OHSU’s ROSE (Recognizing Outstanding Service Excellence) Award program celebrates employees, students and volunteers who provide outstanding service beyond the normal scope of their jobs.

Meet the recipients from our most recent virtual ROSE Award ceremony and learn why they were nominated below!

Red ROSE Award recipients

Monia Sayah, R.N., 13K Adult Oncology
Monia is an exemplary nurse and it is a joy to follow her in patient care. While there are many reasons for this, I want to highlight Monia’s nursing care with one patient in particular. This patient has been on our floor for some time, having multiple complications after surgery, ongoing nausea and pain, and has become very discouraged and depressed. He mentioned that he had not been outside in weeks, since his admission date, and how nice fresh air would feel. This was passed on in report and Monia made it a priority. On her first shift caring for this patient, Monia was able to get him unhooked from his multiple continuous lines, had him take a shower (the first in a couple days), walked with him on the unit while he was unhooked, and even arranged so that he could go outside for a bit. That night his mood was much improved and he was so thankful for the day. Today, weeks later, Monia cared for this patient again and took just as great of care of him. They were able to go outside again and she was persistent in motivating him to move around in the room and shower. These seem like basic things, but for a patient whose mood is consistently flat, to bring even a fleeting smile to his face made a big difference in his engagement. Often we are side-tracked by the numerous medical priorities that a patient needs, but to be able to not only acknowledge but also deliver on what the patient feels is a top priority is what makes Monia deserving of this recognition.

Milena Novakovi (Pilipovic), Environmental Services
One early morning, I was in the OHSU Police Squad Room when I received a call from OHSU Environmental Services employee Milena Pilipovic. Ms. Pilipovic told me that a male subject forced his way into University Hospital South through the 9th floor entrance after she explained he wasn’t allowed to come in. Ms. Pilipovic told me he headed towards the Veteran’s Hospital (VA) Bridge after entering the building. I told Ms. Pilipovic to stay on the phone with me and I asked her to walk towards VA Bridge and tell me if she could see the subject. Ms. Pilipovic didn’t see the subject and told me it was possible the subject tailgated another OHSU employee onto DCH 9th floor. The male subject was later discovered by OHSU Police Officers hiding in a room. Milena’s information and her actions led to the capture of the suspect in 6 minutes. Thank you for your help Milena!

Shulian Kuang – Pharmacy Technician, Outpatient Pharmacy
Every single day Shulian goes above and beyond what is required of her as a pharmacy technician. Because of Shulian, hundreds of patients have been able to afford their oral chemotherapy treatment. The treatments we start patients on can be thousands of dollars a month and even when they are covered by insurance the copay can still be unaffordable for many patients. Shulian goes out of her way to find funding through manufacturer programs and patient assistance foundations to help cover the costs of treatment. She spends hours of her day searching through different grants and programs to find ones that can assist each patient in need. This is not at all part of her job description but she knows that if she doesn’t do it that many patients would struggle on their own to navigate this process. Shulian has become so efficient at this process that she often finds funding for patients before the patient even knows that insurance isn’t covering their treatment or that they have a high copay. I’ve had many patients express their gratitude to the pharmacy for finding them financial assistance but I always tell them that it was Shulian who was able to help them out. I can’t think of a more deserving person for a ROSE Award than Shulian Kuang. Without a doubt she has been able to have a tremendous impact on our cancer patients. Without her I know many of these treatments would not be affordable to our patients.

Team Award: Bunny Newville, Supervisor, and Candace Ogram, Practice Manager, Hematology/Oncology
I am an employee here at OHSU and my mom recently was diagnosed with two different kinds of stage 3 lung cancer. It was a very scary and very uncertain time for my family and I immediately got worried about being able to take time off to help her get to and from her appointments as there were A LOT she needed to go to and she doesn’t drive any longer. I never signed up for short term disability through OHSU benefits because I never thought something would happen where I would need it. I am also a single mom to add to the stress of things I have no one who can watch my son on short notice if I did have to take my mom to these appointments. This is where my nomination come in, I want to nominate not one but two very amazing women who have been there to support me 1,000 percent through this whole journey. They are my two supervisors Bunny Newville and Candace Ogram. These two women not only helped me figure out FMLA and being able to take the time off I needed to support my mom through her treatments and appointments but they also continued to check in on me to make sure I was okay mentally and helped me get set up with the EAP program at OHSU to find a counselor I could at least talk to about my feelings and get the help needed for being able to cope with the amount of stress I was under. I don’t know what I would have done without having such amazing supportive supervisors above me looking out for me the way they did and for that I am forever grateful. These two women are not just supervisors they genuinely care about their staff and the wellbeing of their staff, I can’t think of two people more deserving of this award.

Golden ROSE Award recipients

Patricia Edge, Social Worker, Care Management
Tonight we experienced an especially difficult end of life event in the ED. It was unexpected and family was not able to be here to say goodbye while the patient was still alive. Family arrived just as time of death was called and were completely blind-sided by the outcome. Without hesitation, and in the midst of a very busy census, Ms. Edge took time to process the events with the family in a compassionate way that honored the patient and their family. Most importantly, she was able to expertly navigate the difficult pathway of shock and grief alongside this family that included a small child. The child was focused on seeing their relative, while their parent was strongly against it. Seeing that this dynamic was about to spiral, Ms. Edge quickly and deftly problem-solved solutions that would make both parties feel at peace and get closure. Ms. Edge provided support and guidance to our MDs, who later commented on how her words would stay with them throughout their career. The family was able to leave the ED with a greater sense of calm, and that every measure was taken to save and honor their loved one. It has been my experience that these are the moments people remember. The time taken, the compassion clearly shown, and the understanding that everyone has their own reactions to trauma and grief. I think Ms. Edge gave this family a strong, positive memory of the last moments with their loved one. What a gift!

