The snow may have crippled DC and much of the region, but here it’s been a busy week.
On Monday I attended my first clinical operations meeting chaired by John Marshall, and involving Lombardi’s clinical team. My involvement is a direct outgrowth of Lombardi’s expanded relationship with MedStar Health, and I am very pleased with the warm reception I’ve received in my new role. This is a truly exciting time as we plan for renovations and upgrades to our facilities that will be essential in the expansion of our clinical operations.
On Monday evening my lab carried on the long-held lab tradition of holding holiday parties in mid to late January. The party was at Cactus Cantina, and a great time was had by all. I had hoped my 4-month-old grandson Isaac—whom we were babysitting—would be able to join us, but he ended up staying at home with Harriet because it was too cold for him to go out. When I got back home later that evening, Harriet asked me to hold Isaac, and he and I both promptly fell asleep for the night. I lost an evening of work, and am not sure if I can blame the baby or the margaritas. Either way, it was the best possible investment of my time.
On Tuesday, I attended a kickoff meeting for the Men’s Event to benefit prostate cancer research, scheduled for June at Morton’s steakhouse. Last year’s event grossed $96,000 and netted about $50,000—and we expect an even bigger and better event this year.
On Wednesday evening I was scheduled to attend the basketball game between Big East Rivals St. John’s and Georgetown as part of a development event, but our event ended up being cancelled due to the snow. Happily, Georgetown won that game despite—or perhaps because of—my absence.
I spent Thursday in clinic, and had the opportunity to be shadowed by Victoria Churchville, a scientific writer from the Office of Advancement who is writing a profile of me for use by development officers. It’s always interesting to interact with people whose job it is to observe your work and describe it to others. It is a reminder of something that’s easy to lose sight of: that what we do when we see patients is something different and special.
Enjoy the weekend—I hope you thaw out!