Issue 6 | through September 24, 2013

Volume 7 | Issue 6 | through September 24, 2013 | Page 1
Campus Diary
Welcomes
Run, Theresa, Run!
Is your idea of fun spending time in a stinky van with a bunch
of strangers, catching an hour or two of sleep here and
there and then running alongside scenic fields and gorgeous
mountain scenery? For Physicians Relations Manager
Theresa Lotspeich, who ran the Crazy Wild West Relay (aka
Get Your Ass over the Pass) from Fort Collins to Steamboat
in August, the answer is “yes.” In fact, she said it was one
of the most fun things she’s ever done.
Myrthou Aime, Care Team Assistant
Who’s new on campus
General Gynecology
Mary Albert, Guest Svcs. Rep
Guest Services
Quaker Anderson, Medical Staff Coordinator
Medical Staff Office
Michael Anselmi, Radiographer
Diagnostic Radiology
Alexandria Armitage, Care Team Assistant
Echocardiography
Sylvia Baiden, Pharmacy Tech
Atrium Pharmacy
Joanne Barrientos, Advanced Care Partner
Medicine Specialties
Physicians Relations Manager Theresa Lotspeich (second from left)
with her Crazy Wild West Relay team.
What the heck is the crazy Wild West Relay (aka Get
Your Ass over the Pass) from Ft. Collins to Steamboat?
It’s a 12-person relay on foot; it’s 200 miles from Fort Collins
to Steamboat. We had six people in two different Suburbans
and we rotated in the relay. There are a bunch of different
legs throughout the race. Each one is a different component
of intensity and length, distance and location. It all sort of
varies. You go up all these back-country roads. It’s a unique
way to get to Steamboat. It’s one of the most beautiful routes
I’ve ever been on.
How or why did you get involved in this race?
My colleague, Emma Bootle-Peskind, who’s my counterpart
at Poudre Valley Hospital, mentioned she was training for
this race. I told her to tell me more about it because I love
running and I just had a baby and wanted to get my ass back
in gear. And then I thought, sure, why not? I think there were
five or six people from the [UCHealth] system but I was the
only one from [the Anschutz Medical Campus].
Belinda Biedermann, Chaplain Resident
Spiritual Care Services
Paul Bier, Traveler RN
Med/Surg Progressive Care
Jennifer Bisbee, Clinical Nurse
Cardiac and Vascular Center
Amanda Blankenship, Clinical Nurse
OR - AIP
Deborah Bonnes, Nurse Informatics Specialist
UCHlth Clinical Informatics
Trissana Burke, Advanced Care Partner
Medicine Specialties
Cristina Cartwright, Clinical Nurse
Pulmonary
Mercedez Chavez, Food Service Worker
Food & Nutrition Svcs.
Jean Churchman, Chaplain Resident
Spiritual Care Services
Abigail Compton, Clinical Nurse
Neuro ICU
Continued
Subscribe: The Insider is delivered free via email every other Wednesday. To subscribe: uch-publications@uch.edu
Comment: We want your input, feedback, notices of stories we’ve missed. To comment: uch-insiderfeedback@uch.edu
Volume 7 | Issue 6 | through September 24, 2013 | Page 2
Campus Diary continued
Listings Cont.
How many legs/miles did you run?
I did three. My total mileage was 18.3 miles. My first one
was 6.1 miles and it was kind of “Steady Eddie.” The next
leg was literally shooting straight up a mountain at 8,500
feet and it was a 1,300-foot elevation gain for 5.4 miles.
So it was pretty intense. The last one was 6.8 miles on a
beautiful back-country road with horses running alongside
and mountains in the distance. It was gorgeous!
Terra Cozzolino, Advanced Care Partner
Oncology
Kathryn Conner, Clinical Nurse
NICU
Danyelle Current, Advanced Care Partner
BMT
Mallory Day, Clinical Nurse
Cancer Center Infusion
Brittany Delmonico, Certified Nursing Assistant
Transplant/Medicine
Amy DiOrio, Clinical Nurse
Cardiac ICU
Alicia Diasio, Emergency Dept. Technician
Emergency Dept.
Heather Duxbury, Medical Assistant
BMT Infusion
Lotspeich on the run during one of three legs of the relay.
Do you run normally?
I’ve always been a runner. I’ve run a couple of half marathons
but it’s waxed and waned in intensity with having two young
kids. I have four-year-old and a one-year-old and I’ve given
myself a goal to aim for to get back in shape after each child.
How did you train for it?
