"Eva Gilliam is a so helpful an on to of everything, I can count on her and I appreciate her so much." - Jennifer Lancaster

"When the Office of Research had to quickly change plans on one of Dr. Jones studies that just activated to prevent an interruption of enrollments, Taylor Brinkley, Anastasia Smith, Regan Gaskin and Tori Caudill were supportive of the change and promptly began trainings with the sponsor. Thanks to all of you!!" - Donna Dixon

"Michel Thomas is a great member of the team! He has updated the monthly provider reports to be interactive and has been adding new metrics and visuals as requested. It is a pleasure to work with Michel!" - Kirsten Yelvington

"As always, Danny Lee has been thoroughly transitioning the personnel of a study from adult coordinators to pediatric coordinators to make sure all work is shifted and new personnel trained appropriately. He is such a hard worker and a delight to work with! Thank you Danny for your work and commitment to Neurosurgery!" - Donna Dixon

"Sarah Weinacker's secret cornhole skills came in handy when she traveled to Mobile to participate in a tournament benefiting brain cancer research. She does a wonderful job cultivating relationships with department supporters!" - Savanah Kirchner

"I want to thank Tricia for starting chair yoga in the office. It's a nice way to relax and take a moment together during a busy week. It is a very positive addition to our work life." - Jennifer Lancaster

"Shout out to Lauryn Sheffield for her one-year anniversary in Neurosurgery. She is fast, efficient and a joy to work with. I can't say enough good things about her. She did a spectacular job with her work on the NeuroGateway Symposium for Dr. Bentley and will do an even better job next year. I can speak for all of the support staff when I say we are so happy to have you." - Eva Gilliam

"Thanks to Ashley Setters for coordinating the RSVPs for the lunch and learn." - Jennifer Lancaster

"Thanks to Brandy Nix and Jennifer Clements for handling the lunch and learn on April 30! I greatly appreciate it." - Jennifer Lancaster

"Tricia Daniel did a fantastic job hosting an Administrative Professionals Lunch! She coordinated a great setup, food, and even games!" - McKenna Killets

"Tricia Daniel has introduced us to weekly chair yoga in our LHFOT conference room at lunchtime, and it has been amazing. I haven't done yoga in years and this is a great stretching/breathing relaxation activity that has encouraged me to get started back into yoga at home. I look forward to her sessions and try to encourage others to join us to see how fantastic you feel afterwards. Great inclusive group activity promoting health and well-being!" - Jennifer Clements

"Michelle Allgood's helpful and can-do attitude showed up in spades on a chaotic Monday morning when we were short on front desk staff. Her dedication to this clinic saved us that morning." - Tristan Blicker

"August Calhoun's quick thinking and dedication to the clinic saved us from a chaotic Monday morning where we were short on front desk staff. She was an integral part in rescuing the day." - Tristan Blicker

"Kim Howell happily helped in a pinch one Monday morning when we were short of front desk staff in the clinic. Her quick thinking and dedication to this clinic saved what was a chaotic Monday morning." - Tristan Blicker

"We all appreciate McKenna Killets's dedication to move our lab operations forward. We recently needed urgently a resupply order for a custom chemical from Otava Chemicals to treat our mice. The mice had already arrived at UAB and we needed to treat them ASAP. Otava has an office in Canada, but is a Ukrainian company based in Kiev, so we were nervous that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine might interfere with the order. In the meantime, their address in Canada had also changed so there were some impediments to update that in the iSupplier purchasing system. Mckenna kept on top of it and coordinated with the company to get the order placed expeditiously and we have now received the drug. Very much appreciated!" - Dr. Erwin Van Meir

"Eva Gilliam is so diligent and helpful. I just opened something to do it and it's already done and I am so grateful that she thought ahead on that project. She has such a good work ethic and I enjoy being around her." - Jennifer Lancaster

"It is wonderful having Dr. Elizabeth McRae as part of our team. Our patients love her and she is doing amazing work. We are able to get patients seen and have testing done in weeks rather than months out." - Nadine Bradley

