For nearly 30 years, Michelle Thrasher has been a steady presence in the UAB Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, helping shape generations of otolaryngologists while supporting the department through decades of growth and transformation. As she prepares for retirement this month, Thrasher leaves behind a legacy built on dedication, adaptability, and a deep commitment to the people who have become her second family.
Although many know her for her work in graduate medical education, Thrasher's UAB journey began even earlier. She first worked at UAB Printing and Reproduction from 1981 to 1988, advancing from receptionist to a production role in the department before leaving to raise her young daughters.
She returned to UAB in October 1998 as an Office Associate I in the Division of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, then part of the Department of Surgery. She provided administrative support to newly hired Art Cox III, M.D., and two other faculty members. At the time, computers were entirely new territory for her.
"The administrator who hired me jokingly asked, 'What have I done?' when he discovered that I had never turned on a computer and didn't know what a mouse was," Thrasher said.
Thrasher recalled a house fire that affected her family shortly after she started working in Otolaryngology.
“The faculty and administrators embraced us as if I had worked there for years,” she said. “They treated us just like we were family, and from then on, I knew that was where I was meant to be.”
Through determination and a willingness to learn, she steadily advanced through a series of roles. By 2000, with the encouragement of Rick Carroll, the administrator who hired her, she had become an office manager.
“Dr. Glenn Peters was the Division Director at the time, and it took me about two years to build up the confidence to ask him for an office manager position,” Thrasher said. “I will always be grateful that he wholeheartedly trusted me and gave me the opportunity to build a career in Otolaryngology, while raising my family.”
Three years later, she assumed broader departmental management responsibilities as an Administrative Associate.
In 2008, when the existing residency program coordinator retired, Thrasher expanded her duties to oversee both administrative operations and the residency program. As the division grew into a department, her role evolved again, eventually focusing primarily on educational programs, including medical students, residents, fellows, and continuing medical education initiatives. She was promoted to Education Administrator in 2020 and later to Supervisor-Admin Projects-Otolaryngology in 2022.
Looking back, Thrasher says some of her proudest achievements are measured not by titles but by people.
Among them are helping to guide 64 residents through training, watching many former trainees return to UAB as faculty members or join private practices throughout Alabama, and earning the trust of every department leader she worked alongside. She is also proud of mastering every aspect of residency program administration and helping the program successfully navigate two accreditation site visits.
"Being trusted by every director and chair I have worked with meant a great deal to me," she said. "I was always given the independence to do my job, make decisions, and move things forward, knowing that I had their confidence and support."
Another highlight involves the relationships she’s built along the way.
“Another one of my proudest achievements is retaining administrative staff for many years and, along the way, building friendships that have become some of the most meaningful and lasting relationships in my career. I am proud that so many people stayed and grew with the department, and I will always treasure the friendships we developed along the way.”
Thrasher said she will also forever remember the staff and faculty coming together with other departments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The team worked tirelessly to ensure that every patient received the best care possible,” she said. “That experience taught me a lifelong lesson in leadership, compassion, and commitment, and it made me very proud to be a part of their mission.”
Over the course of her career, Thrasher witnessed dramatic changes within both UAB and the specialty of otolaryngology. Yet she says the lessons she learned remained remarkably simple.
"I have learned that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to," she said. "The opportunities and resources are there if you are willing to pursue them."
She also emphasizes the importance of lifelong learning and seeking continuous improvement.
“And perhaps most importantly, find something good in everyone, especially the person you may be having difficulty with,” she said.
As retirement approaches, it is those relationships that Thrasher said will be hardest to leave behind.
"Without a doubt, my work family," Thrasher said when asked what she will miss most. "I will miss watching each resident arrive as a student and then leave as a fully trained otolaryngologist. The relationships have been one of the most rewarding parts of my career."
After decades spent supporting trainees, faculty, and colleagues, Thrasher's impact is evident not only in the department's growth but also in the countless careers she helped nurture along the way. Her legacy will continue through the residents she guided, the colleagues she mentored, and the educational programs she helped build.
While she is looking forward to retirement and spending more time with her family, Thrasher admits she may still keep a close eye on the department's continued success.
"I look forward to watching the department continue to grow under the leadership of Dr. Justin Turner." she said. "He has an incredible group of faculty and staff. My family is always teasing me about having FOMO, and this may be one of my worst cases yet as I head out on my retirement adventure.”
She continued: “I greatly appreciate the time and support I received from previous directors and chairs —Glenn Peters, Eben Rosenthal, Scott Magnuson, Brad Woodworth, and William Carroll. And of course, I am grateful to our current chair, Justin Turner; residency program director, Ben Greene; and newly appointed associate program director, Natalie Derise. I am also deeply grateful to our executive administrators, past and present, Kristi Gidley and Dean Stovall.”
“I cannot thank the staff enough for all the assistance you so willingly provided to me and to the residency program. Thank you, Laura Franks, Marcia Garner, Maria Grammas, Nick Knight, Denise Shaw, Keisha Ward, and my successor, Taylor Richardson. You are all forever at the top of my friend list.”
“A special mention of two dear friends we sadly lost along the way, Alice Rhodes and Deb Malenfant,” Thrasher continued. “They will always hold a special place in my heart and in the memories I have of my years with UAB Otolaryngology.”
And finally, but most importantly – “A huge thank you to God for putting me in the right place, and my family for their appreciation, understand and support of my choices I have made.”