That was different and unique in the sense that generally
when you train for a half marathon, you run long miles all
at once, whereas for this one I had to get used to running
multiple times a day. I would run before my kids got up and
then I’d run again at night and then again in the morning. I
tried to get used to running three times within 24 hours and
tried to increase my distance on each run little by little. It was
a different mindset training your body to run multiple times in
24 hours, but really fun. I felt like it was a new challenge for
my brain and my body.
Juli Edge, Clinical Nurse
NICU
Claire Ellison, Physical Therapist
Inpatient Physical Therapy
Emily Everman, Certified Nursing Assistant
Rehabilitation
Lauren Feijoo, Clinical Nurse
Cardiac ICU
Andrea Felton, Advanced Care Partner
Pulmonary
Elizabeth Fischel, Clinical Social Worker
Social Services
Tamera Flipse, Advanced Care Partner
Neuro ICU
Sylvia Flores, Information Operator
Switchboard Services
Juliana Flores, Advanced Care Partner
Pulmonary
Rhanda Frangie, Clinical Nurse
Pre-OP - AIP
Continued
Volume 7 | Issue 6 | through September 24, 2013 | Page 3
Campus Diary continued
What was the actual race like?
One of the coolest parts was doing it with a bunch of people
that I didn’t know. It’s this immediate camaraderie. There was
never this pressure to get your personal best, because it was
more about the team. And it was really fun because we got to
cheer each other on during each leg. We had a giant cowbell
and we’d be really loud and obnoxious and cheer each other
on as we were going on to the next leg.
Will you do it again?
For sure. I never want to be the organizer because it’s a lot
of logistics. But it was one of the most beautiful and cool
experiences I’ve ever done.
.............................................................
From Carpenter to Coordinator
Getting to Know: Quaker Anderson, medical staff coordinator
What do you do as a medical staff coordinator?
I take care of the credentialing for the providers. I make sure
their licenses are up to date and any kind of certifications.
I also assign privileges once the board approves their
application for reappointment. I take care of all of the initial
[information] so if a provider is coming on board, their
paperwork is sent to us and we enter all their information
into the system so that Epic and all of the other systems can
pull information and designate it to wherever it needs to go in
the hospital.
How did you get into that field?
I got into the medical field about 15 years ago as a physical
therapy aide. From there I started doing administration as
far as medical records and front desk. Then I started meeting
case managers and passing my résumé along and started
climbing the ladder from there.
Did you do something else before you got into the
medical field?
Yes. I was in construction. I’m a carpenter by trade. Because
of the labor-intensive work, both physically and mentally …
Listings Cont.
Jemima Fritts, Charge Nurse
Hospital Based Sub-Specialty
Anna Gagnon, Chaplain Resident
Spiritual Care Services
Anthony Gianatasio, Advanced Care Partner
Neuro ICU
Charlesa Griffith, Food Service Worker
Food & Nutrition Svcs.
Maria Hall, Traveler RN
SICU
Jacquelynn Hallett, Clinical Nurse
Cardiac ICU
Kelly Hannon, Clinical Nurse
Pulmonary
Iris Havelka, Coding Educator
UCHlth CHMG Professional Coding
Kellie Haygood, Clinical Nurse
Lab Endoscopy
Sarah Hernandez, Food Service Worker
Food & Nutrition Svcs.
Melissa Hess, Advanced Care Partner
Cardiac Intermediate Care Unit
Casey Hill, Food Service Worker
Food & Nutrition Svcs.
Kailyn Hinrichsen, Advanced Care Partner
Med/Surg Progressive Care
Elizabeth Hoffman, Case/Utilization Manager
UCHlth Case Management
Paul Hongo, Implementation Trainer
EPIC - PVHS
Julie Hughes, Clinical Coordinator
UFM Westminster
Jory Hunter, Advanced Care Partner
CT ICU
Brittney Irons, Clinical Nurse
Med/Surg Progressive Care
Continued
Volume 7 | Issue 6 | through September 24, 2013 | Page 4
Campus Diary continued
being out in the different types of weather no matter what
it is, rain, snow, heat, you always had to be outside. In order
for me to work longer and support my family, I had to change
my career.
What brought you to Colorado/UCH?
I’m from Commerce City. I was born on a farm with 100 head of
hogs. I was raised by my mom and my grandmother, who’s 99.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to work on my house. I like to fish. I love going up the
mountains. Skiing. I like to hike. I also bike and roller blade.
Listings Cont.
