The Gill Awards

Shorus Minella, RD, LD, Patient Education Coordinator/Dietician

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Shorus was nominated by Hilary Brown, UK Public Relations.
Here is what Hilary had to say about Shorus:

“Over the holidays, we received numerous interview requests from the media about how to maintain healthy habits, and Shorus made time for every one of them. She also authored a blog post for our community partners on how build healthy habits in the new year. She makes complex topics accessible and understandable to the public and is so personable and friendly – our media friends say she’s a dream to interview! We’re lucky to have someone as knowledgeable and caring as Shorus at Gill, and I know her patients must love her too.”

Sharece McGhee, Medical Assistant/Ambulatory/UKHC

Sharece was nominated by Cayla Hardesty.

“Sharece went the extra mile for one of our post-heart transplant patients who has been hospitalized for over two months. The patient's mother reached out wanting to know if we could find someone to braid his hair and Sharece kindly volunteered to do it for him. She came in after hours to braid his hair after she had worked all day and took great care of him! We appreciate her so much for helping our patient and the patient was over the moon about it as well. Thank you Sharece for your kindness and compassion!”

Paula Fox, Practice Manager for the Gill Ambulatory Clinic

Congratulations to Paula Fox, Practice Manager for the Gill Ambulatory Clinic at Pav A! Paula is the recipient of the Second Quarter Gill Recognition Award!

Paula was nominated by Cassandra Phillips: 

"Paula was instrumental in coordinating a renovation project for our newly updated Clinic Lobby. She has been very organized and focused on making sure this project was a success. She brings professional attributes to the Gill Clinic and genuinely cares about delivering excellent work. She strives to integrate both an understanding of the big picture strategy and goals for the Gill Clinic. Paula collaborated with the project committee, myself and spending countless hours and found creative ways to support this vision. Our lobby renovation has been a big hit with our patients and we are still receiving rave reviews by all patients, visitors and staff. Paula's active work has enable her to understand and complete the clinic's implicit needs and initiated ideas to support the Gill and Vascular Institute.

I highly recommend Paula for the Gill Award, she is motivated and positively engaged."

Krista Lewis, RN, Advanced Heart Failure Coordinator

“Krista is a daily smile for both her patients and the entire staff and providers. She is dedicated to the care of her patients. We are all better because of her efforts. This is a very deserving award.” - Dr. Vincent Sorrell

"Very well deserved! Krista is amazing and always goes above and beyond!" - Dr. Emma Birks

“Krista is the most patient-centered, kind, and selfless person I have had the pleasure and privilege of knowing throughout my time at UK. She has always gone the extra mile to ensure our patients are well taken care of during their hospital stay and once they leave. It has been my absolute joy to have had the opportunity to work with her during my time here. This honor is well deserved!!” - Dr. Paul Anaya

“I would like to thank her for all the time she has gone well out of her way to make the patients feel comfortable in the clinic. Just yesterday she grabbed a blanket as the patient was feeling chilly in the clinic.” - Dr. Gaurang Vaidya

“It is a hard earned and well deserved recognition!” - Dr. Andrew Kolodziej

“Krista truly cares about her patients. At the end of every day, her primary goal is to make sure her patients have whatever it is they need. We’re lucky to have her as part of our team, and her patients are lucky to have her on their team.” - Julia Jones Akhtarekhavari, BSN, RN, Heart Failure Operations Director

Dr. Paul Anaya, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine

Congratulations to Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine Dr. Paul Anaya  (photo right) for receiving the June 2022 Gill Recognition Award! Dr. Sorrell, the acting chief of cardiovascular medicine, nominated Dr. Anaya. 

Dr. Sorrell's nomination of Dr. Anaya reads: 

"Dr. Anaya stepped up and assigned himself to the Moonlighting Overnight Schedule during the 2022 Fellowship Graduation Party so all the fellows could attend graduation. This is going the extra mile to help colleagues."

