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Employee Spotlight - Katie Dunegan

katie dunegan
Neil Detweiler, Katie Dunegan, Suzanne Adelsohn

Congratulations to our newest recipient of the Staff Recognition Spotlight Award - Katie Dunegan!

Katie Dunegan has been awarded the Spotlight Staff Recognition Award for her efforts as part of the Support Services division of the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine.

Known for her positive attitude, Katie is recognized for her excellent customer service skills, the initiative she takes to improve workflow and organization, as well as always being willing to jump in and offer whatever help she can give.

To get to know Katie, we asked her a few questions.

Q. What is your job title and how long have you worked here in the Department of Pathology?
I have been a phlebotomist for almost 10 years but with UCI for almost 3. I started out in Mobile phlebotomy and moved over to outreach.

Q. What is a trait/skill/talent that you like most about yourself?
Two traits I have always carried with me is organization/cleanliness and dependability. I always like my workspace clean and tidy, and if anyone needs help or a shift covered, I will jump at the opportunity, and if I am unsure, I will find out for confirmation.

Q. If you could pick a new skill in an instant, what would it be?
A new skill would be to learn more on the Tech side of the specimens. I love looking under a microscope and watching how bacteria grows; I am also fascinated with viruses.

Q. What's your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorite childhood memories is traveling. I am originally from Arizona, so I would travel up to Nevada all the time and explored Northern Arizona quite a bit.

Q. What do you enjoy doing most when you have free time?
During my free time, I am hanging out with my husband and 2 fur kids, going to events, reading, or enjoying the outdoors either running or hiking. My husband recently has been doing amateur acting, so my schedule has been busy watching from behind the scenes--one of the coolest experiences I've ever been involved in.

Q. Who had the most influence on you growing up?
My mother had the most influence on me growing up. She continually showed me how to depend on myself and have self-growth, and for that I am thankful. It taught me how to be independent and self-motivated to take on the world and crush my own goals.

Q. What are two things on your bucket list?
Two bucket list items are: visit the East Coast and eventually move to Europe, maybe Germany or England.

Q. What was the most incredible exotic place you've traveled to?
Unfortunately, I haven't visited any places yet that I'd call exotic.

Q. Have you ever met anybody famous?
I am a very big scary movie fan and have met a few actors along the way: Kane Hodder (he's played in various Friday the 13rh films), Tony Todd (Candyman), Warrington Gillette (Friday the 13th Part 2 Jason), Philip Friedman (Played the Old Bride in Insidious). These are just to name a few.

Q. What is your perfect meal?
Since recently going Vegetarian and soon going completely Vegan, I am still with trial and error on Meals but have grown to love Falafel.

We want to wish Katie a hearty congratulations on receiving the Staff Recognition Spotlight Award.

CONGRATULATIONS!

 

To nominate a co-worker for the next quarter's lottery, download the nomination form

Who is ELIGIBLE?
Any staff member who has been employed at least 90 days and has not been selected in the previous quarter. For group nominations, only groups of 4 or fewer are eligibile.

What QUALITIES should the employee show?
An employee who goes above and beyond in displaying the following values and actions: customer service, team work, performance, and innovation.

Who can NOMINATE?
Any staff member can self-nominate and/or nominate another employee by filling out the form.

How will the employee be RECOGNIZED?
A $100 gift card and a fleece jacket with the Department of Pathology logo will be awarded to the successful nominee. The person will also be featured in the Employee Spotlight on the Dept. of Pathology website.

Who will make the DECISION?
A committee team of employees (Staff Ambassadors) and assistant directors (Shirley Belen and Mary Eugenio-Allen) will select the best examples of our values, put the names into a lottery, and one name will be picked randomly.