OUR VALUES

Sarah Johnson

Assistant to the Chair, Pharmaceutical Sciences

Sarah Johnson is one of those people who gets things done. No matter the task, or how demanding the job, Sarah will take it on and see it through without hesitation.

When a new hire joined the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, she made sure the transition went as smoothly as possible. From making sure the new hire had the lab instruments and supplies needed, to supporting a plan to hire personnel, Sarah did it all.  Even though the work was not close to her job description, Sarah took it on because she felt it was the right thing to do.

Sarah exhibits leadership qualities and is always proactive. She tackles challenges before they become problems. For example, she generated a master list for all the tasks related to setting up a new lab.

Sarah always supports her coworkers and strives to make things better for everyone. She is someone who contributes to the department so that collectively it is more productive.

Claudia Garcia

Senior Administrative Coordinator, Physician Assistant Studies

As aclinical rotations scheduler for 75-plus Physician Assistant students, Claudia Garcia has her hands full balancing their needs with those of their preceptors.

She has met the challenge with determination. Claudia has reworked entire schedules because a student had an emergency or last minute special request. As soon as an issue is brought to her attention, she works to quickly address it. She places a high value on serving the students first and this comes through in everything she does.

PA studies has a system that randomly assigns rotation slots based on student preferences and other parameters. Once that first schedule is generated, Claudia then reviews the special circumstances of students to ensure that their individual needs and circumstances are taken into consideration.

It is a demanding job and it would easier to let the system run and then leave the schedule as it is, but Claudia does not take the easy way out. She reviews each slot individually to make sure it works best for everyone.

Austin Luna

Academic Program Coordinator, Academic Affairs – Pharmacy

There is nothing that Austin Luna will not do to help students, staff, and faculty. And there’s no better example of this dedication than the extra effort he put into the Graduation Awards Celebration for the System College of Pharmacy Class of 2018. For the second year in a row, Austin was key to planning, coordinating, and executing an extremely successful event for the second graduating class.

Austin personally handled every detail of the process with dedication. From coordinating the committee to visiting potential venues and contacting vendors, he worked hard to create a successful event.

He is a creative person and uses his talents to support the school. For the Graduation Award Celebration he designed and created all of the invitations, programs, awards certificates, and banner. The items all looked as if a professional designer had made them. In addition, Austin’s creative input into how best to honor graduating students was integral in the success of the celebration and highlighted the graduating students.

Stephanie Cuellar

Community Relations Specialist

Patrice Buffkin

Event Planning Specialist, Institutional Advancement

When a broken ankle and surgery sidelined a co-worker during the busiest season for the Institutional Advancement team, Stephanie Cuellar and Patrice Buffkin stepped up to get the job done. And what a job it was. The list of events included Fortress Festival, Senior Synergy, commencement banquets, Healthy Living Expo, Pharmacy Happy Hour, TCOM Alumni Roundtables, PA Alumni Roundtables, Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast and the list goes on and non.

Although Stephanie was new to the job, she jumped right in and worked closely with Patrice to assemble graduation gift bags, plan meetings and handle whatever came their way.

They did not stop there. The two checked in on their co-worker as she recovered at home and insisted that she leave the work and worry to them while she could recover stress-free. This dynamic duo proved they could handle a huge challenge and still find a way to make sure their co-worker’s needs were met too.

Hector Saenz

LIM System Manager, Center for Human ID

After working at UNT Health Science Center for more than three decades, Hector Saenz is still as passionate about his work as he was on that first day in 1983.

Never once has he lost his drive to support the institutional missions or encourage others. Over the years, he has helped many of his staff with career advancement and personal enrichment. Repeatedly he has proactively mentored others and provided support to individuals in the Center for Human ID.

When a team leader faced a difficult personal hardship, he showed infinite compassion and care by consistently finding ways to support him.  To Hector, his team members are not just people he works with, but individuals that he genuinely cares for.

Over 35 years, Hector has been enthusiastic about his work and dedicated to helping others. His long history and the relationships he has made over the years, has made him an outstanding asset for his department and UNTHSC.