Jordyn Isenhart, Advanced Care Partner
Orthopaedics
Katelyn Johnson, Guest Relations Specialist
Lone Tree Health Center
Kristin Kasper, Traveler RN
SICU
La’Kea Kelly, Advanced Care Partner
Oncology
Brittany Kennedy, Advanced Care Partner
Burn Trauma Unit
Felicia Kinsey, Care Team Assistant
UFM AF Williams
Jamie Kinsley, Certified Nursing Assistant
Cardiac Intermediate Care Unit
Jessica Klich, Clinical Nurse
PACU - AIP
Dani Kloepper, Advanced Care Partner
Medical ICU
Jacob Knarr, Advanced Care Partner
Med/Surg Progressive Care
Medical Staff Coordinator Quaker Anderson was
raised on a farm with 100 head of hogs.
Where’d you get a name like Quaker?
It was actually a nickname for my uncle who was in the
service about the time I was being born. My dad missed him
and the troop members called him Quaker for a nickname
because he was religious and happy and outgoing.
What’s been the highlight of your summer?
Getting this job at UCH. Also this is my son’s senior year and
I just bought him a car. And the other highlight is I finished
painting my house, which is six bedrooms, and putting sod in.
What’s your favorite thing about UCH so far?
I like the whole environment and atmosphere. It’s good
energy. I have a good team.
Kristin Kraich, Clinical Nurse
BMT
Mollie Krantz, Traveler RN
Oncology
Michelle Krumrey, Clinical Nurse
Women’s Care Center
Tiffany Kuhfeld, Medical Assistant
General Gynecology
Margaret Lamming, Clinical Nurse
Med/Surg Progressive Care
Amanda Lara, Advanced Care Partner
Neurosciences
David Larson, Certified Nursing Assistant
Med/Surg Progressive Care
Allison Latorre, Charge Nurse
Endocrine/Diabetes
Continued
Volume 7 | Issue 6 | through September 24, 2013 | Page 5
Campus Diary continued
What was the last great book you read or movie
you saw?
Last movie was “Jumping the Broom” (on DVD). Last book I
read was the Bible.
Family Unit:
Oldest daughter Anastasia, 22, works at front desk of Spine
One and goes to school for nursing. She just had Quaker’s
second granddaughter TyZala (baby sister to TyAzia, 2).
Other daughter is Kendra, 20, who also works at the front
desk of Spine One.
Son, Quaker, 17, is a senior in high school.
.............................................................
Vanessa McCarthy Likes the Sweet Stuff
Human Resources Representative Vannessa McCarthy just
celebrated her one-year anniversary at UCH but has plans
far (far, far) down the road to use her pastry chef credentials.
It’s not surprising to learn that she’s very popular around s
taff birthdays.
Listings Cont.
Christine Law, Medical Assistant
UFM Boulder
Leah Lenz, Advanced Care Partner
Rehabilitation
Jessica Long, Advanced Care Partner
Neurosciences
Vanessa Loya, Medical Assistant
General Surgery
Samantha Lytle, Advanced Care Partner
Orthopaedics
Jeffrey Mai, Implementation Specialist
UCHlth Epic
Kathleen Major, VP/Executive Dir. TPA Plan
UCHlth Finance Administration
Kelly Marsh, Certified Nursing Assistant
Neuro ICU
Rigoberto Martinez Sanchez, Food Service Worker
Food & Nutrition Svcs.
Sarah Mather, Chaplain Resident
Spiritual Care Services
Denise Matsuda, Surgical Technologist
OR - AIP
Kimberly Matzke, Advanced Care Partner
Surgery
Megan McLaughlin, Clinical Nurse
Pulmonary
Human Resources Representative Vannessa McCarthy
gave up baking because she didn’t like the hours.
When did you train as a pastry chef?
After I went through culinary school at the Art Institute, I then
went for baking and pastry at Johnson & Wales in 2004.
Did you work in that industry at all?
I did for a little bit. In college I worked at a little
mom-and-pop deli where I would do food prep in the back
Ashley Mill, Advanced Care Partner
Oncology
Alison Mizer, Director Finance/Controller
Finance Administration
Wendy Moore, Medical Assistant
Employee Health & Wellness
Erika Nava, Cashier
Garden View Cafe’
Amanda Naves, Food Service Worker
Food & Nutrition Svcs.
Continued
Volume 7 | Issue 6 | through September 24, 2013 | Page 6
Campus Diary continued
and make sandwiches in the front and I did a lot of their
pastries. And then I worked in hotels, because I was also
double majoring in hotel management.
When you got out of school did you do any baking?
