So what do you do here?

I am a clinical/health care research manager. I manage the daily operations within the Clinical Research Unit where we work with volunteers participating in clinical trials at the UI.

What do you enjoy most about working in a higher education setting?

I really like working in an environment that is intellectually dynamic and full of opportunity on a daily basis.

Take us through your most memorable (surprising/rewarding/unique) day at the university.

Several years ago I worked on a research team involved in a national clinical trial dedicated to a device that helps people who are unable to have a heart transplant live longer lives. I’ll always remember how rewarding it felt to send home one of the first patients ever to receive our left ventricular heart assist device.

What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken—and did it pay off?

In 2010 my family rescued a severely injured German shepherd dog that had been struck by a car on Interstate 380. We named her Ava and spent over half a year caring for her during several surgeries, weeks of rehabilitation, and countless car trips to veterinarians throughout the state. Unfortunately, she eventually succumbed to her injuries.

Despite the tragic outcome, the risk I involved myself in was not without reward. It allowed my family, especially my young children, to participate in an extraordinary good deed. Ava had many good months of unconditional love from our family and we experienced the same from her. We also witnessed the better side of people through their generous donations and veterinary assistance.

If you could spend a day with anyone, from any era, who would it be and why?

Jesus.To see him in person, ask him questions, and hear the answers in his own voice.

If you could have a song written about you, who would perform it, and what would it be called?

"Labyrinthine,"performed by Chris Daughtry.

If you could get rid of one invention in the world, what would you choose?

This is a tricky question. "Bad" inventions come in several categories: the double-edge swords that are both beneficial and harmful/annoying like e-mail; those that, in hindsight, were harmful like asbestos; those that were intended to be harmful like nerve gas; those that quickly became obsolete like Betamax; those that will become obsolete the day after tomorrow like iPhone 5 (or will it be 6?): re-inventions that previously died out like the extinct girdle that was recently resurrected into Spanx; those that are despised by Luddites like television or cell phones; and just plain old bad ideas. The list goes on.

A few invention/ideas that I think we could do without are: money that costs more to produce than its face value (I'm lookin’ at you penny and nickel because it takes 2.4 and 11.2 cents to produce each of you, respectively); Rascal scooters that don't have some criteria for use; cigarettes; in-ear cell phones; and car alarms.

Name five of your favorite things.

• Diet Mountain Dew
• A long afternoon nap
• Thunderstorms
• Windy days
• The sound of my children laughing