Pause, Reflect, and Begin Again

by dom-wp-admin | Feb 27, 2024 | 2023, Community Engagement 2023

Pause, Reflect, and Begin Again

Through these selected videos, Department of Medicine staff members take a moment to pause and reflect on how they replenish their energy at work and in their personal lives. They look back on particular experiences in the department that, for them, signify positive change.

Their responses embody the very spirit of renewal: recognizing what has been lost in recent years, looking ahead to 2023–24 with a sense of optimism, and expressing a will and readiness to begin again.

We invite you to join our staff in enacting a collective renewal.

Together, we

acknowledge the cyclical nature of life, from loss and mourning to growth and celebration;
balance reflecting on the past with hope for a brighter future; and
recommit to our shared mission of research, education, clinical care, and community partnership.

Stanford Is Going South

Paid Summer Internship Program Furthers Stanford Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion

by dom-wp-admin | Feb 27, 2024 | 2023, Community Engagement 2023

Front row, from left: Josue Parra, UC Berkeley; Briana Giglio, San Jose State University; Sarah Morales, UC Berkeley; Daphney Saviotti-Orozco, UC Berkeley. Back row, from left: Cecile Bonini and Karina Delgado-Carrasco

Paid Summer Internship Program Furthers Stanford Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion

During the summer of 2023, the Department of Medicine launched a Paid Internship Program for college students. Through this initiative, eight undergraduates from local universities were placed in staff positions across four divisions in the department.

In the interview that follows, Cecile Bonini, associate director of human resources, and Karina Delgado-Carrasco, director of education programs, answer questions about why the program was established and what it hopes to achieve in the future.

What is the Paid Internship Program?

Bonini: The Paid Internship Program creates summer staff positions for a diverse group of students with a strong appreciation for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), who are interested in careers in health care, academic medicine, and administrative roles in higher learning.

How did you go about setting it up?

Bonini: Karina and I reached out to student advisers at local schools and universities to seek applicants with relevant majors. We also contacted campus student support centers and “first-gen” offices, to reach students who were first in their families to attend college.

We promoted the availability of the internships to all 15 divisions in our department. We then developed job descriptions with managers who were excited about supervising a student in a staff role within their work groups.

For this past summer, we had six managers sign on to train and supervise a student. We hired eight people from San Jose State University, UC Berkeley, and the University of San Francisco. Hopefully, these students will view us as a potential employer when they graduate.

What led to the creation of the Paid Internship Program?

Bonini: Two events occurred in 2021. First, the results of a university-wide equity, diversity, and inclusion survey were published. The data showed that though there are spaces at Stanford that can be welcoming and inclusive for many, we have a long way to go as a university to achieve broad-based inclusivity and belonging for all members of the Stanford community.

And second, I noticed that many of the undergraduate students attending our virtual job fairs were asking about paid summer positions. Though we did have summer traineeships available, they were often unpaid or had already been filled by the specific principal investigator seeking those roles.

And how did these two issues motivate you to create this new program?

Bonini: Karina and I felt we could leverage these two scenarios by proactively reaching out to local schools and universities to seek undergraduates who were mission driven; had a strong lens for DEIB; and were interested in health care, academic medicine, or university administration. We would create new summer paid positions with the help of managers who were willing to supervise such individuals on their staff teams.

We approached department leaders who thought this was a wonderful idea. Our director of finance and administration, Cathy Garzio, authorized funding for eight paid summer internships for 2023.

Cecile Bonini (left) and Karina Delgado-Carrasco

Delgado-Carrasco: We also view this program as an opportunity to create a pipeline of candidates who might match a full-time staff role at Stanford in the future. Many students we spoke to were not aware of the numerous employment opportunities we offer; mostly they viewed “health care” as going to medical school or another type of professional training program. Some even thought you had to attend Stanford to work there!

Our goal is to welcome people who otherwise may not have considered working at Stanford and to demonstrate that we have numerous job opportunities for people with a variety of backgrounds and life experiences.

From left: Josue Parra, Briana Giglio, Sarah Morales, Daphney Saviotti-Orozco

What is the Paid Internship Program?

