Administrator
Lisa Howard
Executive Director | VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System
An administrator’s role is to motivate and lead others, remove barriers and be a champion for change, to achieve the strategic goals of the organization,” explained Lisa Howard, executive director of the VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System (VASNHCS). She has worked in VA for over 34 years and can’t imagine being in any other sector. She began her VA career in 1987, holding a number of leadership positions within the organization.
“Health and wellness are foundational to every aspect of our lives,” said Howard. “Further, the noble mission of the VA, being able to care for those who have borne the battle, is an incredible honor that I am proud to help fulfill.”
The pride she has in what she does is shown through the work she puts in every day and Howard sets the tone for her staff who served over 32,000 veterans last year. She is responsible for guiding the VASNHCS which provides healthcare veterans in 20 counties in northern Nevada and northeastern California. Howard said she is most proud of being able to help the VASNHCS move toward a servant leadership approach and shift the culture to one that is, “laser focused on improving customer experience, going above and beyond to serve veterans and protect their safety.” She continued that she is also proud that every single employee is empowered to speak their mind and offer their perspective without fear of reprisal.
Howard added, “I am motivated by the profound mission of caring for America’s heroes. They deserve honor and respect and I endeavor every day to be responsive to their needs. My heart is 100 percent aligned with serving these heroes.”
Care Provider
Olivia Moschetti
Field Nurse | Saint Mary’s Home Care
Responsible for in-home patient care, some of Olivia Moschetti’s earliest memories are of providing care to a row of stuffed animals with a toy stethoscope as a child.
“I’ve wanted to work in healthcare since I was four years old,” said Moschetti. “I developed a passion for home care during my nursing school rotations. Before I graduated, I called the director of Saint Mary’s Home Care and asked what steps I need to take to work for them.”
She has worked with Saint Mary’s in various positions since 2009 and has served as a field nurse for Saint Mary’s Home Care since 2017. Moschetti is passionate about her work as a nurse and strives to make every patient feel cared for even beyond their medical needs.
“I feel most rewarded when I know that a patient would have ended up in the hospital or had an adverse outcome had I not been present in their home,” said Moschetti. “I am privileged to get to work with patients who are grateful for the work of a nurse.”
When asked how she would define a care provider Moschetti said, “A care provider goes beyond just completing tasks and considers each patient as a unique human with a perspective and experience to be considered.”
Moschetti has said that she feels privileged to be a part of her patient’s lives in a vulnerable time and she works hard to go above and beyond expectations for those she cares for. She truly feels she was called to be a care provider and exemplifies that calling in her daily work.
“My favorite times are when I am entrusted with memories from the generations that have gone before me,” she added.
Educator
Sherry Stofko
Nursing Educator | Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center
While educators are mainly known for writing curriculum and teaching classes, I believe, at the core, we serve as motivators, change agents, mentors, career coaches and disseminators of best practices within healthcare,” explained Sherry Stofko who serves as a nurse educator for Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center. While it sounds simple, it covers a variety of roles from professional development specialist, crisis peer support team developer and leader, professional coach and mentor, among other things.
Stofko has nearly 25 years of experience in hospital settings and has been with Saint Mary’s since 2012. While with the hospital, Stofko has been instrumental in a variety of education programs including creating a multi-month residency program and co-developing and managing a clinical ladder program to help nurses succeed. In addition to her work at Saint Mary’s, Stofko founded an independent nursing education and consulting business called Capricorn Healthcare Consultants.
“I enjoy watching nurses become more engaged in their professional development,” said Stofko. “I believe the more I can engage nurses in their profession, the greater effect I have on the care we provide our community members.”
Stofko specifically has a heart for the northern Nevada community. “In 2002, I arrived in Carson City for a three-month traveling nurse assignment,” she reminisced. “I fell in love with the Reno-Tahoe area and never left. In 2013, after 17 years of direct patient-care nursing in emergency departments of all sizes and locations, I transitioned to nursing education.”
She added, “My personal joy is that I have a knack for making learning fun while still being meaningful, realistic and informative.”
Community Partner
Josiah “Sy” Johnson
Chief of Staff | Renown Health
I would define a community partner as a person or entity who recognizes greater good, external to themselves, and acts on that beyond the threshold of self-interest,” explained Josiah “Sy” Johnson. Johnson serves as chief of staff for Renown Health. He began his career in finance and accounting and moved into the healthcare realm nearly 20 years ago.
“I enjoyed working with healthcare organizations because the people and the values I found there resonated with me,” said Johnson. “People generally work in healthcare because they care about others and want to make a positive difference in other people’s lives.”
