UC Health
Cincinnati, OH
I began in December 2021 as a Communications Consultant working to support all aspects of the UC Health system, including copyediting, writing and other internal communications needs. Hover your cursor over the WORK tab to be able to see my professional and extracurricular experience. I have been given permission to post this work in my portfolio.
At UC Health, I’m the owner of the internal, employees-only intranet site—The Link on SharePoint—where I write and post everything from need-to-know information like annual review due dates, to stories about the incredible things that our healthcare heroes do every single day. I am the main copyeditor for the entire system, as any documents, memos and communications works through my team, which means I copyedit anywhere from 150-200 documents per month—anything from surgical prep documents to Tweets. I also get the opportunity to write patient and employee stories, from the beginning interview stages through photography and publication, and sharing stories of determination and the miracle work that UC Health does is one of the best parts of my job.
Read on below to see just a fraction of my writing—I’m happy to share more from a certain project.
Discover Hope Stories
For external, public audiences.
Travis and Alissa Miller, their daughters and members of their care team at UC Medical Center.
Rescued From The Rubble: Travis Miller’s Story
September 2022
In December 2020, Travis Miller was working on a 14-story powerhouse when it collapsed, trapping him under tons of concrete, steel and debris. It was 8 hours before search and rescue teams found Travis, flew him to UC Medical Center, where he was met by the region’s only Level I trauma center teams who, over the course of 2 months, would save his life.
Despite losing both legs, Travis is walking on his own, without any assistance. Telling Travis’ story—meeting him and his family, be part of the care team reunion—is a highlight of my young career. Travis is a continuous inspiration to all, and I’m lucky to have met such an incredible man.
Amber, living kidney donor, and Melissa, kidney recipient.
Melissa’s Story: Finding a Living Kidney Donor Through Social Media
April 2022
When Amber Serna saw her fellow nurse and co-worker, Melissa Kincaid’s post on Facebook searching for a living kidney donor, she didn’t think twice to fill out the forms. After extensive testing, Amber was able to deliver the news to Melissa at work—that they could schedule their transplant surgeries at UC Medical Center—a moment they both say they’ll treasure forever.
Being present when these two reunited and seeing Melissa thank Amber was incredible. Sharing this story for Donate Life Month and hearing about how it changed both of their lives forever was so rewarding.
Bob outside of UC Health’s West Chester Hospital after his heart transplant.
The Gift of Life—Heart Transplant Saves Life of GE Engineer
February 2022
Bob Schlein, GE Engineer, had a heart attack in July 2020 that lead to heart failure. After being flown to UC Medical Center, Bob needed two stents and a heart pump to save his life, and soon thereafter, a Left Ventricle Assistive Device to pump his heart for him.
With the help of UC Health’s Heart Care team, the heart of Cincinnati for over 200 years, Bob was given the gift of life in the form of a new heart, performed by Dr. Louis. This was the first patient story I had the honor of telling, and after hearing Bob’s new outlook on life after his heart transplant is something that will stick with me forever.
The Link ON Sharepoint
Internal posts for employees on the UC Health intranet site. All of these posts are ones that I’ve written, though some might have a different name listed as the author. Per department guidelines, I keep the service line marketer’s name with each service line’s story. I curate each story to resonate with our internal audiences, most often aiming for a sense of ‘Proud to Be UC Health.’ Each story on the ‘Hero’ spot of the home page gets an engaging title and subtitle, and a photo to draw readers in. Since the end of FY23, story viewership has gone up by over 20%
Penn Doctor Credits UC Health for His Lifesaving Care
March 2023
University of Pennsylvania Distinguished Professor and Researcher, Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD, was in Cincinnati for his daughter’s squash tournament when he experienced a sudden cardiac arrest. Thanks to the quick work of local EMS professionals, Dr. Volpp was rushed to UC Medical Center, where, four days later, he walked out on his own.
Nearly 3 years after the event, Dr. Volpp came back to cardiology grand rounds at UC College of Medicine to present on his own case and thank the professionals who saved his life. I wrote the article for our employee-facing news site, highlighting the pride our employees feel—clinical or not—for being part the best health system in the region.
Patient and Family Experience Week
April 2022
Patient and Family Experience Week is an annual recognition to celebrate healthcare staff for their impact on patient and family experiences every day. April 25-29 was Patient and Family Experience Week 2022 (designated by the Beryl Institute), and I was tasked with creating a communications plan to spark discussions, prideful feelings and employee engagement.
I created a Patient and Family Experience (PFX) Week toolkit that was sent to the entire organization for employees to print and take photos with, like the employees on the right, or display as a reminder.
Throughout the week, I highlighted identified patient experience leaders on both clinical and nonclinical teams, to really emphasize that we are all the patient and family experience.
At the week’s end, I put together a recap document for our internal communications team to further develop best practices for future recognitions.
UC Health team members celebrating Patient and Family Experience Week 2022.
I’m a Certified ANA Marketing Professional!
November 2022
After a year of work, I’ve completed my Association of National Advertisers Certificate of Completion, making me a better writer, communicator and marketer. I’m lucky to be able to grow myself as a professional, especially in marketing.