How did you go about setting it up?

Cecile Bonini (left) and Karina Delgado-Carrasco

What led to the creation of the Paid Internship Program?

And how did these two issues motivate you to create this new program?

We approached department leaders who thought this was a wonderful idea. Our director of finance and administration, Cathy Garzio, authorized funding for eight paid summer internships for 2023.

From left: Josue Parra, Briana Giglio, Sarah Morales, Daphney Saviotti-Orozco

The Paid Internship Program creates summer staff positions for a diverse group of students with a strong appreciation for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, who are interested in careers in health care, academic medicine, and administrative roles in higher learning.

— Cecile Bonini, associate director of human resources

What did this year’s participants do?

Bonini: The eight students worked in various roles in clinical research and administrative support. But it wasn’t all work: We had four professional development seminars that highlighted the importance of personal branding, self-awareness, and networking. Stanford comes with a reputation that some people can find intimidating, so we tried to help the students navigate the organization, ideally so they could envision themselves in full-time roles here in the future. And we had a lovely closing session at the end of the summer, where we bid the students farewell and invited them to keep in touch with one another and with the various connections they made during their time here.

Why do you feel this program is important?

Delgado-Carrasco: Thinking back on my own career journey, I believe having an opportunity like this would have helped me see that there was so much more to do “out there” than I knew about when I was in school. I was a public health major as an undergraduate, but I really didn’t know what that meant in terms of the multiple options I would have for career choices. I felt a little lost back then! I hope this program helps participants understand the numerous roles people who are interested in health care can play.

— Cecile Bonini, associate director of human resources

What did this year’s participants do?

Why do you feel this program is important?

Pause, Reflect, and Begin Again

From Bariatric Surgeon to Accidental Activist

Making the Meaning of ‘First-Generation’ From College to Career

by dom-wp-admin | Feb 27, 2024 | 2023, Community Engagement 2023

Making the Meaning of ‘First-Generation’ From College to Career

It seems no one can agree on what being a first-generation college student means. According to CalMatters, academic institutions across the state employ different definitions of “first-generation student,” which affects how they see their student body and sometimes what resources they get.

Stanford considers a student first-generation if neither of their parents earned college degrees, a status that applied to just over 20% of undergraduates in 2022. However, regardless of what institutions mean by “first-generation student,” the accomplishment of graduating from college means something different to each individual.

In the Department of Medicine, we asked several staff members what it means for them to be first-generation college graduates: they shared what a college degree means to them and their families, offered insights into the struggles first-generation students face after graduation, and gave suggestions for how first-generation graduates can succeed in their careers at Stanford.

Jessica Lau

Postdoc Coordinator/Administrative Associate in the division of Immunology & Rheumatology

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Adriana Moreno

Administrative Associate II in the Center for Clinical Research

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Cayla Whitney

Education Program Coordinator in the division of Nephrology

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Jessica Lau

Postdoc Coordinator/Administrative Associate in the division of Immunology & Rheumatology

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Adriana Moreno

Administrative Associate II in the Center for Clinical Research

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Cayla Whitney

Education Program Coordinator in the division of Nephrology

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Jessica Lau

(She/Her)

Alma Mater: UC Santa Barbara ’20

Degree: BA in Global Studies & Sociology

Role in the Department of Medicine: Postdoc Coordinator/Administrative Associate in the division of Immunology & Rheumatology

Hometown and Family: Jessica’s hometown is Milpitas, California. Since she graduated, her younger sister also earned a BA, from San Jose State University in 2023.

Hobbies: playing with Basil, Beansprout, and Simba, her three cats

Jessica Lau enjoys playing with her cats.

Jessica Lau

(She/Her)

Alma Mater: UC Santa Barbara ’20

Degree: BA in Global Studies & Sociology

Role in the Department of Medicine: Postdoc Coordinator/Administrative Associate in the division of Immunology & Rheumatology

Hometown & Family: Jessica’s hometown is Milpitas, California. Since she graduated, her younger sister also earned a BA, from San Jose State University in 2023.