Johnson also wants to make a positive difference in people’s lives and feels he’s found a home that has allowed him to do that at Renown Health. In his role as chief of staff with the organization, Johnson is responsible for overseeing operations at Renown Regional Medical Center, Renown South Meadows Medical Center and Renown’s network service.
“I love contributing positively to the work we do and to the people doing the work,” said Johnson. “Any day I can go home after strenuous effort and note particular incidents where I know Renown achieved something meaningful for the people we serve, or where I feel I was able to contribute something meaningful to the life of an individual, I feel like was a worthwhile day.”
Johnson went on to explain how he is able to contribute to the community as a whole. “As a Renown Health executive, I feel responsible for the health of our community and for the wellbeing and development of our people at Renown,” he said. “Contributing to a successful team, focused on helping others, is my greatest joy working in healthcare.”
Humanitarian
Michael Gardner, MD
Vice Dean of Clinical Affairs and Strategy | UNLV School of Medicine
President & CEO | UNLV Medicine
To me, a humanitarian is someone who puts the needs of others above themselves,” explained Dr. Michael Gardner. “It is reflected by a life of service.”
Serving in multiple roles at UNLV including vice dean for clinical affairs and strategy and a professor at the School of Medicine, president and CEO of UNLV Medicine, the clinical arm of the school, and an adjunct professor at the School of Public Health, Gardner illustrates a life of service. Originally from Texas, Gardner comes from a military family and worked as an active duty physician with the Air Force before moving to Las Vegas and working with the UNLV School of Medicine to help the new school get off the ground.
“My wife says I am a ‘fixer’,” explained Gardner. “She further labels me as fearless and not afraid to speak up to ensure the right things are done. Of course, my wife is always right.” Clearly an intelligent man, Gardner utilizes a hands-on approach that has been invaluable to the school. With Gardner’s assistance, UNLV Medicine mobilized a curbside testing center for COVID-19 which has been able help nearly 20,000 people. That’s just one example of dozens where Gardner was able to improve the organizations at which he worked.
“At each place I was asked to ‘fix something’, I was able to bring people together and make things better for the patients and communities,” he explained. “I have been blessed that I have been able to work with so many wonderful people in so many organizations where the primary focus has been serving those who often would not get care anywhere else. Being a part of that, helping with that effort and, later in life, leading that effort, has been a great reward for which I am grateful.”
Volunteer
Medical, Physician Assistant Nursing,
Health Sciences and Social Work Students
University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and University of Nevada, Reno
Sometimes a group comes along with such an exceptional record of service that they must all be recognized together. Such are the students enrolled at the University of Nevada, Reno’s School of Medicine, Orvis School of Nursing, School of Community Health Sciences and School of Social Work. This group of students have led and participated in comprehensive volunteer efforts to assist during the COVID-19 crisis.
“Wishing I was able to be on the front lines as a nurse, and not yet having the qualifications, I began looking for other opportunities I could participate in to help during these hard times,” explained Taylor Tito, a UNR nursing student at the Orvis School of Nursing.
Michael Taylor, a medical student added, “Being sidelined during the spring of our third year of medical school was not something anyone wanted. Working closely with fellow nurses, physician assistants, social workers and physicians in the community, prior to COVID-19, motivated me to help them – as much as I could – from becoming overwhelmed with an influx of patients during this time.”
Since March of this year, the students have collectively logged over 4,900 volunteer hours from community call center triage to elderly community outreach and ensuring food security, and everything in between. Where this group saw a need, they worked to fill that need.
“By definition, a volunteer is someone who gives their time and effort to an organization,” said Alyssa Webb, a community health science student. “However, I think we can all agree it is something much deeper than that. Volunteers all come together to work for a common goal with the interest of helping others. Volunteering is about paying it forward.”
“We all stepped up in a time of great need and we did it without anything in return,” added Sierra Johnson a social work student. “We placed ourselves in other’s shoes, time and time again.”
Innovator
Mark Pandori, PhD
Director, Nevada State Public Health Laboratory | University of Nevada,
Reno School of Medicine
To Mark Pandori, an innovator is someone who, “cares enough about the challenges they face [to] use their skills and experience to face the challenge in new and previously unrecognized ways.”
He serves as director for the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory (NSPHL) at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) School of Medicine in addition to serving as an associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine. The NSPHL protects, maintains and improves the health of the community through the rapid detection of public health threats, including COVID-19. At the height of the pandemic, Governor Steve Sisolak called on Pandori to serve the COVID-19 task force because of his innovative approach to meet Nevada’s testing needs.
“In a public health lab, the testing and analyses that we do have two means of impact,” explained Pandori. “One is that they are medical and can help individuals live healthier lives. The other is that we can gather tremendous ‘intelligence’ about what is going on in the population as a whole. To be able to assist at both levels is very gratifying.”