"The Pediatric Neurosurgery Admin Team is the best! Amy Finch, Beth Dowdy and Molly Ercums represent every good thing about our division. They are knowledgeable, helpful and generous with their time. They are even contacted by other departments at Children's for their understanding and experience. I am so grateful to have such AWESOME people on our team!!!" - Dianna Hall

"Ashley Setters and Brandy Nix have answered the call to join the DEIB committee! Thanks so much!" - Jennifer Lancaster

"Kudos to Drs. Jeffrey Blount, Curtis Rozzelle, Jim Johnston, and Brandon Rocque, and admins Robbie Burrell, Kirsten Yelvington & Dianna Hall for working through the comp plan design for the division over the last few months. We are close to the finish line." - Donna Bailer

"Tracy Taylor is always a joy to work with because of her willingness to help me by doing things that are not in her job description. She always works hard and plenty of long hours with a smile on her face." - Martee Posey Dawson

"Kudos to Dr. Jake Godzik for his efforts this month on 1) development @ the Neurosurgery Leadership Council ("NLC") meeting, 2) communications & marketing, 3) specialty programs project, and 4) the APP and clinical optimization efforts. Thank you!" - Donna Bailer

"There are so many great things to say about Eva Gilliam. She is a true "Jill of all Trades." She always has my back and I trust her to have my back. I know she will do the job like I would do the job, which is correctly. She is always offering to help me out with things she thinks I don't feel confident in doing and I really appreciate her for that." Martee Posey Dawson

"Many thanks to Jennifer Clements, Eva Gilliam, and Jennifer Lancaster for all their help in planning Anna Munger's baby shower!" - Brandy Nix

"Jennifer Clements is quick at completing requests and providing helpful insight for shipping labs." - Danny Lee

A special thank you to Mary Beth Washington, Anna Munger, and Donna Dixon for holding down the department financial operations after Tammy's retirement. Teamwork at its best! - Donna Bailer

Kudos to Eva Gilliam for her continued drive. She tackles a high volume of work every day and treats it like a challenge she's eager to face. - Donna Bailer

Kudos to Cassandra DeGraffenried for her steadiness and professionalism during the constant whirlwind of UAB and HSF HR complexities. She's an asset to our department for sure. - Donna Bailer

Dianna Hall is always looking for ways to improve our office. Our work flow has improved so much since she took over the office manger job. She has also come up with new ways to better manage our appointment reminders and call to our patients. She listens to the nurses and other staff and helps us come up with the best plan possible. - Nadine Bradley

Molly Ercums has been an amazing addition to our pediatric team at Childrens. She is willing to help in way possible. This morning she was able to resolve a scheduling issue that we have been having for months even though our IT team could not. We appreciate you so much Molly. - Nadine Bradley

Robbie Burrell has been a great addition to our team and is a pleasure to work with. - Jennifer Lancaster

Mary Beth Washington has so much on her plate right now and always helps and gets things done. - Jennifer Lancaster

Amy Finch is my rock in Pediatric Neurosurgery! She provides so much support and is always kind in her responses! - Dianna Hall

Marissa Keppley is a joy to work with and is helpful and kind. Serving on the 10 year committee with her was an honor. - Jennifer Lancaster

Martee Posey Dawson is so helpful and does a great job of sharing resources to support the team. Thanks Martee! - McKenna Killets

Eva Gilliam, Lauryn Sheffield, Robbie Burrell and Jennifer Clements were hugely helpful in submitting two recent proposals to the Board of Trustees and NIH -- they deserve the credit for their proactive help and organization! - Dr. Nicole Bentley

Tricia Daniel did such a good job coordinating holiday gifts for the department. Thank you for bringing holiday cheer to the office! - McKenna Killets

Shoutout to Jennifer Lancaster for hosting a fun holiday party! She brings a ray of light to this office! - McKenna Killets