I worked mostly in hotels. I did some of the back of the house
with the pastry stuff but it was mostly on the side at a catering
company. So I didn’t really delve into the pastry part of it.
Why didn’t you pursue that line of work after all
that schooling?
It’s really hard to find an enjoyable pastry experience where
you’re not waking up at 4 a.m. making breads and all that
kind of stuff. And the culinary world is a very male-dominated
world and it was really hard for me to get into it knowing I’d be
disrespected.
Didn’t you know that it would involve getting up
at 4 a.m.?
I did. They told us that. But I thought I wanted to do wedding
cakes and that kind of stuff but it turned out that that kind
of work was still an early-morning type of thing. And I’m not
really a morning person!
Do you still make desserts?
I do. I work with a catering company called Sava, owned and
operated by one of my fellow culinary students, and I do the
pastries and desserts for their parties.
What’s your specialty?
Everyone seems to like my cupcakes. They range from cupcakes
filled with jellies and jams to small little bite-sized ones. My
coworkers like my peanut butter ones, just white cake with
peanut butter frosting and a little Nutter Butter on top.
So are you pretty popular around your co-workers’
birthdays?
Yeah. They’re always asking me to make things for their
birthdays. I make lots of friends that way.
Listings Cont.
Joshua Nossaman, Medical Assistant
Lone Tree Health Center
Catherine O’Keeffe, Advanced Care Partner
Burn Trauma Unit
Kwasi Obeng, Perioperative Serv. Asst.
OR - ACAM
Kyle Orgill, Storekeeper
Central Supply
Lesly Ornelas Garcia, Cashier
Garden View Cafe’
Lauren Palajac, Clinical Nurse
Oncology
Jenna Perrodin, Advanced Care Partner
Transplant/Medicine
Joshua Pleasant, Food Service Worker
Food & Nutrition Svcs.
Katarzyna Plonski, Certified Nursing Assistant
Med/Surg Progressive Care
Traci Priebe, Advanced Care Partner
Medical ICU
Darrington Reneau, Ancillary Health Tech
Ancillary Health Techs
Cookie Roberts, Advanced Care Partner
SICU
Anna Robertson, Advanced Care Partner
Neurosciences
Crystal Rosario, Medical Assistant
Spine Center & Rehab Medicine
Brianna Ruger, Clinical Nurse
Oncology
Sarah Rust, Vascular Tech
Vascular Diagnostics
Paige Rutherford, Advanced Care Partner
Birth Center - AIP
Donna Salway, Clinical Nurse
Surgery
Continued
Volume 7 | Issue 6 | through September 24, 2013 | Page 7
Campus Diary continued
Do you see yourself going into the culinary field at
some point in your life?
I’ve always thought about it. I think I’d like to open up my
own bed and breakfast maybe far, far on in life. My coworker’s husband and I have discussed opening up a food
truck and that would be fun. It will be a long time down the
road, more of a retirement plan.
.............................................................
Campus Couture
When Director of Cross-Enterprise Surgical Programs
Tatyana Popkova walked into Dazbog with surgeon Robert
McIntyre, MD, I had to stare. I just loved everything about
her stylish attire: her dress, her wrap, her shoes, her
jewelry, her purse and even her hair. When I asked her to
be photographed for this column, she agreed and McIntyre
smirked. It seems her shoes, in particular, are often talked
about in the surgical unit.
Listings Cont.
Melanie Sandoval, Research Nurse Scientist
OR - AIP
Steve Santamaria, Food Service Worker
Food & Nutrition Svcs.
Lindsey Schey, Radiographer
Diagnostic Radiology
Rebecca Schiller, Administrative Assistant
Ambulatory Svcs. Administration
David Schineller, Supervisor Inpatient Food Svcs.
Food & Nutrition Svcs.
Alex Sievert, Clinical Nurse
Oncology
Laurie Sinclair, Clinical Nurse
OR - AIP
Martin Slavik, Coord. Computer Database Ops.
Clinical Lab
Kathleen Smith, Nurse Informatics
UCHlth Clinical Informatics
Carlye Spaulding, Traveler RN
Cardiac ICU
Christopher Spears, Storekeeper
Central Supply
Raven Starr, Clinical Nurse
Med/Surg Progressive Care
(Left) Director of Surgical Programs Tatyana Popkova wins fashionable
UCH employee of the year, so far, in my book. (Right) Popkova
compares her strappy heels to Robert McIntyre’s stylish sneakers.
How would you describe your style?