Casey Caton, Gill Cardiopulmonary Technician

Congratulations to Gill Cardiopulmonary Technician Casey Caton (photo left) for receiving the May 2022 Gill Recognition Award! Casey was recognized by Megan Payne (photo right), non-invasive cardiology ops supervisor, and Tami Neal (not pictured), cardiovascular noninvasive operations director, for his outstanding work.

Here is what Megan and Tami (respectively) had to say about Casey: 

"Casey was instrumental in coordinating the replacement of the EKG fleet. Casey tracked every EKG machine enterprise wide, so we knew how many to order. He coordinated with the GE rep and several from the UK organization to receive the new machines, set them up, and get them distributed to their new areas. Without Casey this task would have been daunting and taken significantly more time, and been much less organized."

"The University ordered a complete fleet replacement of the EKG carts.  Casey took ownership of the project and communicated with GE, Clinical Engineering, Management, and the departments to assist with the organization and completion of this project.  His leadership and organization of the project helped make the transition from the old carts to the new carts a seamless process."

Rebecca Craft, Cardiovascular Services Outreach Operations Director

Congratulations to Cardiovascular Services Outreach Operations Director Rebecca Craft (photo right) for receiving the 2022 Gill Recognition Award! Rebecca was recognized by Vincent Sorrell (photo left),Acting Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine, for her outstanding work.

Here is what Dr. Sorrell  had to say about Rebecca: 

"Rebecca has been committed to the growth and success of the GHVI since its infancy. Her dedication is recognized across the state where she is seen as the go-to person for all UK questions and proposed relationships or patient needs. It is refreshing to have someone develop their skills so extensively by staying involved in the same mission for so many years."

Dr. Stumpf, Assistant Professor of Physiology

Congratulations to Assistant Professor of Physiology Dr. Stumpf (left) for receiving the March 2022 Gill Recognition Award! Brian Delisle (right), professor of physiology, nominated Beth.

Brian’s nomination of Beth reads: "Dr. Stumpf is always going the extra mile to help colleagues and advance her research. Like many of us, she works beyond the traditional 5-day workweek and typically comes in weekends to make sure experiments are running smoothly. She co-mentors several trainees and is always listening and encouraging others in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Physiology. Dr. Stumpf continually challenges herself by leading research projects in multiple disciplines. She works in the area of circadian rhythms, cardiovascular physiology and muscle physiology. She has published 5 articles in each of these disciplines this past summer (2021) alone. Dr. Stumpf is always working to generate new knowledge with her research- whether it is investigating molecular mechanisms for cardiac excitability or the role that enzymes in muscle have on muscle strength/weakness. Two of her original research papers, published this past month, in Journal of Applied Physiology were recognized by the editorial boards APSselect- which recognizes the top articles published in all ten American Physiological Journals! This is an outstanding accomplishment. As a research Assistant Professor, Dr. Stumpf does not always get the recognition she deserves. Her work has continually been the basis for extramurally funded research projects from the National Institutes of Health; she is happy to train and work with trainees to learn new techniques; and she is always the first to volunteer to try something new. She is an amazing colleague deserving of recognition for her collegiality, effort, scholarship, and innovative research."

Megan Petit, Gill Medical Assistant

Congratulations to Gill Medical Assistant, Megan Petit, (right) for receiving the February 2022 Gill Recognition Award! Dee Abrams (left), an advanced practice provider in Gill Heart & Vascular Institute, nominated Megan.

Dee's nomination of Megan reads: "Megan exemplifies the role of CST within our department. She manages several clinics simultaneously, always gives her providers impeccable support and forms bonds with patients that improves the quality of care we provide. She is the first to offer to assist anyone and the last person to give up. In my opinion, she is what UK Providers should strive to emulate."

Ashley West, Gill Patient Services Coordinator

Congratulations to Gill Patient Services Coordinator Ashley West for receiving the January 2022 Gill Recognition Award! Dana Moore, a clinical nurse at Gill, nominated Ashley.