Under Pandori’s leadership, the NSPHL was the first public health lab in the nation to construct collection kits, which are used to collect a specimen from a patient through nasal swabbing. By teaming up with UNR’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Pandori and his team have been able to facilitate faster testing for the state.
“Effective people pay attention,” said Pandori. “When you have situational awareness in your job, you will be able to make good decisions.”He went on to add that it’s important to, “recognize that what you do actually matters. When you are honestly convinced that your work matters to other people, or the world, then the rest takes care of itself.”
Non-Profit
Cari Herington
Executive Director | Nevada Cancer Coalition
Having received her MBA from the University of Nevada, Reno, Cari Herington didn’t initially plan to work in healthcare.
“I really had no idea I would end up in healthcare,” she explained. “I graduated with a degree in business and marketing.” She was hired for a marketing position with an occupational medical company before moving to Reno and working at, what is now, the Renown Rehabilitation Hospital. “I suppose that healthcare really found me,” Herington added.
In 2011, she became the first executive director for the Nevada Cancer Coalition which brings together public and private partners across Nevada to collaborate on comprehensive cancer control efforts.
“The absolutely most rewarding aspect for me, both personally and professionally is connecting people,” said Herington. “Ultimately, seeing what can be accomplished when we all work together is the best.”
Under her guidance, the Nevada Cancer Coalition has become a vital force for cancer patients in Nevada helping to bring organizations together that normally wouldn’t be partners. The organization is working on a number of initiatives, from cancer awareness to educational efforts. Most recently, the organization launched ThriveNV which partners those in need of care with a patient navigator to help guide them through the healthcare continuum following a cancer diagnosis.
“It is a privilege to do this work, work I sincerely believe in, and I hope that shines through in what I do every day,” said Herington. “I am most proud of bringing together organizations across the state to make significant changes in reducing Nevada’s burden of cancer. From working together to build programs that fill gaps and address needs, to working together on statewide policy changes to increase access to care in our state, it’s big stuff. I’m extremely proud to be a part of it.”
Physician
Donald Mason, MD
Critical Care Medical Director | Northern Nevada Medical Center
A good physician will carefully listen to their patients,” explained Dr. Donald Mason. “This can be exceedingly difficult in these days of ever-increasing productivity demands.”
Mason serves as critical care medical director for Northern Nevada Medical Center (NNMC), which seems a far cry from his college studies in electrical engineering. But, it was that interest that led him to digital imaging, which was first being applied to medicine in the 1970s. Having a previous understanding of the complexities of healthcare from friends and family in the field, Mason decided to pursue a medical career. In that pursuit he discovered an affinity for intensive care and eventually landed at NNMC.
In addition to carefully listening to patients and their needs, Mason believes that physicians must know when to ask for help, and empathy is essential. “In the ICU (intensive care unit), this empathy needs to extend to the family,” Mason said. “As is often the case, they are proxies for the patient and are being asked to make complex and difficult decisions with imperfect tools at their disposal.”
Mason’s empathetic nature has served him well in his career as a physician and he is greatly admired by his colleagues for his work. When asked what he finds most rewarding in that work, he said it was being able to provide teaching moments to others, showcase his admiration to the staff he works with and, “obviously, the successes – both great and small.”
Mason went on to list the proudest moments in his career and said that it was, “Certainly those scattered victories where a patient for whom I was caring for was rescued from what seemed like certain death.”
Lifetime Achievement
Jen Richards, PhD
Chief Nursing Officer, Acute Care Services | Renown Health
I believe achievement is defined many different ways,” said Dr. Jen Richards. “From my perspective, it is about making a difference very day, sometimes large and often small, and leaving the world, your community, your work, in a better place than how you found it.”
Richards began her healthcare career in 1995 as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and discovered she had found her calling. She’s done everything from working on the frontlines of healthcare to serving as an educator and moving into leadership. Today she serves as chief nursing officer for the acute care services division of Renown Health.
Interestingly, Richards believed, from a young age, that she was destined to be a teacher. However, when someone close to her was involved in a serious car accident, and she saw the care he received while hospitalized, and the contributions of one nurse to that care, Richards saw her calling change. “First and foremost, I care about people,” said Richards. “I care about inspiring and empowering people to be their best selves. I love mentoring others and watching them achieve what is important to them, whether personally or professionally.”
Richards has just retired from her 21-year career at Renown. Looking back, she said the most rewarding part of her work is, “Seeing people set their mind to something and accomplish it. And, maybe to know that I was able to help in some small way.”
She added, “One thing I have learned is that there is never ending change in healthcare but what remains constant is the relationships we get to have with the people we do this hard work with every day.”
She sums up the concept of Lifetime Achievement with a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded.”