Cynthia Frank, Ph.D., RNClinical Research Nurse 3 (Infectious Diseases), and Susan Ardito, Senior Administrative Assistant (Pulmonary), recently received awards of excellence from the Department of Internal Medicine.
The Service Excellence Award is presented annually at the Spring Town Hall to recognize the outstanding qualities of one or more staff members of the Department of Internal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. A committee of associate department directors received 12 nominations this year and, after careful consideration, selected two individuals to present the award.
“The Service Excellence Award is a way to recognize all the fantastic contributions of the best staff here at Yale,” said Mark Holter, CMPE, CPA, Vice President, Finance and Administration. “Each year, we seek nominations from managers and colleagues across the department for individuals whose work and behaviors support and promote the goals, values and mission of the department. These individuals demonstrate professionalism, commitment, dedication and teamwork. They serve as models for the department, school and university.
Frank said she felt “really surprised and very humbled” when she was announced as one of two recipients of the Service Excellence Award. “I have been very fortunate to work with principal investigators and colleagues who have been brilliant, empathetic and caring, and who have such integrity. I love working with people like this, who provide advice, mentorship and direction; that’s what really brings it all together for us,” she said.
During her 27 years at Yale, Frank worked primarily with the Yale AIDS Program and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System as a Clinical Trials Research Coordinator. Most recently, Frank served as Program Director for the InSTRIDE lab under Sandra Springer, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and Associate Clinical Professor of Nursing, including overseeing the new Yale ACTION trial. The study connects previously incarcerated individuals with a history of opioid or stimulant use to a mobile health unit or peer navigation to access health care and meet other needs and services.
“I tell my team all the time: providing healthcare, having the privilege to do so and always doing what’s best for the patient, that really is our North Star. I really want everyone to have the same opportunities and the same quality of life, and I mean everyone. Anything I can do to get things done is really what’s important to me and our team,” Frank said.
Frank was nominated by Nikhil Seval, MD, assistant professor of medicine (infectious diseases), and Springer. “Cyndi administers six NIH grants and their staff, all of which care for patients who have substance use disorders or who are at risk of or living with HIV and infectious diseases,” Springer said. “He is truly a kind, smart, caring, hardworking and wonderful person who I am so honored to work with on our team.”
Ardito also said she felt very humbled to have been selected. “The nomination was quite complimentary. I didn’t expect to be selected because there are a lot of people who are nominated for this, and I know they are doing a great job. My PIs have been very, very kind and grateful to me over the years, so receiving this award is like the icing on the cake,” she said.
Ardito has worked with the Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine (Yale-PCCSM) since 2000. She is the Section’s Grants Coordinator, Senior Administrator coordinating PCCSM’s T32 Postgraduate Training Grant, and is a critical and senior member of an eight-person administrative team that supports the Yale-PCCSM faculty. She is known for going above and beyond with all grant applications, regardless of size, and for helping every Principal Investigator (PI) with equal dedication.
“I love working with all the principal investigators – and I’m talking about over 30 investigators who will be applying for grants in my section. There are a lot of different personalities, and I like that. And I love when they get their money; I feel like I helped a bit,” Ardito said.
Ardito was nominated by Klar Yaggi, MD, MPH, Professor (Pneumology, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine). “Our T32 has been successfully funded over the past 25 years, in large part due to the hard work of Susan, and it has launched the careers of many people in our section and helped a huge number of patients during this time,” Yaggi said. .
After a total of 24 landmark years at Yale, Ardito plans to retire in November. Although she will miss her job, she looks forward to spending more time with her husband.
The Service Excellence Awards were created in 2016. The list of nominees for 2021 includes:
- Amy Anderson, Communications Officer 1
- Laurie Andrews, RN, MPH, Program Manager (AIDS Clinical Trials)
- Anne Marie Berrios, Senior Administrative Assistant (General Medicine)
- Julie Jennings, Associate Director, Research and Compliance
- Jennifer Lacerda, Associate Director, Clinical Affairs
- Cayetana Navarro, MBA, PMP, Program Manager (Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Medicine)
- Karen Ortiz, Senior Administrative Assistant
- Grant Patterson, Post-Award Grants Manager
- Yogita Verma, Laboratory Manager
- Wanling Zhu, research assistant (endocrinology)
Yale’s Department of Internal Medicine is among the nation’s premier departments, bringing together an elite cadre of clinicians, investigators, educators, and staff in one of the best medical schools in the world. To learn more, visit Internal Medicine.
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