Katie consistently goes above and beyond to serve our patients. Every day, she arrives at work with a great attitude, and a commitment to the community we serve. She is incredibly reliable, never missing a day of work. She is levelheaded, patient, kind, intelligent, observant, and a fantastic listener. In the dermatology clinic, she performs her duties to the highest degree. She effortlessly manages the patient flow of a busy dermatology clinic by rooming patients, and assisting in biopsies, incision and drainage, excision, and various other procedures. She manages a complex biopsy log. She manages to find small free moments to discuss laboratory and pathology results with patients, how she does this so efficiently is beyond me. Recently, she has had to do all of this while short-staffed, as we have gone through periods without help from an MA. Despite this, she has been steadfast in her responsibilities. 

Katie also gets to know our patients deeply on a personal level, remembering their family members' names, backstories, hobbies, and interests. My patients regularly bring her gifts, and one recently was thrilled to play his favorite song that reminded him of her. What has really impressed me is that Katie has shown a great interest in the field of dermatology itself and is consistently teaching herself about it so she can better help our patients. She has personally purchased several textbooks in dermatology (using her own hard-earned money) to help with this. And it shows. She regularly identifies the correct diagnosis before I even walk into the room. 

Katie has also taken it upon herself to learn the ins and outs of managing prior authorizations and has been instrumental in creating a system to better get our patients the medications they need. In particular, she has helped countless patients obtain biologic therapies for debilitating inflammatory skin diseases like atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa, bullous pemphigoid, pemphigus vulgaris, lichen planus, and more. Throughout the good times and the tough, I have been able to rely on Katie to do an outstanding job. Because of her humble attitude, I feel like she doesn't always get the recognition she deserves for doing such an amazing job. She truly cares about what we do in the clinic, and it's been an honor to watch her grow into the role. I am truly indebted to her.