Turning the page

Good afternoon.

It’s the week before the end of the UMMC fiscal year, but it’s much more in the context of annual milestones we encounter at the Medical Center.

As I mentioned in last week’s column, the beginning of a new fiscal/academic year brings to the UMMC family a large group of new members. And as we welcome those new faces, we say goodbye to 59 researchers, faculty and staff who are wrapping up their careers at the U and entering retirement.

The number of years they’ve devoted to their jobs in total – 1,663 – tells a story. Because of their contributions, we’ve improved our quality of care, our research and education prowess and our day-to-day responsibilities of making the Medical Center an institution for all of Mississippi.

Three of our most prolific researchers and educators have devoted a combined 100-plus years to the Medical Center:

Dr. Joey Granger, the Billy S. Guyton Distinguished Professor of Physiology and Medicine, dean of the School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences, associate vice chancellor for research and director of the Cardiovascular-Renal Research Center, 32 years, 8 months.

“Dr. Granger’s contributions cannot be overstated, most recently regarding his leadership of our research mission. He brought UMMC national and international acclaim through research in pregnancy-related hypertension and preeclampsia, and as SGSHS dean built a pipeline to attract and train budding scientists, then bring them back if they leave for more training,” said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine.

Dr. Robert Hester, the Billy S. Guyton Distinguished Professor of Physiology and Biophysics and director of the Center for Computational Medicine, the Department of Computer Services and the Physiological Simulation Core, 37 years, 6 months.

“Robert is one of the most dependable and unselfish individuals that I have had the opportunity to work with at UMMC. Robert has been a prolific and innovative researcher widely recognized for his work on mechanisms of tissue blood flow regulation and developing HumMod, the world’s largest mathematical model of human physiology,” said Dr. John Hall, Arthur C. Guyton Professor and Chair, Department of Physiology and Biophysics.

Dr. Jane Reckelhoff, the Billy S. Guyton Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, 32 years, 4 months.

“Dr. Reckelhoff is a distinguished and award-winning scientist, respected and loved by her peers and students. She leaves a spectacular legacy, from her direction of the Mississippi Center for Excellence in Perinatal Research, to her trailblazing in the field of sex differences in cardiovascular disease, hypertension and renal disease,” Woodward said.

They join seven others with 31 or more years of service who have devoted the better part or all of their professional career to make the Medical Center a better place to work, study, research or receive care:

Estella Sampson, manager of revenue cycle operations in the Central Billing Office, 39 years, 14 days.

“Stella is a great team player, and her leadership style is exemplary. She goes above and beyond in her role within the revenue cycle to assist anyone across the organization, and she always shares her knowledge with other UMMC staff and her team,” said Tammy Miller, director of Hospital Revenue Cycle.

Dr. Vicki Sopelak, associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 38 years, 7 months.

“Dr. Sopelak was responsible for the IVF (in-vitro fertilization) laboratory that led to the state’s first IVF baby. She worked tirelessly from that time until her recent retirement and was instrumental in the birth of thousands of babies to couples who otherwise would have remained infertile,” said Dr. John Isaacs, associate professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Monte Luehlfing, IT project manager in the Division of Information Systems, 36 years, 7 months.

“Monte Luehlfing served in many important staff and management roles throughout his 37 years of service. He tirelessly resolved many issues and led many projects, including our Siemens mainframe decommission, Siemens data archive, Epic conversion at UMMC Grenada, Epic Connect at the Mississippi State Department of Health and lots of physiological equipment integration with Epic projects,” said Ellen Swoger, DIS chief information officer for applications.

Dr. Drew Hildebrandt, associate professor in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 35 years, 12 days.

“Dr. Hildebrandt has been a successful independent researcher and collaborator throughout his career, but his value to the Department of Surgery went beyond that. He has been a tremendous asset in our resident and student education efforts, and in particular, his help organizing and managing our surgical skills labs through the years. I’m personally thankful for all of his research and education contributions through the years,” said Dr. Christopher Anderson, the James D. Hardy professor and chair of the Department of Surgery and chief of the Division of Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery.

Debra Wilson, project manager II in the School of Medicine, 34 years, 4 months.

“Debra's dedication to her staff and the Jackson Heart Study research participants has been unparalleled. She has been the consummate colleague, and we thank her for her many contributions and years of service,” said Dr. April Carson, director of the Jackson Heart Study.

Judy Flynt, director of accreditation in the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, 31 years, 2 months.

“Judy has spent the last 30 years developing relationships with leaders and front-line staff across the organization. These collaborative relationships have fostered an environment of continuous readiness to ensure a successful accreditation process,” said Dr. Lisa Didion, chief medical officer.

Along with these long-serving faculty and staff, the retirees featured below all leave the Medical Center after continuously serving for 25 or more years.

Employees who have served UMMC for a quarter-century or more of uninterrupted service are a critical part of our fabric, and they will be missed. But, each and every one of them has earned their retirement, and their contributions and dedication have been integral as we continue our journey to A Healthier Mississippi.