Dana's nomination of Ashley reads: "There is not a day that goes by that we do not have to call on Ashley to work her magic. Ashley always answers the phone with a cheerful voice, she always is willing to help us trouble shoot our problem but most important and the thing I love the most is she ALWAYS puts the patient first. Ashley helps us get our patients scheduled for follow-ups in a quick and timely manner, Ashley always makes sure we have everything correct. Ashley even one day directed me on how to complete a clinic chart for a patient we were seeing in the Cath Lab (AGAIN KEEPING and PUTTING the patient as the focus). We are so lucky to have Ashley looking out and caring for our patients."

Bryana Levitan, Cardiac Sonographer 

Congratulations to cardiac sonographer Bryana Levitan (left) for receiving the December 2021 Gill Recognition Award. Bryana was nominated by Jonathan Satin, PhD (right). 

Dr. Satin's nomination of Bryana reads: "Bryana Levitan is a key contributor to research and in the clinic. Bryana exemplifies much sought-after clinician-investigators that bridge clinical practice and fundamental research. In the laboratory, Bryana is the leading expert in cardiac ultrasound. She also works with trainees and participates in multiple aspects of research projects. Many laboratories in or affiliated with the Saha Cardiovascular Research Center turn to Bryana for expertise for cardiovascular imaging of animal research subjects. In addition to her work in the clinic, and with multiple basic science labs, Bryana volunteers on the physiology department equipment use committee."

Vedant Gupta, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine

Congratulations to Vedant Gupta, MD, (left) assistant professor of medicine, for receiving the October 2021 Gill Recognition Award. Dr. Gupta was nominated by Steve Leung, MD (right).

Dr. Leung's nomination of Dr. Gupta reads: "Dr. Gupta has been instrumental over the past few years in the division from clinical care to education. He has frequently stepped up to cover colleagues despite his already busy schedule and see extra patients in clinic even though they are not scheduled to be in clinic. He has developed the new post-CCU clinic and transitions of care clinic for patients who were recently hospitalized, to ensure that they have quick follow-up, minimize their likelihood of needing readmission, and ease the transition back to their outpatient care providers. He developed and worked with many other departments to implement the optimal care pathway regarding the use of high-sensitivity troponin, which reduced patients' length of stay in the emergency department. Despite these works, he has been a mentor to many fellows and their research projects, which has resulted in many national abstracts and publications."

Steve W. Leung, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine

Congratulations to Steve W. Leung, MD, (right) associate professor of medicine, for receiving the September 2021 Gill Recognition Award. Dr. Leung was nominated by Dr. Vincent L. Sorrell, MD (left). 

Dr. Leung was recognized by Dr. Sorrell for his outstanding work and going above and beyond (the extra mile) during EPIC installment and the continued transition.

Monica Peterman, Administrative Coordinator

Congratulations to Monica Peterman (right), administrative coordinator for the Gill Affiliate Network, for receiving the August 2021 Gill Recognition Award. Peterman was recognized by Rebecca Craft, MS, MBA (left), director of cardiovascular outreach operations.

Here is what Rebecca had to say: "Since Monica started working at Gill in a full-time capacity last November, she has been an invaluable addition to the Gill Affiliate Network team. She has developed countless processes and procedures to streamline, organize, and improve the network's myriad initiatives and is always willing to perform any job or task with a can-do attitude. She has single-handedly taken on several significant projects, including managing nearly all aspects of The Pulse, the affiliate network's bimonthly webinar series. This entails completing all accreditation requirements, coordinating speaker logistics, developing the invitation, and managing the attendee list. In addition, Monica spearheaded the use of Mailchimp to improve communication among the affiliate network's 20 hospitals. This required collaboration with marketing to train on the software and development of the standard format for communication distributed across the network. In addition, Monica manages the backend operations of the affiliate network. This involves tracking projects for each hospital, managing the affiliate network distribution list (nearly 600 individuals), and organizing and maintaining the current list of over 100 initiatives and requests from affiliate sites. Monica analyzes situations, foresees issues and problems, and develops solutions. She is an outstanding addition to the Gill Affiliate Network team, and I am thrilled to nominate her for this award."