Brandy Nix was extremely helpful and very quick to response in our submission of SBIR for Drs. Rocque and Rhaeos. This was my first time submitting SBIR and it was a smooth and stressless process thanks to Brandy! - Anastasia Smith

Danny Lee did a terrific job as usual with some IRB amendments recently. - Dr. Matt Nelson

Kudos to Marissa Keppley for being a professional and successful responsibility juggler. She balances leadership roles in two departments all while continuing to be a supportive and encouraging supervisor. I am grateful to be on her team! - Savanah Kirchner

Lauryn Sheffield is such a joy to work with. She has the sweetest can-do attitude and makes projects and tasks fun to do alongside. - McKenna Killets

Tori Caudill, Taylor Brinkley and Regan Gaskin have started this new year with such positivity, enthusiasm and efficiency! Thank you all for being invested in a success of our research program! - Anastasia Smith

Dianna Hall has been a true team player holding down the fort during holidays weeks! She has also been amazing at helping set up everything at COA for Dr. McRae, our new faculty addition! - Anastasia Smith

Jennifer Clements has done a terrific job in her role as a Staff Wellness Champion, in addition to her formal duties for the Department. She has been instrumental both in terms of ideas and execution for events that build togetherness in the Department. Her presence on the committee will be missed as she is stepping down to manage other responsibilities. - Dr. Matt Nelson

Stephen Yance is responsive and so very helpful. Whenever I need help with patient access or uploading outside records and images, he is there. Our patients have a true advocate with Stephen in the clinic. Thank you for your dedication! - Kirsten Yelvington

"Jennifer Lancaster did a great job planning the interview for Chunming Cheng, particularly given the difficult-to-navigate schedules of the people involved in that that needed to attend his conferences." - Dr. Matt Nelson

"I recognize Eva Gilliam, Jennifer Lancaster, Chloe Ward, Savanah Kirchner, McKenna Killets, Cam Roby and Lauryn Sheffield for their roles in planning and executing the Galbraith Scientific Symposium and Dinner. They demonstrated their reliability, problem solving skills, strength, stamina and resilience as we collaborated on this event. I couldn't have asked for a better group to work with." - Tricia Daniel

"Eva Gilliam helped me out by sending a UPS package while I was working from home.  I can always count on Eva to do the job like I would do the job...CORRECT. She's the bomb!" - Martee Posey Dawson

"I greatly appreciate Lauryn Sheffield's responsiveness and particularly in helping me quickly re-schedule conference travel at the last minute. Lauryn is awesome!" - Dr. Nicole Bentley

"Jennifer Lancaster has done a wonderful job with preparing for Neurosurgery events and faculty candidates. She is always so kind and welcoming to those she meets. She is great to work with on projects and events." - McKenna Killets

"There's a lot of people in our department that are willing to help at a moment's notice, but Cam Roby and Danny Lee really stepped up to help me when I needed it for two different events. No questions asked - they were patient, flexible, and supportive. Thanks Cam and Danny for being great team players. I appreciate you!" - McKenna Killets

"Brandy Nix, Anna Munger and Danny Lee have been very patient in answering my constant questions on grant submissions and reconciliations for my new role in the department. I am very excited to work with this amazing team!" - Jennifer Clements

"Jennifer Lancaster did an amazing job planning and organizing the 10-Year Anniversary Neurosurgery Employee Appreciation Luncheon. It was beautifully decorated and the food selection was great. We are very lucky to have her energy and organization for event planning!" - Jennifer Clements

"The Riley team (Allie McDuff, Tracy Rouse and Cathy Tully) goes above and beyond for our patients day in and day out. I am so appreciative of all they do and am beyond grateful to collaborate with them on the care and management of our patients." - Dr. Kristen Riley

"Mary Beth Washington powered through a particularly convoluted UAB travel reimbursement and got it through and submitted on time. This is nothing out of the ordinary, but business as usual for MB! I am grateful we can count on her tenacity to keep things on track." - Tricia Daniel

