Dawn grew up in Albemarle County; after living and working in other parts of Virginia, she returned to the area six years ago. Her first position at UVA was with the Stem Cell Transplant section in the Division of Hematology-Oncology; she then joined the Division of Nephrology as assistant to chief Mark Okusa. In Roanoke she was manager for the local Planned Parenthood organization, and she’s worked for other non-profits as well; coming to UVA, she says, “has been an interesting change.”
Dawn (right) and friend.
What do you like about your job?
Co-chairing the Department of Medicine’s Staff Employee Advisory Council. It gives me an opportunity to utilize my leadership skills and help make some good things happen in the department.
One of the things we’re responsible for is selecting the employee of the month from nominations submitted for the award. We also organize and provide volunteer staff for outreach programs to local schools like the “Inside UVA” event for middle-schoolers. They get to visit the Medical Center and learn what happens inside those towering white walls they pass everyday on their way to school.
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
Honestly, it’s not what I would learn — it’s what I would overcome. I have an acute fear of flying; I’ve probably flown 20 times, and still get major anxiety just thinking about it. It’s a fear that holds me back from taking advantage of experiences like traveling abroad.
Proudest achievement outside the professional realm?
Promoting access to services for the LGBTQ community while managing the Planned Parenthood clinic in Blacksburg. I advocated for the clinic to become a provider of services and a safe space for people in the LGBTQ population. Under my leadership, we started seeing transgender people, and it was exciting to offer those services in southwest Virginia, an area not known for its acceptance of “otherness.”
Skatetown — Daily Progress, 1974.
What are you usually doing on the weekends?
I am vice president for the board of a local non-profit, and spend a lot of my nights and weekends working on board and agency issues and projects. However, with the great weather around the corner, I hope to soon be spending time in my yard. While I don’t actually have much of a green thumb, I do like to plant things (and pretty quickly kill them or watch them die slow deaths). It’s all about the journey, right?
What’s one thing you always have in your fridge?
Butta! It makes everything betta!
Where did you go on your last vacation?
Given my fear of flying, my vacations tend to be close to home. I went to Virginia Beach the day after Christmas because it was so warm. Strangely, there were a ton of beautiful jellyfish washed up on the beach. I collected shells and got to see the dolphins swimming just off shore.
What about you would surprise us?
I’m kinda bossy. Wait. That’s not actually a surprise. I like to roller skate and miss there being a Skatetown in Charlottesville.
Filed Under: News and Notes
Tags: Nephrology