Hobbies: playing with Basil, Beansprout, and Simba, her three cats

Coming from working-class families in Hong Kong and Vietnam, Jessica Lau’s parents put everything into giving her the opportunity for a college degree in America that they never had growing up.

“They didn’t have a college education—my dad didn’t even finish high school,” Lau says. For her family, her journey to a degree at UC Santa Barbara, one of the most prestigious schools in the nation, represents a culmination of all of her parents’ sacrifice and her whole family’s hard work. “They gave up everything with their families to come to America,” she says. “The fact that I was able not only to finish high school but apply to and get accepted into a UC was a real achievement.”

Lau loved her time in Santa Barbara—who wouldn’t love a campus that’s literally at the beach? Still, she felt that students from families who already had college degrees had a leg-up in terms of understanding higher education institutions.

“I felt like I was navigating these strange waters all on my own,” she remembers. “Academic institutions can make resources more widely available—not just saying they have them, but actually showing students where to get them.”

Now, Lau hopes that employers, like Stanford, remember that families with previous college graduates likely also have more experience with understanding certain types of workplaces, too.

“When I joined Stanford, it was very overwhelming. People kind of assume you know what things are: like ‘postdocs.’ I came from a first-generation family, and I had no idea what a ‘postdoc’ was,” Lau says. Explaining terms, roles, and concepts for everyone helps first-generation graduates now in the workforce—just like during college, as long as they have the same knowledge and resources as everyone else, they can do just as well.

Still, Lau’s very thankful for her family’s support and proud of her achievements, during and since college. “I had to take initiative to go to college and navigate a four-year university. I think a lot of first-generation college graduates would feel the same—and they should be proud of themselves.”

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Adriana Moreno

(She/Her)

Alma Mater: University of Colorado Denver ’20 and Washington University in St. Louis School of Law ’23

Degree: BA/MCJ (Master of Criminal Justice) and MLS (Master of Legal Studies)

Role in the Department of Medicine: Administrative Associate II in the Center for Clinical Research

Hometown and Family: Adriana’s hometown is Denver, Colorado. She is the only member of her family yet to have earned a college degree.

Hobbies: road biking, going to the gym, and visiting family in Denver and Durango, Mexico

Adriana Moreno works out in her gym

Adriana Moreno

(She/Her)

Alma Mater: University of Colorado Denver ’20 and Washington University in St. Louis School of Law ’23

Degree: BA/MCJ (Master of Criminal Justice) and MLS (Master of Legal Studies)

Role in the Department of Medicine: Administrative Associate II in the Center for Clinical Research

Hometown & Family: Adriana’s hometown is Denver, Colorado. She is the only member of her family yet to have earned a college degree.

Hobbies: road biking, going to the gym, and visiting family in Denver and Durango, Mexico

From Adriana Moreno’s point of view, a big problem that faces first-generation students before and after graduation is impostor syndrome.

“I was raised in poverty. My family didn’t go to school. Then I go to this type of institution where I have the best of the best leaders and resources,” she says with a little incredulity. “It blows my mind a little bit, and the impostor syndrome kicks in: what am I doing here?”

She notes that this feeling doesn’t go away once first-generation college students get jobs after graduation. She stresses, “It’s not just me, but other first-generation people that I know.”

Moreno finds that it can be hard for those who come from families who had gone to college to relate to the experience of first generation students, both in college and later in the workplace.

“If you want to grow in an institution, you want to have close ties, feel included, feel supported. If I were given a choice, for example, to connect with another first-generation Mexicana, we could speak the same language. We could relate in other things,” she nods.

Moreno says that checking in with employees to talk about impostor syndrome can make it a community practice to care for one another. Once impostor syndrome sets in, it makes it hard to progress at work.

“I wish there were a first-generation staff group,” she says. “We could talk about our experiences or things that we’ve done. It could be something to unite this group. We all do such a good job talking about our accomplishments, but let’s talk about how we’re struggling, because chances are someone out there is struggling the same way.”

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Cayla Whitney

(She/Her)

Alma Mater: San Jose State University ’14

Degree: BA in Design Studies

Role in the Department of Medicine: Education Program Coordinator in the division of Nephrology

Hometown and Family: Cayla’s hometown is San Jose, California. Since she graduated, her younger sister also earned a BA, from San Jose State University in 2021.

