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When Diane McGourty’s name was called in honor of 30 years of service at BWH, she had a special person cheering her on in the crowd: her mother, 84-year-old Mary Regan, a former BWH employee who dedicated 17 years to the hospital.
“This is truly a special place,” said McGourty, RN, a staff nurse in Thoracic Surgery. “Not just for the patients, but for the people who work here.”
BWHers gathered for this year’s Service Awards Ceremony in the Cabot Atrium to honor the more than 400 employees who have dedicated up to 40 years of service to BWH in increments of five years.
The event opened with welcoming remarks from Lisa Ponton, JD, vice president of Human Resources, who served as master of ceremonies, and BWH President Betsy Nabel, MD, who highlighted the many advances and work that make BWH special.
“None of this is possible without your talent and your dedication, whether you have been here for five years or 40 years,” Nabel said. “Thank you to each and every one of you for making Brigham and Women’s one of the best academic medical centers in the world.”
During the ceremony, Barbara Bierer, MD, BWH’s senior vice president of Research, and Sanjay Pathak, vice president of Surgical Services, Imaging and Dermatology, had the audience cheering, laughing and even dancing in their seats as they reflected on each of the years that service awardees began at BWH. Employees who have been at BWH for 20 or more years were called up to shake hands with Nabel as an announcer read details about each person’s favorite memories, best parts of their jobs and other anecdotes.
There were countless stories shared that afternoon, including one that became a family affair, as Germaine Dorfeuille celebrated 30 years of service, and her sister, Jeanine Similien, celebrated 25 years. Jain Swain marked 40 years of service that goes back to the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, where she started as a dietetic intern. Today, she is a nutrition research manager at the Center for Clinical Investigation Human Clinical Research Unit.
“What makes working here so special is the people I work with,” said Swain, who also marks 41 years of marriage this year to her husband Doug, who attended the event.