June 9-10, UT Southwestern welcomed 108 employees into the Quarter Century Club, meaning they have achieved 25 years of UT System service. Another 77 colleagues who reached milestones of 30, 35, 40, 45, or 50 years of service also were honored at celebrations as part of the Employee Recognition Program that began in 1996. Among honorees featured in the video are 50-year faculty members Dwight German, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry, and Jerry Shay, Ph.D., Professor of Cell Biology. “I’ve enjoyed my time here and I feel very fortunate that I’ve had this opportunity,” says Dr. German, who is working to develop blood tests for autism spectrum disorder and Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Dr. Shay, who studies the link between aging and cancer, says he has stayed at UTSW so long “because I enjoy the whole process of science.” Making sure everything runs smoothly is how Vernetta Payton, a Senior Administrative Associate in the Department of Pathology’s Hematopathology Division, describes her role. “I think what I like best about my job is the opportunity to come and serve and feel like I’m making a difference,” Ms. Payton says. For Suzette Smith, Director in the Office of Student Life, “I think what really stands out in the 35 years is to be able to watch UT Southwestern grow,” she says. Learn more from other honorees in the video, including one who helped form the Southwestern Medical District and another who points to training the next generation of clinical researchers as among his greatest accomplishments.

Read: In celebration of service: UT Southwestern’s longtime employees mark milestone anniversaries

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Endowed Titles

Dr. Podolsky holds the Philip O’Bryan Montgomery, Jr., M.D. Distinguished Presidential Chair in Academic Administration, and the Charles Cameron Sprague Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Science.

Dr. Shay holds The Southland Financial Corporation Distinguished Chair in Geriatrics.