Hobbies: Arts and crafts, hiking, cooking, baking, and playing with her two pit bulls: Apollo and Porter

Arts and crafts is a favorite hobby for Cayla Whitney

Cayla Whitney

(She/Her)

Alma Mater: San Jose State University ’14

Degree: BA in Design Studies

Role in the Department of Medicine: Education Program Coordinator in the division of Nephrology

Hometown & Family: Cayla’s hometown is San Jose, California. Since she graduated, her younger sister also earned a BA, from San Jose State University in 2021.

Hobbies: Arts and crafts, hiking, cooking, baking, and playing with her two pit bulls: Apollo and Porter

“Growing up, when I say that education was emphasized, my grandmother was a big part of that,” Cayla Whitney says.

Whitney, and later her younger sister, worked hard to graduate from San José State University. But even though she grew up in the Bay Area, where her grandmother also lived, she didn’t face the same obstacles to education that her grandmother had.

“She said some women had to get approval from their husbands to go to school. But she was divorced. So she could go there,” Whitney laughs.

Her grandmother took a few college classes, but she was a single mother during a time when that was uncommon. Ultimately, she never finished her college degree, but she instilled a love of learning in her family that her grandchildren took to completed degrees.

“My love and interest in learning came from her,” Whitney says.

Still, that love of learning doesn’t demystify careers after college. When she landed her first job, she didn’t know how to tell if she was being given too many responsibilities or paid too little.

“I was half graphics designer and half administrator,” she says. When she finally told her friends how much she was being paid essentially to work two roles, they told her, “Oh, my gosh! You need to go back and ask for more!”

Whitney says career advice like this is harder for first-generation graduates to get, when they don’t know as many people with similar workplace experience.

“If I had more connections or more family members who had gone through this, I could have gotten that advice from them,” she reflects on her wandering career path. “It didn’t seem like an abnormal struggle, but when I look back at it now, I really wish I had someone to help me figure this out. I could’ve gotten settled in at the job I wanted much sooner.”

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From Bariatric Surgeon to Accidental Activist

Endocrinology Division’s Mini-Symposium Marks Return to In-Person Events

From Oncology Staff to Oncology Patient

by dom-wp-admin | Feb 27, 2024 | 2023, Clinical Care 2023

Being done with treatment allows Kristy Kerivan to focus on the things that really matter.

From Oncology Staff to Oncology Patient

Being done with treatment allows Kristy Kerivan to focus on the things that really matter.

From Oncology Staff to Oncology Patient

Kristy Kerivan thought her fatigue was from a cardiac issue and was not expecting her diagnosis: breast cancer that was HER2+, one of the more aggressive types. As senior administrative division director in the Department of Medicine’s division of oncology, she fortunately had immediate access to resources.

“I was panicked,” Kerivan says about her diagnosis. “The first person I went to was Heather Wakelee, MD, chief of oncology and also one of my bosses, and we talked through what I was facing. After that, it was a whirlwind.”

While Kerivan’s mom had previously been treated for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a noninvasive early form of breast cancer, Kerivan’s cancer had spread into breast tissue, making treatment lengthier and more complex.

And that treatment lasted a full year, starting with chemotherapy followed by lumpectomy surgery, radiation, and Herceptin, an IV medication that targets HER2+ receptors to stop cancer cell growth. Says Kerivan, “I feel fortunate that the cancer was caught early and that I had access to this medication because without it my prognosis would have been very different.”

Cancer Care at Stanford

Kerivan likes to tell people that if you’re going to get cancer, you might as well get it while working in the division of oncology at a major academic institution like Stanford. “The care I received at Stanford was exceptional,” she says, referring to her 100-plus visits to Stanford during her yearlong course of treatment.

Kerivan has been in her current position since August 2020 and had worked as administrative director for Stanford’s Vera Moulton Wall Center for Pulmonary Vascular Disease for 17 years. Extremely familiar with the administrative side of health care, Kerivan found being a patient to be an eye-opening experience. “I was surprised about the things I didn’t know,” she explains. “While I understood how specialized cancer treatment is, I didn’t know just how complex cancer care is or how treatment impacts every area of your body.”

