The Staff Advisory Council (SAC) serves as an advisory group to suggest, comment and provide feedback on policies and raise awareness of issues that affect the University and the people it serves by providing a forum for communication between University staff and administration on all levels. The School of Medicine has 15 elected representatives on the council. Read more below about profiled members.
Member Profile
Sami Bailey
Research Assistant 2, Department of Global Health and Infectious Disease
What are the primary activities of your role?
I collect and prepare samples and conduct analysis through immunological, proteomic and microbiome experiments. I also work to improve our techniques, scientific methods, maintain our equipment, oversee the inventory of supplies and specimens, and help train new students and employees that start in Dr. Burgener’s lab.
What is your favorite thing about working at the SOM and Case Western Reserve University?
My favorite thing about working for The SOM and CWRU is working on relevant and impactful research that allows me to help make a change in the scientific world and our community.
As a SAC rep, how would you encourage fellow SOM staff members to leverage your role to improve our workplace and culture?
I would encourage fellow SOM staff members to always reach out and communicate if they have concerns or questions regarding the workplace environment. Having a positive culture is extremely important in both employee happiness and retention.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I have seen the Cavs play every team in the NBA here in Cleveland. Go Cavs! :)
Member Profile
Leslie Castaneda
Research Assistant IV- Clinical Research Coordinator, Department of Ophthalmology
What are the primary activities of your role?
I oversee multiple retina clinical research studies; from start-up with UH IRB, to recruitment and the follow-through of participant involvement.
What is your favorite thing about working at the SOM and Case Western Reserve University?
I truly enjoy the perks of being a CWRU employee and the movement of trying to make SOM a fun and enjoyable place to work at.
As a SAC rep, how would you encourage fellow SOM staff members to leverage your role to improve our workplace and culture?
I would encourage other SOM members who may be like me, and fall in what I call the “grey zone,” which puts us in physical locations like UH, Bioenterprise building, etc., yet leaves us as members of the SOM and CWRU community. I would like to be viewed as a liaison who can help build a better bridge to allow better communication and a sense of community with the rest of the SOM members who are physically on campus. I would love to hear about ideas, concerns, likes and dislikes of what may be affecting our workplaces and culture, so that we can move forward with improvements.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I really love dinosaurs and sea turtles. I have also picked up crocheting as a hobby since 2020.
Member Profile:
Lauren Bohatka
Manager of Partnerships and Development, Master of Science in Anesthesia program
What are the primary activities of your role?
I manage the MSA program's faculty affairs, affiliation agreements with our partner hospitals nationwide, alumni and development outreach efforts, and serve as compliance officer for our student background checks and drug screens. I am also the unofficial "party planner" for our program, organizing our end-of-year commencement ceremonies and two large professional networking events annually.
What is your favorite thing about working at the SOM and Case Western Reserve University?
I love being in an environment where people love to learn! Everyone I meet is highly committed to ensuring our students get the most out of their education experience, and many staff and faculty are also continuing their own educational journeys. I love collaborating with my university colleagues to tackle relevant issues and seek out improved ways of doing things together as a team.
As a SAC rep, how would you encourage fellow SOM staff members to leverage your role to improve our workplace and culture?
Let us be a conduit to help amplify your voice in both SOM and the university in general! Everyone has concerns about something, good or bad, and you might not be alone in your thoughts. SOM SAC can help collect and channel staff issues up the chain. Having SOM staff in various places all over campus and many working from home part-time, there are a variety of perspectives on what works in our workplace and what does not. SOM SAC aims to ensure that all perspectives are brought to the table for an inclusive workplace culture, wherever staff may be physically located.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
The "MTA" in my title stands for Master of Tourism Administration, which is essentially a tourism-industry-specific MBA. The family legend goes that I was named after Lauren Tewes, the actress who played the Cruise Director on The Love Boat. My mother always said I was destined to be a cruise ship director/party planner like my namesake. Between my degree, love of travel and current party planning responsibilities, I don't think she's too far off!
Member Profile:
Tracy Rehl
Faculty Affairs and Human Resources Manager
What are the primary activities of your role?
I lead human resource-related activities at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.
What is your favorite thing about working at the SOM and Case Western Reserve University?
My favorite thing about working at the School of Medicine (SOM) and Case Western Reserve University is the people. I am always learning something new from the students, staff and faculty with whom I interact.
As a SAC rep, how do you encourage fellow SOM staff members to leverage your role to improve our workplace and culture?
It is important for all SOM staff members to share their ideas or concerns with the members of SAC. Email, call or leave a note on a SAC representative’s desk to share those ideas or concerns. We have to know what is important to the staff in order to advocate for them.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
While volunteering at the Cleveland Animal Protective League (APL) as a dog walker, I ended up adopting a cat.
Member Profile:
Nital Subhas
Administrative Director for Clinical Research Education Programs
What are the primary activities of your role?
