From the Desk Of...
Each month, one staff member from the Department of Internal Medicine will be highlighted in a new staff recognition program called "From the Desk Of..." We are fortunate to have such talented staff members, and we want the rest of the department to get to know "the face behind the email."
February's featured staff member is Holly Abel, an Executive Assistant for the Division of Geriatrics.
- What is one fun fact about yourself? I started keeping a daily journal at age 12 and never stopped. I currently have 52 hard bound volumes of life narrative on my shelf … and counting.
- What is your favorite motto/quote? “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”
- What is the best thing about working at the University of Utah? Being surrounded by gifted minds! Also, it’s my Alma Mater. Go Utes!
- What is your favorite book? Non-fiction: A Brilliant Madness by Patty Duke. Fiction: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
- Do you have any pets? Ninja, our 14-year-old Norwegian Forest Cat.
- Where do you work? Pre-COVID in SOM, currently remote.
- How do you prefer to start your day? A long walk or a short run.
- What was your first job? My first official paycheck began at age 11 as a Newspaper Carrier for the Deseret News. I folded and hand delivered 55 neighborhood papers every single day - come rain, snow, or shine - riding my purple Schwinn bicycle (if weather prevented riding, I walked with the pack on my back). I was also responsible to collect the subscription payments [and hopefully some tips] by going door-to-door every month. I did this mammoth job until age 15 when I was managing three routes, and over 160 subscriptions.
- What’s a typical day at work like? Continual email, calendaring, zoom meetings, multi-tasking, and problem solving!
- What’s the best part of your job? Being part of a great team.
- What book are you reading right now? One of my “happy accidents” during COVID was discovering the discount audio book app CHIRP! Now, I “read” anywhere and everywhere I go! I always have a stack queued up, ready when I walk, run, shop, clean, wait-in-line or drive. I just select from my list depending on my mood or activity. My current booklist is:Lost Songs by Orson Scott Card [his short story classics], SPIN [a musical retelling of the Rumplestilzkin fairytale narrated by Jim Dale], SAINTS [early Mormon history], Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck [the last Empress of China], Cemetery Girl by David Bell [a dramatized murder mystery with full cast], and The Game of Hope by Andrea Gulland [based on the autobiography of Napoleon Bonaparte’s step-daughter].
- What is your favorite podcast and why? “The Daily” – I always learn something new, and it promotes deep thoughts.
- If you could snap your fingers and become an expert in something, what would it be? Sleeping.
- What’s your superpower at work and at home? Endurance.
- If you could have only three apps on your smartphone, what would they be? Chirp, MyFitnessPal and GarminConnect.
- What is your favorite way to decompress after work? Singing!
- Do you collect anything? I’ve acquired a very large collection of race bling over the years. I recently heard about a program where runners can donate their medals to kids battling serious illness – so, I’m sending them to much better and braver homes!
- If you could eat only one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? Well, that is a horrifying thought! I reject this question.
- Who would you want to play you in a movie about your life? Younger me = Maya Hawke. Older me = Jaime Lee Curtis.