"McKenna Killets's strengths are clearly her cheerful personality and desire to accomplish the goals. She has succeeded in multi-tasking so as to satisfy our lab needs while juggling the needs of her other assigned PIs. She keeps up with our weekly lab ordering and follows-up when there are any delays or problems. She has also handled reimbursements as needed.  In sum, it is always a pleasure to see her entering the room with a smile at our weekly meetings, and working with her to keep our lab on track. We appreciate all the great help!" - Dr. Erwin Van Meir

"Savanah Kirchner has provided excellent feedback and help with the department annual report." - Jennifer Lancaster

"Natalie Lane is a bright light in the department." - Jennifer Lancaster

"Tricia Daniel went above and beyond to help with the KZA coding training by showing up early and buying coffee for folks when the catering was late, and trying to solve IT issues." - Jennifer Lancaster

"Eva Gilliam and McKenna Killets went out of their way to help with KZA and getting the many, heavy, notebooks to Highlands from FOT. "

- Jennifer Lancaster

"Cam Roby has stepped up and joined the DEI Committee and is a rockstar." - Jennifer Lancaster

"Donna Bailer helped at KZA to calm my nerves and with IT Issues." - Jennifer Lancaster

"Dr. Rocque, Dr. Atchley and Dr. Ilyas stepped up to help with A/V issues in the KZA training. It was much appreciated. " - Jennifer Lancaster

"McKenna Killets took on a task for the Galbraith speaker. She researched what needed to be done, completed the task. AND she has documented in Asana project management platform-- capturing the info. Thank you for the great attitude, follow through, work ethic and great work product. " - Tricia Daniel

"Cam Roby and McKenna Killets came to Highlands to help me clean up the room and load up the leftovers from catering. They were not only helpful, but a breath of fresh air." - Jennifer Lancaster

"Tricia Daniel went above and beyond with helping me on Chief Graduation Dinner. The event went well and the venue was great. Thank you for all of your help and for all of your hard work!" - Chloé Bunn

"Eva Gilliam has been so helpful on many occasions and has been a great communicator with lab updates. She uplifts others by pointing out when someone is doing a good job, which feels positively affirming." - McKenna Killets

"Shout out to Brandy Nix for never skipping the beat. Brandy took over a fairly large submission during an already busy time. She always has a smile on her face and is a pleasure to work with." - Anna Munger

"Natalie Lane and Tricia Daniel have been so sweet to stop by my office and say hi. Their friendly faces bring such a warm light to the office." - McKenna Killets

"Danny Lee, Kirsten Yelvington and Mary Beth Washington helped me to set up my home office.  Kirsten and Mary Beth provided me with the necessary equipment and Danny helped me with getting appropriate wires so this equipment would work. Thank you, team!!" - Anna Munger

"Tammy Sharp and Mary Beth Washington helped me when I missed a deadline and their work got it done!  They are always helpful and I appreciate them to no end." - Jennifer Lancaster

"Christy Spruiell helped me with obtaining appropriate departmental signatures under an extremely tight deadline. I could not have done it without her. Thank you! " - Anna Munger

"Since Roderick McCloud's time with Neurosurgery, he has not only been efficient, responsive, and timely, but kind with a can-do attitude. Neurosurgery triage receives urgent fax requests for orders and MRI implant compatibility letters and he is always on top of it. Sending the faxes seems small, but it is a major help to our patients, us, and outside facilities. Roderick keeps the machine rolling. I'm sure he does so much more in the clinic, but I know he has been a great help to Neurosurgery triage with just this one task. " - Tristan Blicker

"Dr. Rozzelle always answers my endless calendar requests and emails promptly in spite of his busy schedule. Sometimes I even get a Star Wars meme! " - Tricia Daniel

"Tammy Sharp is the steady ship that guides the leadership team. She is unwavering in her dedication to the department and works days, nights, and weekends to ensure she provides the highest quality work product to those she works with. In addition, she is easy to talk to and is always willing to help you understand the complexities that exist between UAB and HSF. " - Michael Thomas

