Firmly focused on excellence

Collectively, Mary Peterson, Susan Smyth and Peggy Vandervoort have worked at Western University for 70 years. While their roles at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry are varied they are all inspired by the teams with whom they feel fortunate to work and are firmly focused excellence as they support students and patients. Each one is also a recipient of a 2013 Western Award of Excellence.

As the rural regional medicine placement coordinator for the Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) program, Mary Peterson coordinates opportunities for medical students to experience learning, living, and working in numerous communities throughout Southwestern Ontario. She also coordinates pre-clerkship and summer research electives for students during the summers following their first and second years. In addition to supporting undergraduate students, she works with the Visiting Student Electives program at Schulich to coordinate electives for students from across Canada and around the world.

Peterson has spent most of her career at Western, starting full-time employment in 1982. And during this time she has had a wealth of opportunities to try to new and rewarding things. She fondly recalls an opportunity this past year when she attend an annual career fair and interacted with a number of residents who all had positive elective experiences in Southwestern Ontario and consequently were hoping to practise in the region. It was made it all come home for Peterson. Today she remains inspired by the students that she works with. "Our students inspire me to help them achieve success. It is my hope that the people and educational opportunities of our SWOMEN program help our graduates to enrich the world."

Peggy Vandervoort, came to Western just a few years following Peterson. From 1984 to 1997, she was the clinical trial coordinator in the neurology department. However, for the past 15 years she has been with the Clinical Trials Group at Robarts Research Institute. There she has been involved with the management of the projects and teams within the clinical operations group and have assisted the directors with short and long term management and strategic decisions.

Reflecting on her time at Robarts Clinical Trials, Vandervoort has seen great growth. "I was the fifth employee and now our group includes more than 100 staff and locations throughout the world," said Vandervoort. Although there have been many changes throughout the past 15 years, she remains inspired by the patients whose course of disease and quality of life are improved by the studies conducted at Robarts. She also continues to receive tremendous satisfaction from the great sense of teamwork she has the opportunity to experience every day.

Like Vandervoort, Susan Smyth is also inspired by the great team she works alongside. "I have always considered my colleagues in the Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) office to be a dream team. Working in an environment where you enjoy coming into work every day, where everyone supports each other on a personal and professional basis and where the manager has a collaborative style makes a difference," she said.

As the Registration Coordinator for PGME, Smyth provides daily, ongoing monitoring of licence expiries and issuances, she coordinates the annual July registration process for more than 900 new and continuing trainees, ensuring they have completed all PGME registration requirements and she serves as the Commissioner of Oaths, signing documents for license applications, exams, application for fellowships in other countries.

Prior to joining the PGME office, Smyth was a member of the UME team, so was familiar with the culture at the School. What has been most surprising for her however has been the change management process the School has undertaken most recently. She had experienced this in the corporate world and understands that this could cause fear for some people. She believes that "with change you have three choices: you can allow fear of change to paralyze you, you can dig your heels in, or you can ride the wave and enjoy the changes and new opportunities it brings. It's clear that Smyth has chosen to ride that wave. She is excited to embrace the changes that she has already seen, and is grateful to have been given the opportunity to voice her thoughts on how the School can become more competitive.

All three recipients feel quite honoured to have received this award, and for them the greater privilege is the opportunity they have to continue providing excellence in service to the students, residents and patients they support.