Jacob Stone, Exercise Physiologist Supervisor

Congratulations to Jacob Stone, exercise physiologist supervisor for UK HealthCare's diagnostic heart services, for receiving the June 2021 Gill Recognition Award. Stone was nominated by the entire cardiac rehabilitation staff.

"Jacob is a wonderful leader, always going the extra mile to improve patient care by innovative approaches and constantly thinking about the improvement of current procedures. In the past year, Jacob has been able to adapt to the pandemic constraints while maintaining high-quality care for cardiac rehab patients. Cardiac rehab closed its doors for only eight weeks due to COVID-19, while many programs across the state remained closed for well into the summer months, very much in part to Jacob's efforts.

During the closure, Jacob initiated home exercise plans for current patients at the time of closure and continued communication about reopening. He created a reopening plan, and the national cardiac rehab organization released very similar information weeks later. He was ahead of the curve. During this time, he explored and was able to initiate and implement a hybrid home-based cardiac rehab program to serve those patients who were affected by their local cardiac rehab facility closures who otherwise would not have been able to receive cardiac rehab services.

In addition to these accomplishments, he is well on his way to approval of a cardiac rehab facility expansion adding much-needed additional space for equipment and expanded dietary educational opportunities. He has also been an integral part of designing a cardiac rehab-specific workflow in EPIC that is tailored to our facility. Jacob continually provides outreach education about cardiac rehab to incoming residents and fellows and recently provided education to Cardinal Hill providers as well. He has participated in many community service events about hands-only CPR, including teaching the UK football team this lifesaving skill. Not only is Jacob the supervisor of cardiac rehab with all the manager duties, but he also provides patient care on a daily basis. His dedication and passion for the cardiac rehab program here at UK has been unwavering, and we, his staff, are so fortunate and blessed to have him as our fearless boss. We believe he is most deserving of this recognition."

Ken Campbell, PhD, Professor of Physiology

Congratulations to Ken Campbell, PhD, professor of physiology, for receiving the May 2021 Gill Recognition Award. Ken was nominated by Mindy Thompson, MBA, research program manager in physiology.

"Dr. Campbell meets most, if not all, of the criteria for this award. A few years after his arrival at the University of Kentucky, Dr. Campbell developed an innovative approach with one of the cardiologists to start a cardiac biobank using limited resources available to his lab. Dr. Campbell serves as the director of graduate studies and teaches several courses including MD826. He takes pride in making course material exciting, easily accessible, and comprehendible. While most professors might dread receiving class reviews at the end of the semester, Dr. Campbell welcomes the opportunity for improvement. He frequently seeks ways to improve both professionally and personally. Dr. Campbell has an inspiring personality that allows him to encourage others and has allowed him to build an unbelievable internal and external network. The support he offers his colleagues and mentees is unsurpassed. This, I was able to witness when he had a lab reunion on Zoom. Several of his previous students or postdocs joined a Zoom reunion to catch up. All five of them had nothing but positive things to say about Dr. Campbell, but most importantly, the work culture they described is the same, if not better, today. A positive work culture can be challenging to create let alone maintain, and improve, over the course of 17 years which speaks volumes to his character and leadership!"

Cardiac Cath Lab

Congratulations to the Cardiac Cath Lab for being recognized by a patient and receiving the April 2021 Gill Recognition Award!

A patient wrote a note on her patient survey to compliment the staff who provided care during her visit. "I have dealt with a lot of medical staff in the past, but they really outdid themselves in the Cath Lab. I can not say enough about Cory. He was so genuine and nice and easy to ask any questions to. Steve, Clarissa, and Faith were awesome in the procedure room as well. I also saw Pita for my echo and she was super gentle, which I needed after my procedure." She asks for the manager to review and recognize the staff for their great work.

She'Ahna Leach

She'Ahna Leach (left) was nominated by Shawynie Washington (right) for the March 2021 Gill Recognition Award.

"She'Ahna seeks out to improve processes for the better of patients and her colleagues. She sees situations before they happen. She'Ahna jumps in to help when needed and before she is asked. A very well-rounded employee and team player. Always looks to improve a patient's experience."