Employees celebrating 30 years of service: E - I

Charlotte E. Ford

Charlotte Ford

Charlotte E. Ford's current job didn't exist when she started work at UT Southwestern. A few years later, health care professionals began to notice the toll of sleep apnea on patients. As a result, she became a Sleep Technologist, in addition to her original role as Respiratory Therapist. Working nights, naturally, Ms. Ford monitors the breathing of patients asleep in the University Hospital Sleep and Breathing Disorders Clinic. She gets some of her most rewarding feedback from patients after they have awakened. "I enjoy working here," she says, "and it's always great to have a patient wake up after a sleep treatment to tell me it was the best sleep they've had in years!" A passion for patient care has kept Ms. Ford at UTSW all these years - as have many of her fellow workers. She and her husband, Willie, have three children and two grandchildren.

Donald Gagne

Donald Gagne

When driving past William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, try to envision the amount of cabling required for it to run flawlessly. Infrastructure Manager Donald Gagne had a part, as a member of the team that designed, installed, and maintains the copper and fiber optics networks there. His team also oversees the electronic infrastructure for the entire campus. "That's my favorite project," Mr. Gagne says of Clements University Hospital. "It's an amazing hospital, and I believe that it's one of the most technologically advanced in the country. I'm proud to have been a part of its construction." Mr. Gagne says he's known around the office as a guy who likes to keep his co-workers loose, with jokes and stories. And here's an interesting juxtaposition to his work involving the hospital's technological insides: Mr. Gagne considers himself an outdoor guy who loves to hunt and fish. He and his wife, Jemae, his two sons, and his daughter are always on the go.

Sylynn Garza

Sylynn Garza

Sylynn Garza, who works in Clinical Lab Services at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, helps conduct more than 30 types of laboratory tests for patients - all with a personal touch. "I try to provide good quality results quickly," says Ms. Garza, a Medical Technologist, "because I imagine the patient to be one of my family members. We provide HIV, hepatitis, antinuclear antibody, glucose, creatinine, potassium, troponin-T, and thyroid-stimulating hormone tests." The Chemistry lab team, a tight group, does them all. "They're one of the reasons I've stayed here," she says. "It makes a difference when you can rely on your co-workers, people you can trust in and whose knowledge you can rely on." Ms. Garza and her husband, Joe, have two daughters: One is a student at the University of Arkansas, and the other is a junior in high school.

Linda Greer

Linda Greer

For Registered Nurse Linda Greer, the reason she has worked at UT Southwestern for so many years is simple: "I stayed because of the people I work with, and because of the job itself." And that job, in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, involves handling the sometimes-anxious phone calls from expectant parents. Since Ms. Greer's first job at UTSW was as a Nurse Practitioner in Ob/Gyn, there isn't much she hasn't seen in obstetrics care. That's good for soon-to-be moms and dads, who can get answers to their questions about what to expect. A mother herself, Ms. Greer and her husband of 31 years, Danny, have one daughter, Hannah. When not at work, she enjoys reading and needlework. Ms. Greer is also a self-described "Star Trek" fan. She hopes to be remembered at work as "someone who showed up consistently and did her job."

Felecia Hannah-Bishop

Felecia Hannah-Bishop

Felecia Hannah-Bishop has spent her entire career with UT Southwestern's Medical Services, Research Development Plan (MSRDP). She appreciates the stability of UTSW, she says, and "being a part of an institution that is known worldwide for its excellent patient care." First hired at UTSW as an Insurance Collection Trainee in 1986, Mrs. Hannah-Bishop is now a Billing Services Supervisor in Account Resolutions-MSRDP, where she supervises customer service staff who handle patient billing inquiries. Co-workers consider her kind-natured, a good listener who gathers facts before making a decision, and someone who resolves differences fairly. She also hopes to be known as reliable, respectful, and hardworking - since she loves helping people. Mrs. Hannah-Bishop says her greatest claim to fame is her family: She and her husband, Marcus, have been married 26 years and have two daughters, Hannah and Samantha. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, church activities, reading, and sporting events. Mrs. Hannah-Bishop's vision for UT Southwestern in the next 75 years is that it will remain among the top-rated in the medical field.

Ann Henderson

Ann Henderson

When asked why she's so proud to work at UT Southwestern after 30 years, it doesn't take Ann Henderson long to answer - "Great people, great nurses, great outcomes." Ms. Henderson's career began as a Nurse in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at Parkland Memorial Hospital in 1987; today, she works in the same type of unit at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital. "I still love what I do because no day is ever the same," she says. "Medicine is always changing - there are new situations and challenges, new equipment, and new opportunities to learn." As a Charge Nurse, she strives to lead a team on which everyone is respected and treated as an equal. Of unique work memories, there's one that she's quite famous for - fainting while teaching an Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support class to nurses. "The group called rapid response, but I told them it was just a test," Ms. Henderson says with a laugh. On her days off, she enjoys cooking and trying out new recipes. "It's something relaxing, and I enjoy making my family happy with new dishes." Her taste testers include her husband of 34 years, Austin, and their three children, Chelsea, Shane, and Katie - all of whom give her barbecue ribs a perfect score of 10.

Kathy Hill

Kathy Hill

As a Research Associate in the Charles and Jane Pak Center for Mineral Metabolism and Clinical Research, Kathy Hill is part of a team dedicated to the accurate and timely analysis of diagnostic and research samples. "There is a real sense of family among the team of people with whom I have the pleasure of working," Ms. Hill says. "Knowing that the work we are doing is helping real people in the treatment and prevention of kidney stones and osteoporosis is a bonus." Ms. Hill, who is married and has two daughters and a grandson, says she hopes to be known as someone who works hard, is a good teacher, and cares for others. As for her greatest claim to fame, it is the fact that she works for the Center's namesake: "I have been blessed to work for Dr. Charles Pak in the development of numerous treatments and therapies for individuals who have osteoporosis or kidney stones."