"Jennifer Clements is a professional through and through. She is diligent, knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with. Whenever I need information, she is quick to respond. She is so good at what she does. I very much look forward to working with her even more in the future." - Eva Gilliam

"Thank you Dana Belmont, Lauryn Sheffield, Martee Posey and Robin Benderson for helping our team schedule individual meetings with clinical faculty to discuss the grateful patient program. We appreciate you!" - Jennifer Philpot, Sarah Weinacker and Caleb Rotton

"Norma Miller demonstrated the pillar of 'ownership' at UAB by stepping up to gather and create an agenda for her group's meeting. Kudos for being a caring steward of the clinical trials." - Tricia Daniel

"Congratulations to Janice Kennedy on receiving a nursing excellence award!" - Christy Spruiell

"When ever asked, Dana Belmont's answer is 'no problem, I can do that.' Dana recognizes when her colleagues need help and will step in to support. Great teamwork, Dana!" - Kirsten Yelvington

"Eva Gilliam has a "can do" attitude and does not know the meaning of an obstacle. Eva consistently takes initiative and goes out of her way to help in anyway she can. Thank you Eva!" - Kirsten Yelvington

"I want to thank Li Li for her help over the last couple of months as I learned a new process! She took time out of her schedule to make sure I had the support I needed. Working together, we were able to provide critical data to Dr. Markert at our last two lab meetings. - Sherrie Alexander

"Cassandra Degraffenried always has a smile and provides support during challenging situations. She has the ability to evaluate and consider all options that ultimately lead to the best solutions for the department as well as the individual. Thank you for all that you do Cassandra! - Kirsten Yelvington

"Andrea Boohaker goes above and beyond! Thank you!"

- Amanda Blackwell

"Martee Posey is always helpful providing guidance and mentorship."

- Amanda Blackwell

"I am inspired by Dr. Satoru Osuka's passion to show up and be involved. He has led the mission for building the Japanese Researchers Association here at UAB, and has been co-leading the Brain TRIP meetings - allowing for students to gain valuable advice and present their research. This past month, he also volunteered himself to get pied in the face for GBSO's "Pie your PI" fundraiser. Great job Dr. Osuka!"

- McKenna Killets

"Thank you to Dana Belmont for always checking in on me to help if I am overtasked, delivering the mail and posting the conference room schedule. " - Amanda Blackwell

"Jennifer Lancaster, Eva Gilliam and Dana Belmont have not only taken the time to help me answer a few questions, but they've taken it steps further to make sure I have my hands on resources. Y'all are very much appreciated. " - McKenna Killets

"Amy Finch has been extremely helpful with the transition to EPIC. She has taken it upon herself to learn as much as she can and support her colleagues through the process. Thank you, Amy for all of your hard work and dedication! " - Kirsten Yelvington

"I want to express my tremendous gratitude to Anna Munger, Eva Gilliam, Jennifer Clements, Kirsten Yelvington, Cassandra Degraffenried and Mckenna Killets. They have contributed enormously to the setup of my lab. Without their help, my lab
and office setup would not have been so smooth and fast. Thank you so much!!" - Dr. Satoru Osuka

"Danny Lee is a rockstar at getting things completed on time! He has been very helpful with getting participants reimbursed on a very quick timeline. He is very easy to work with and always so pleasant!" - Anastasia Smith

"Tori Caudill is doing a great job of being proactive and efficient with her time! She is also quite thoughtful about her colleagues and always makes them feel seen and appreciated!" - Anastasia Smith

"Sabrina Famuyiwa has done a great job at catching up all of the backlog of a very large registry! She is also on top of one of our very important funded multi-center projects and is making sure all visits are scheduled. " - Anastasia Smith

"Thank you, Dana Belmont and McKenna Killets, for helping create the Acts of Kindness board." - Amanda Blackwell

"Chloe Bunn taught me how to create a QR code for the Random Acts of Kindness project I was working on! Thank you, Chloe, for helping me learn something new." - Dana Belmont