Tatyana Popkova: Eclectic. Classic. Classic business. Modern.
Do you get comments on your clothes or your style?
TP: Yes, specifically on my shoes.
What kind of comments?
Robert McIntyre: How do you balance on them?
TP: Yes, those kinds of comments. I wear high heels.
Christopher Stevens, Maintenance Assistant Intern
Engineering Services
Amber Surrell, Advanced Care Partner
Oncology
Lori Swanson, Nurse Navigator
Lone Tree Health Center
Judith Sylvester, Care Team Assistant - Eye Clinic
Ophthalmology
Kayla Taylor, Certified Nursing Assistant
BMT
Kirsten Thornton, Social Worker
Social Services
Continued
Volume 7 | Issue 6 | through September 24, 2013 | Page 8
Campus Diary continued
So just comments on how high your heels are?
Yes, that’s it.
Please send your fashionista suggestions to
joelleklein@yahoo.com or uch-insiderfeedback@uchealth.org.
.............................................................
Listings Cont.
Lauren Travis, Advanced Care Partner
BMT
Celida Vazquez, Food Service Worker
Food & Nutrition Svcs.
William Villagran, Cashier
Garden View Cafe’
Carmen Villegas, Medical Assistant
Transplant Center
A Self-Admitted Dork
Getting to Know: Melanie Sandoval, Research Nurse Scientist
Beverly Walchak, Advanced Care Partner
ACE Unit
What does a research nurse scientist do?
I work Perioperative Services. I do a bunch of the evidencebased practice research. We’re working on a lot of different
projects so I’ll be working on different grants and helping
other nurses with their research and evidenced-based
projects. We explore different gaps that we have in
Perioperative Services and I’m also helping out with OB now.
I help develop research projects aim to decrease different
problems, particularly right now infections, across the
services to improve patient outcomes. I also help out with
education for all the perioperative staff.
Rachel Walters, Advanced Care Partner
Cardiac Intermediate Care Unit
Carrie Waltzman, Advanced Care Partner
Cardiac ICU
Khadijah Williams, Certified Nursing Assistant
Transplant/Medicine
Alexandria Wisdom, Pharmacy Tech Level I
Pharm-Employee Health RX Plan
Misty Wright, Clinical Nurse
Burn Trauma Unit
How did you get into this field?
Research Nurse Scientist Melanie Sandoval lucked out by landing a great
job in her hometown just after finishing her doctorate program.
I’m an RN and acute-care nurse practitioner. And I have a
PhD in nursing research. I went to the University of Virginia
and it was very research intensive and I engaged in research
Continued
Volume 7 | Issue 6 | through September 24, 2013 | Page 9
Campus Diary continued
projects in Miami, in Brownsville, Texas, and Hong Kong and
really just enjoyed publishing and doing research in general.
What was the last great book you read or movie you
saw?
“The Paris Wife.”
What did you do prior to UCH?
I was finishing my PhD at the University of Virginia in
Charlottesville. My goal was to come back [to Colorado],
where I’m from. [UCH staff] were seeking folks from
research-intensive universities and they solicited my dean.
She thought this would be a perfect fit for me because
I wanted to do clinical research so she forwarded the
recruitment information.
.............................................................
How lucky for you. You get a job referred to you in the
place you want to move.
I lucked out. It was the first position I applied for.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Bike, run. I enjoy reading and writing, practicing scholarly
writing – I know that’s dorky, but I do. Actually you don’t
have to put that [in the article] because it’s really dorky. Also,
catching up on the latest research. You don’t have to put that
in there either. I’m pretty dorky, sorry. [Note: I asked her if I
could put her quote in the article because I thought it would
be funny and she agreed.]
What was the highlight of your summer?
Traveling. Trying scuba diving in Hawaii, on the main island.
But, it didn’t work out at all.
Why?
I’m no good with the re-breather. I kept sucking in air.
That was the highlight even though it didn’t work out?
Yes, because I’ll always remember it.
What’s your favorite thing about UCH so far?
The mentorship. We have really strong mentorship in my
department.
See anything weird, wonderful, amusing
and/or interesting around UCH
Anschutz Campus? Please let us know at
uch-insiderfeedback@uchealth.org.
Or send ideas directly to Diary
dynamo Joelle Klein (pictured) at
joelleklein@yahoo.com.
Klein is a Denver-based freelance writer who specializes in
health and wellness issues. When she’s not searching for
quirky UCH campus incidents or interviewing fascinating new
employees, she’s reading, enjoying the outdoors or spending
quality time with her family.