Heather Peckham, C.N.A., 5C Medicine
Heather is a phenomenal CNA. She is always going above and beyond her job duties, and does so willingly. We are recommending her to receive a ROSE Award for the care she gave a long term patient (besides all of the ones she assists). This patient was here for over 200 days and had no personal belongings when she arrived. Once this patient was accepted into a facility, Heather purchased her multiple pairs of clothes, pajamas, and a couple pairs of shoes. She wrapped these individually so the patient would have a “going away” feeling with positive feelings (she was reluctant to leave). Heather previously had painted her fingernails and toenails, and made this patient feel “as normal as possible,” multiple times during her stay. At any time this patient was emotionally distressed, Heather would sit with her to console her and talk through her issues and problems. She would get her to take a shower when she wasn’t feeling emotionally well enough. She could get her to go for walks when she was feeling down. Heather helped provide a normal routine for the patient, without giving it a second thought. Though staff chipped in financially after Heather purchased all of these items, we know that the majority was from her. This is just ONE of the instances, Heather does these kind of things often. Thank you.

Dennis Crawford, M.D., Orthopaedics
I had shoulder surgery in February of 2019, and a couple of weeks later I was hit by a drunk driver. It undid everything Dr. Crawford had just fixed. I was in the process of working through several other medical issues resulting from the car accident when I was finally able to see Dr. Crawford again and set a surgery date. Because I was out of work for so long on a leave of absence, they had to fill my position while I was waiting to get the second shoulder surgery. This meant I was going to be losing my health insurance, and I wouldn’t be able to afford to get my shoulder repaired. Then COVID-19 shut everything down the day before my surgery was scheduled to happen. I was in pain and felt completely devastated and defeated. Dr. Crawford not only rearranged his schedule in such a complicated time, but went above and beyond advocating for me to the hospital, working to get me into surgery and on my way to healing so that I can go back to work as soon as possible and try to start earning a living again for my family. His support changed my life and literally prevented me from hitting rock bottom. He worked to support me through my orthopedic issues and listened – never rushing me – to all of my medical issues and frustrations. He also connected me to other departments that I was having trouble getting into at OHSU, like pain management. I have, unfortunately, had the need to see hundreds of doctors and nurses in my life, and I was completely blown away by how genuine Dr. Crawford, and his entire team including Samantha Marie Quilici,, P.A.-C., have been. Between the two of them, their integrity and dedication to helping me find a solution, rather than just write a prescription, blew me away. I strongly believe that it takes a very special person to be in the medical field, and it’s not for everyone. If every doctor and nurse took a lesson from these two, the world would just be a better place. I am beyond appreciative for them and their teams and hope OHSU does something very great to acknowledge the wonderful job they do, daily. Thank you for helping me survive.

Team Award: Theresa Nera, R.N., Lisa Tunall, R.N., and Melisa McDaniel, Surgical Services Technician, Operating Rooms
On March 19, 2020, OHSU performed Oregon’s first Ex Utero Intrapartum Treatment (EXIT) procedure. The EXIT procedure is a special delivery performed when it is anticipated that a baby will have an immediate, critical problem once separated from their mother at delivery. The purpose of an EXIT is to provide the necessary intervention to the baby before the umbilical cord is cut, avoiding the crisis and allowing for a more stable transition from placental circulation to newborn circulation. During an EXIT procedure, the mother is placed under general anesthesia. The delivery is started similar to a cesarean section, however a special device is used to open the uterus and prevent uterine bleeding at the same time. The baby’s head and arms are delivered. Monitors are placed on the baby and IV access is obtained. The baby remains attached to the placenta, which serves as life support, while the surgeon performs the necessary procedure to stabilize the baby. In cases of airway obstruction, an EXIT procedure gives the surgeon time to clear the baby’s airway, secure a breathing tube and provide adequate ventilation before the baby is separated from the mother. When the baby is stable enough for delivery, the umbilical cord is cut and the newborn is transferred to the care of the neonatologist and the pediatric surgeon. I’d like to nominate the following South OR staff: Theresa Nera, R.N., GYN Surgical Service Coordinator, Lisa Tunall, R.N., SOR circulator, and Melisa McDaniel, SOR Surgical Technician. These teammates came in early, stayed late, prepped, studied and facilitated an amazing surgical case. Their dedication is truly worthy of a ROSE Award! Dr. Ken Azarow noted that this was a multi-departmental effort that involved several weeks of planning and simulation in order to save two lives. I’d like to thank the team so much for the effort and attention that went into making the procedure a success. Every job was essential and well executed and without the help of everyone it wouldn’t have gotten done. The patient said to a member of the team that she had never felt so well cared for in her life.

Know someone at OHSU who deserves recognition? Nominate them for a ROSE Award!