"Dr. Philip Schmalz's willingness to relay opportunities to the admininstrative team so that we can improve services for our patients, MDs, APPs and staff. Timely feedback gives us the opportunity to promptly investigate and fix issues." - Donna Bailer

"Paula McKenzie is an incredible APP who consistently and tirelessly gives of herself to provide the best care for our patients. Paula would never ask to be in the limelight, but her dedication, results, and amazing work ethic certainly do shine a bright light on her. Paula, we are so grateful for you!" - Donna Bailer

"Jennifer Philpot has been a fantastic partner in our department's development efforts. As a young department, it takes time to build a strong giving stream. Jennifer has partnered with faculty and staff alike to lead Neurosurgery's efforts and culture of giving." - Donna Bailer

"In July, there was an adverse event for a participant enrolled in one of our investigator-initiated studies and the study was put on hold. There was a tremendous amount of data that had to be collected to be reviewed by the IRB, DSMB and FDA. This led to further questions and the gathering of more and more data. Danny Lee and Norma Miller both work vigorously to get this done and now we are ready to open the study back up to enrollment. Thank you for your hard work and long hours working to get this completed!!" - Donna Dixon

"Norma Miller was made aware of our first BEACH study participant at 7:30am and the participant had to be randomized and given the first dose of the study drug or placebo by 10am. The study's electronic data system managed at Johns Hopkins had a glitch and was not working for our site. Both Norma and Natalie Lane diligently worked through this together with Johns Hopkins, but it was a highly stressful situation. I want them to know how much I appreciate their work that day!!" - Donna Dixon

"While submitting a very short notice application, Brandy Nix provided Dr. Nelson with some examples of documents that he wasn't familiar with and he said the examples were very helpful." - Donna Dixon

"McKenna Killets is the new program coordinator for several of our neurosurgery research faculty. She has been an absolute pleasure to work with. She is quick to learn and is becoming very comfortable with the ordering processes at UAB. She is also jumping right in with travel coordination. I can't say enough good things about her. She has a great work-ethic and is happy to serve her people. A wonderful addition to our department." - Eva Gilliam

"I have been involved in Resident education and Resident-candidate selection for my entire career. I have served various terms as the UAB Neurosurgery Residency Training Program director, the most recent consecutively from 2000-2018. While I prefer in-person resident candidate visits and interviews, I have never enjoyed the resident interview and ranking process more than this last season, in very large part due to the efforts, guidance, vibrant enthusiasm and leadership of Chloe Bunn. "Kudos" indeed! Thank you." - Dr. Mark Hadley

"Cam Roby has a good attitude and is very helpful! I can't thank her enough." - Jennifer Lancaster

"UAB Spinal Neurosurgery and UAB Orthopedic Spinal Neurosurgery have recently finalized two very important documents; The Spinal Enhanced Recovery Protocol (ERP) and the UAB Spinal Surgery Education Booklet. While neurosurgery and orthopedic spinal faculty participation and leadership was a constant throughout these processes, the real workforce and consistent drivers of these important initiatives were Heather Cheek, Amanda Chambers and Cammie Shoemaker. Thank you, thank you!

Further, Heather Cheek has revamped our UAB Neurosurgery Spine Board and has consistently contributed to the efficiency of our meetings and the documentation of our proceedings. She is a remarkable contributor to and partner of UAB Spinal Neurosurgery." - Dr. Mark Hadley

"Kudos to Steven Yance and Lori Mehaffey for coordinating and supervising the move of our patient referral processes to the clinic." - Donna Bailer

"Kudos to Jennifer Lancaster and Christy Spruiell for their excellent work on the semi-annual faculty retreat in December." - Donna Bailer

"Brandy Nix did a fantastic job of stepping up and taking care of last-minute submissions for our faculty during my time of need. Her help is greatly appreciated." - Anna Munger

"I would like to thank Jennifer Lancaster for her big contribution to our DEI committee. She is the glue that holds the team together!" - Jianmei Leavenworth