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Health System, Medical School and School of Nursing receive Workplace 2008 Awards

Each year, the Office of Human Resources takes nominations of staff members who have provided distinguished service, displayed exemplary teamwork or demonstrated outstanding leadership. A committee of peers selects the winners from among those nominated. HR announced the finalists and winners of the Workplace 2008: University of Michigan Staff Recognition Awards, which were presented by Laurita Thomas, associate vice president of Human Resources, at a luncheon in June. Health System, Medical School and School of Nursing staff were among those recognized.

“These awards celebrate our interdisciplinary nature as we find new connections and ideas through the diversity of staff,” Thomas says.

Twenty-six teams, 16 outstanding leaders and 29 distinguished service nominations were received throughout the entire U-M community. Below are the Health System, Medical School and School of Nursing awards.

2008 Distinguished Service Award Winner
Janet L. Miller, Human Genetics Dept., Medical School

Janet Miller

Janet Miller is an administrative assistant in the Department of Human Genetics and has been a mainstay in that unit for 22 years. Her outstanding people skills and rapport with the students contribute to the morale of the graduate program. She has an unfailing positive attitude, ability to get things done, collegiality with faculty, staff and students, and has outstanding problem-solving skills. One of the students states, “She seems to have the uncanny ability to track the academic progress of the students better than the students themselves do!”

Several supporting letters of nomination were received for Miller, and the same sentiments rang true throughout:  sensitive to the needs of underrepresented students; gracious; supportive; great insight into human nature; priceless; listening ear for troubled students; devoted; dedicated.

Miller has put a lot of effort into ensuring the success of students at U-M, and, with her positive attitude, consistently provides a role model to the students and faculty. 

2008 Outstanding Leadership Award Finalist
Margay G. Britton, Nursing Administration, UMHS

Margay Britton, MS, RN, CNA

Margay Britton is director of Nursing and leader of the Making Mott Safer Team. She has played a critical leadership role in implementing the philosophy of patient-family centered care in Mott Hospital. Britton has the ability to identify and convey visions, goals, options and strategies. Her intense desire to make Mott safer led her staff on a 4-year path of formulating plans and changes that truly had an impact on C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Women’s Hospital. When it did not seem that the infant protection system replacement project would get funded, she remained positive. Because she is so well respected in the institution, she was able to lead the team to success. She is willing to take creative risks and help her staff learn from their mistakes. She has a strength of leadership that is truly remarkable.

2008 Exemplary Team Award Finalist
Making Mott Safer Team

Margay Britton, Kimberly Barker, Ulku Kocabas, Cathy Erdly, Tom Jensen, Perry Spencer, Teresa Swarczinski, Grace Brand, Sue Kofflin, Katrina Hanosh, Lori Lathers, Paula Greene, Beth Johnson, Jan Bogart, Marc Danzig, Christine Belt

The Making Mott Safer Team

The Making Mott Safer Team is a cross-functional team from Nursing, Social Work, Maintenance, Facilities Planning and Development, Architecture and Engineering, Security Services, MCIT, Central Staff Resources, Mott Community Relations, and Public Relations and Marketing Communications. The team gelled quickly under the leadership of Margay Britton, and it had to because the task it was facing could only be dealt with successfully if the team attained true synergy. 

The focus of the team was to produce a more secure environment through a comprehensive security system. The hallmarks of this success were based on: overcoming an adverse situation, attentiveness to the multicultural nature of the community, sensitivity to co-workers and family obligations, willingness to assist others, and ability to elevate group goals. 

Creativity was the strength of the team and it was fostered by the collegial atmosphere at meetings. The team capped off a 4-year effort in November 2007 when the HUGS infant protection system became operational. The journey to reach that point required a great deal of effort, but the end result is a new, state-of-the-art infant protection system.

2008 Exemplary Team Winner
School of Nursing, Pelvic Floor Research Team

Margaret Tolbert, Lee M. Park, Caroline Garcia, Marni Arnett, Ruta Misiunas

The Pelvic Floor Research Team

This team has used creativity, communication and project management to perform at a high level. They are a self-managed team using an internal leadership style and constant process improvement to get it right. Culturally, they span a wide spectrum across religions, races, politics and education, what they like to eat, how they like to have fun, and who they know in life. This is not a homogenous group who intuitively know how to work together. Instead it is five individuals who have learned how to help one another through good times and difficult times, by getting to know each other’s personalities, culture and preferences. Where others see a problem (parking, anticipating the future of grant funding), this team strategizes, collects data, negotiaties and plans accordingly.

While each person on this team has unique and individualized expertise, they also work in concert to the degree that at times they seem almost interchangeable, yet they are not. Misiunas: dedicated, focused, keen understanding, invaluable resource. Tolbert: strong social skills, sensitivity, meticulous attention to detail. Park: analytical genius, sweet, patient. Garcia: helpful, editor extraordinaire, proficient. Arnett: brilliant accountant, patience, grace, confidence.

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