On May 15, employees from across Columbia University Irving Medical Center gathered to celebrate colleagues for the Luminary Employees Recognition event. Organized by the CUIMC Women Employee Resource Group, what began as a "Spotlight Your Colleagues Campaign" to recognize colleagues for their contributions to education, leadership, and mentorship culminated in the CUIMC Luminary Employee Recognition Award. The event was a celebration of the recipients and featured a panel discussion with awardees whose expertise include clinical, research, education, strategy, and operations.
Lina Maria Alfonso, assistant director of process operations in the Department of Medicine, and Jennifer S. Mizhquiri Barbecho, project manager in the Department of Medicine, are the staff leaders of the CUIMC Women ERG and were the lead organizers for the overall initiative. The Spotlight Your Colleagues campaign collected 161 complete nominations, which resulted in 118 employees and one team being recognized as recipients of this award. Awardees spanned four CUIMC sites and 43 different departments, and notably, 22 colleagues were nominated more than once by different individuals. See all the nominees.
Approximately 125 employees attended the event, either as nominees or to support their colleagues. The high level of participation in the campaign and the event showed the community's resilience during a challenging moment for the medical center, according to Clara Lapiner, the executive sponsor for the CUIMC Women ERG and assistant vice president, faculty professional development and engagement.
"We wanted to recognize what makes working at CUIMC truly exceptional-our colleagues," said Lapiner at the event. "This past year has brought real challenges to our community, but in the most difficult times, what we hear again and again from our faculty and staff is that it's the people who make up our community that keep us going. That spirit of connection, support, and mutual appreciation was beautifully reflected in the huge response to this campaign."
The event featured a panel discussion with four of the nominees: Sandi Bernal Garcia, associate dean for student affairs and dean of students at Mailman School of Public Health; Subani Chandra, vice chair for education in the Department of Medicine at VP&S; Hila Milo Rasouly, associate director of education in the Center for Precision Medicine and Genomics; and Dina C. Pruitt, director of faculty advancement and doctoral relations at Mailman School of Public Health. The panel discussion, which centered on the themes of leadership, mentorship, and education, was moderated by Alfonso and Barbecho.
From left: Jennifer S. Mizhquiri Barbecho, Sandi Bernal Garcia, Subani Chandra, Hila Milo Rasouly, Dina C. Pruitt, and Lina Maria Alfonso
"When you're young and you hear the word 'leadership,' you think titles, you think rank, you think about being the loudest person in the room," Garcia said. "It's none of those things. Leadership is inspiring your team, being clear about goals, staying positive, and earning respect. And you do that through consistency and through setting realistic expectations."
Danielle Herb, an administrative coordinator in the Division of Nephrology in the Department of Medicine who attended as a nominee, felt that the event highlighted the importance of community.
"Receiving this nomination lets me know that the work that I'm doing here does have an impact and is making a difference," Herb said. "Our equity here is our people. I work on the administrative side of health care, and as administrators we sometimes think we aren't seen. But we are. We really are the community that we choose."
