, she’s always willing to help, even when there’re hard things to do. I appreciate her integrity. She always does the right things when no one is looking.”
Mike Clark earned the Distinguished Healthcare Executive Award.
Hooray for Mike Clark, president of Intermountain Healthcare's Canyon Region for the south market. The Utah Hospital Association recently presented him with the Distinguished Healthcare Executive Award.
“I am very humbled by this award,” he says. “I work every day with amazing people that come together to help our patients and our communities. I don’t think I am any more ‘distinguished’ in my role than anyone else that serves and works for bettering the lives of our patients. I appreciate the UHA recognizing me for my service, but it was all done surrounded by great teams.”
Mike oversees the operations of eight acute care facilities in Utah County and surrounding Central Utah communities. Mike also serves as the executive lead for Intermountain Surgery Centers. Mike was recognized for his strong leadership skills in a variety of healthcare settings.
Viet Le, left, takes a picture of Kismet Rasmussen, Stacie Brooks, and Charmain Nemelka.
Many thanks to the 30 Intermountain caregivers who came together to support the American Heart Association - Utah Division's recent Heart & Stroke Walk at Sugarhouse Park in Salt Lake City. The event raises awareness of heart disease and stroke to encourage more people to live the healthiest life possible. All participants sported a t-shirt designed by Stacie Brooks, RN, from Intermountain’s Heart Failure & Transplant Program. Hilary Frisby in Marketing and Communications helped Stacie finalize the design.
“I’m grateful for opportunities like this walk to highlight heart disease and stroke prevention,” says Kaley Graham, RN, cardiovascular area operations director for the Salt Lake Valley. “Through our combined mission with the neuro and heart programs at Intermountain Healthcare, we continue to partner together to spread awareness.”
“In our healthcare system, we work very hard in providing the best care possible of many hearts and brains,” says Heidi Hafen, RN, stroke program coordinator at Intermountain Medical Center. “It’s wonderful to see so many caregivers and survivors come together to support heart and brain health.”