“And from the people who checked me in, to the radiation therapists and the nurses who administered chemo — all of my personal interactions made me feel like people cared.”

As a comprehensive care center, Stanford offers an extensive array of cancer specialists. Allison Kurian , MD, professor of oncology and of epidemiology and population health at the Stanford School of Medicine, served as Kerivan’s breast oncologist and treatment physician, and her care team included a breast surgeon, a dermatology oncologist, a radiation oncologist, and a neuro-oncologist. Kerivan received periodic calls from a social worker and outreach specialist who helped her manage the emotional and nonmedical aspects of treatment.

“I felt lucky to have access to a wealth of specialists and support services that might not have been available to me at other institutions. I also felt a deeper appreciation for all the work conducted by Stanford researchers to find cures for cancer and other diseases. I like to think that, in some small way, I supported that progress,” she says.

From the people who checked me in, to the radiation therapists and the nurses who administered chemo — all of my personal interactions made me feel like people cared.

Going the Extra Mile

An example of the exceptional care and support Kerivan received occurred one Easter Sunday while she was experiencing side effects from chemotherapy. Wanting to avoid going to the emergency room and possibly exposing herself to COVID-19 and other germs when her resistance was weakened, she was relieved to learn that the Infusion Center was open every day of the year. A nurse practitioner was able to see her that day and helped address her symptoms.

Kerivan took a medical leave at the beginning of her treatment, then worked a reduced 10-hours-per-week schedule from April to October 2022. This allowed her return to full-time work to be less of a shock, and it gave her ongoing support from colleagues, especially from her administrative and finance team. “I’ll never forget the many offers of help and messages of support from staff and faculty throughout this process,” she notes. Among the small acts of kindness were the groceries that Bhuvana Ramachandran, administrative division director in the division of hematology, bought and delivered to her. Kerivan’s bosses, Wakelee and Cathy Garzio, director of finance and administration for the Department of Medicine, were also extremely supportive while she returned to full health. “Cathy checked on me frequently to see how I was doing and sent me flowers and food via DoorDash,” recalls Kerivan. “Heather was a great medical resource for questions, and she made sure I was taking care of myself and not working too much. A big part of their support was what they didn’t do — they never made me feel pressured about work, and they let me do what I felt capable of.”

During chemotherapy, Kerivan had cold capping treatment, a scalp cooling therapy that protects hair follicles to help reduce hair loss.

A New Lease on Life

Kerivan felt very lucky to be treated at Stanford and is confident in her prognosis. “People suggested I plan a big vacation after my treatment ended or do something on my bucket list, but I don’t feel the need to do that,” she adds. “Being done with treatment is a weight off my shoulders, and now I have time to focus on the things that really matter: my family, my friends, and a job that I love.”

And Kerivan found a way to help others with HER2+ breast cancer: she’s participating in a clinical trial testing the safety of a vaccine aimed at preventing cancer recurrence by targeting the HER2 protein. Fauzia Riaz, MD, clinical assistant professor of medicine, is the principal investigator of the trial.

Kerivan enjoys walking her dog at the beach in San Francisco.

During chemotherapy, Kerivan had cold capping treatment, a scalp cooling therapy that protects hair follicles to help reduce hair loss.

Cancer Care at Stanford

As a patient, she found it reassuring to visit areas she knew in passing as a staff person. “Because I was familiar with the hospital, it didn’t feel like a big, intimidating medical facility,” she says. “And from the people who checked me in, to the radiation therapists and the nurses who administered chemo — all of my personal interactions made me feel like people cared.”

From the people who checked me in, to the radiation therapists and the nurses who administered chemo — all of my personal interactions made me feel like people cared.

Kerivan enjoys walking her dog at the beach in San Francisco

Going the Extra Mile

A New Lease on Life

Inspired by Their Own Experiences With Type 1 Diabetes, Two Endocrinologists Push for Change

Tying Together Pelvic Health and the Microbiome