Manage admissions, enrollment, student progress, program courses, and marketing for the Masters in Clinical Research and PhD in Clinical Translational Science programs in the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences.
What is your favorite thing about working at the SOM and Case Western Reserve University?
Meeting people over Zoom and listening to their backgrounds and experience— I like hearing their stories about how they got to be where they are today. I appreciate diversity, opportunities to get involved, and being around students.
As a SAC rep, how do you encourage fellow SOM staff members to leverage your role to improve our workplace and culture?
I think it is important that staff feel comfortable in bringing their concerns, thoughts and ideas to my attention. I hope they feel they can trust me and that I will do my best to objectively listen to and act upon their concerns.I believe the SAC will help foster these collaborations with staff members across campus, which would allow us to learn from each other through shared experiences.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I will never turn down a bowl of butter pecan ice cream!
Member Profile:
Celinda Brandt Miller
Assistant Director, Case Inquiry Program
Office of Curricular Affairs - School of Medicine
What are the primary activities of your role?
I manage and implement the Case Inquiry curriculum, which is the core curriculum for students in their first and second years of medical school.
What is your favorite thing about working at the School of Medicine (SOM) and Case Western Reserve University?
The people on the SOM curriculum team and interacting with a wide variety of faculty are my favorite things.
As a Staff Advisory Council (SAC) representative, how would you encourage fellow SOM staff members to leverage your role to improve our workplace and culture?
I am available for SOM staff members to contact me with questions and suggestions pertaining to their roles at the university. I can connect staff with appropriate resources and also bring concerns to the larger Staff Advisory Board (SAC). SAC has worked hard to make the issues that are important to staff known to decision-makers at the University. I encourage SOM staff members to let SAC representatives know what they need, how they would like to hear about things and what is important to them. We are fortunate in the SOM to have a regular dialogue with the dean of the school, which gives us an active partner in getting staff concerns addressed by the University.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I experienced the Grand Canyon in three different ways, all before the age of 20; a small aircraft tour (10 yrs); hiking to the bottom and back (14 yrs) and a week-long river rafting trip (19 yrs).
Member Profile: Mostafa Abouzaid
Mostafa Abouzaid
Bioinformatician, Department of Genetics and Genome Science
Joined the School of Medicine: 2022
What are the primary activities of your role?
I use technology and computer science to study and find biological solutions. By collaborating closely with various scientists, I work to identify opportunities for accelerating product development and use genetic information databases to find ways to identify and treat issues, including human disease. I also translate data into competitive knowledge by providing relevant and innovative bioinformatics analysis.
As a Staff Advisory Council (SAC) representative, how would you encourage fellow SOM staff members to leverage your role to improve our workplace and culture?
I. Build Relationships: Start by building strong relationships with my colleagues in different departments and listening to their concerns and opinions to understand better the challenges they face and their needs.
II. Communicate Effectively: Communicating effectively with my colleagues to keep them informed about SAC initiatives, events, and any important information relevant to the workplace by utilizing various communication channels such as email, social media, and face-to-face meetings.
III. Foster Participation: Encourage my colleagues to participate in SAC meetings and events and ensure everyone has a voice and feels heard.
IV. Share Feedback: Encourage my colleagues to share their feedback on workplace issues, policies and procedures. SAC can be a conduit for feedback to reach decision-makers in the organization. Also, let them know that their feedback is valued and will be taken into consideration.
V. Collaborate: Work with other SAC representatives and campus partners to develop initiatives and recommendations promoting a positive work environment. And also leverage the collective knowledge and expertise of the community to identify and address issues that impact staff members.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
"I am my labor, and I bill myself."
Member Profile:
Lesa Goodman
Executive Aide to the Vice Dean of Medical Education
Joined the School of Medicine: Nov. 2019
What are the primary activities of your role?
I support the vice dean of medical education, Lia Logio, and manage the administrative functions for the Center for the Advancement of Medical Learning—an umbrella that encompasses the Center for Medical Education and the Academy of Scholar Educators.
What is your favorite thing about working at the School of Medicine (SOM) and Case Western Reserve University?
I've really enjoyed getting to know different staff, faculty and students across the University. There's definitely a more diverse environment here than anywhere else I've ever worked.
As a Staff Advisory Council (SAC) representative, how would you encourage fellow SOM staff members to leverage your role to improve our workplace and culture?
My roles throughout my career have always been in "support" positions. [As a middle child], I feel that I've always strived to make everyone happy, to be a mediator and advocate for those who aren't necessarily as comfortable speaking up for themselves. I hope to be a conduit for change and improvement, so please feel free to reach out and let me know how I can best be of service.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I was not born "Lesa," but I have been using it since a 9th-grade Spanish class where I was experimenting with different name spellings...(don't ask me why!?!?)