Susan Salem-Spencer
May 2022
Susan
Salem-Spencer
,
MS, BS, RN
Psychiatric Nursing
University of Rochester Medical Center- Strong Memorial Hospital
Rochester
,
NY
United States
Susan is a strong patient advocate as she promotes healthy decisions for patients without compromising their beliefs, wants, or needs.
The Alzheimer’s Disease Care, Research, Education (AD-CARE) Program at the University of Rochester would like to recognize Susan Salem-Spencer, RN, MSN as a DAISY Nurse. She defines what a “Strong Nurse” is as she consistently goes above and beyond for all her patients and coworkers. Her expertise, positive attitude, and teamwork make AD-CARE an amazing place to be. Susan has been working at AD-CARE for over two decades. During that time, she has taken on more responsibility and has successfully become our Lead Study Coordinator and Operations Leader. She is a key member of the AD-CARE team and is described as “the glue that holds us all together”.
Currently, she coordinates over 10 clinical trials and works on over 15. During her career, she has conducted over 200 studies. Throughout the years, these studies have become much more complex, involving an array of PET and MRI imaging, frequent infusions, lumbar punctures, and coordination with investigational pharmacy. In addition, she completes general administrative tasks including study start-up, AD-CARE team meetings, staff training, and study equipment management. Attention to detail is an absolute must and Susan is incredibly detailed-oriented which means the research studies run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. This is not a simple task. Susan is dedicated, resourceful, conscientious, and unflustered.
In addition to Susan’s daily duties, she creates time to build and support the AD-CARE team. She mentors all new team members including nurses, psychometricians, and study coordinators. We all agree that she is our “go-to” person for all questions and complications because she consistently responds in a patient, calm, and communicative manner. She utilizes her problem-solving skills and attention to detail to help all team members with study management.
She is always the first to jump in to help others, putting in additional hours or coming in on her days off to assist. She has filled in for sick staff members and assisted others in completing their study tasks a countless number of times. She has even moved furniture, cleaned offices, and dropped off packages to FedEx when others were not available to do so. During Covid-19, she ensured that our Program stayed open, and that our research participants continued to receive cutting-edge treatments while most other research programs temporarily closed down, all while paying utmost attention to ever-changing Infection control protocols and creating a safe space for our study participants and staff.
She celebrates AD-CARE members by acknowledging both work-related and personal accomplishments. In the past year alone, she nominated several staff members for strong stars and other general awards. She has organized celebrations for team members who have graduated from school, bought new homes, or taken new jobs.
While we started by highlighting Susan’s importance to the program and her coworkers, we saved the most important for last. Her dedication to our patients and their families sets the tone for the rest of us. Susan goes the extra mile to guarantee that patients and caregivers receive the best care possible. She is gentle and kind in all patient and caregiver interactions. She speaks on the phone with caregivers for hours to offer emotional support and she takes patient calls even on evenings and weekends. She continues relationships with patients and caregivers even after their study participation has ended. Safe to say, she is adored by our patients and caregivers. She is a strong patient advocate as she promotes healthy decisions for patients without compromising their beliefs, wants, or needs. These are just a few examples of how Susan displays all characteristics of a DAISY Nurse. AD-CARE agrees that there is no one more deserving of this award than her. She is the bedrock of our success and AD-CARE’s national and international recognition.
Currently, she coordinates over 10 clinical trials and works on over 15. During her career, she has conducted over 200 studies. Throughout the years, these studies have become much more complex, involving an array of PET and MRI imaging, frequent infusions, lumbar punctures, and coordination with investigational pharmacy. In addition, she completes general administrative tasks including study start-up, AD-CARE team meetings, staff training, and study equipment management. Attention to detail is an absolute must and Susan is incredibly detailed-oriented which means the research studies run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. This is not a simple task. Susan is dedicated, resourceful, conscientious, and unflustered.
In addition to Susan’s daily duties, she creates time to build and support the AD-CARE team. She mentors all new team members including nurses, psychometricians, and study coordinators. We all agree that she is our “go-to” person for all questions and complications because she consistently responds in a patient, calm, and communicative manner. She utilizes her problem-solving skills and attention to detail to help all team members with study management.
She is always the first to jump in to help others, putting in additional hours or coming in on her days off to assist. She has filled in for sick staff members and assisted others in completing their study tasks a countless number of times. She has even moved furniture, cleaned offices, and dropped off packages to FedEx when others were not available to do so. During Covid-19, she ensured that our Program stayed open, and that our research participants continued to receive cutting-edge treatments while most other research programs temporarily closed down, all while paying utmost attention to ever-changing Infection control protocols and creating a safe space for our study participants and staff.
She celebrates AD-CARE members by acknowledging both work-related and personal accomplishments. In the past year alone, she nominated several staff members for strong stars and other general awards. She has organized celebrations for team members who have graduated from school, bought new homes, or taken new jobs.
While we started by highlighting Susan’s importance to the program and her coworkers, we saved the most important for last. Her dedication to our patients and their families sets the tone for the rest of us. Susan goes the extra mile to guarantee that patients and caregivers receive the best care possible. She is gentle and kind in all patient and caregiver interactions. She speaks on the phone with caregivers for hours to offer emotional support and she takes patient calls even on evenings and weekends. She continues relationships with patients and caregivers even after their study participation has ended. Safe to say, she is adored by our patients and caregivers. She is a strong patient advocate as she promotes healthy decisions for patients without compromising their beliefs, wants, or needs. These are just a few examples of how Susan displays all characteristics of a DAISY Nurse. AD-CARE agrees that there is no one more deserving of this award than her. She is the bedrock of our success and AD-CARE’s national and international recognition.