The Yale Surgery Citizen Awards Committee has awarded three individuals with Helping Hand Awards for their generosity of spirit during the height of the COVID surge at YNHHS. Surgical residents Dr. Holly Blackburn and Dr. Ocean Setia, and SICU APP Manager, Matthew Band, were nominated by peers for their "small acts" of kindness, and the heroic impact of their citizenship.
MATTHEW BAND PA-C, SICU APP MANAGER
“Since the COVID time, Matt Band SICU PA-C has been a true leader. Matt has worked tireless hours and continued to be a lighthouse in the storm. Matt gave a rapid-fire SICU training course for APPs outside the SICU environment and he placed a plethora orders for the SICU staff. I truly appreciate everyone in our health system and we are strong together but if I had to choose a most examplar citizen, it's Matt Band." — Evan Simmons, PA-C
HOLLY BLACKBURN MD, PGY2 GENERAL SURGERY RESEARCH RESIDENT
"Holly was instrumental in creating a program bringing together members of the staff and faculty with residents to boost morale during the COVID pandemic. This 9-week undertaking was well received and was a great way to reach out to new members of faculty. Holly did this all while maintaining her work in the lab, working in the SICU and performing all her other responsibilities.” — Kelly Olino, MD
OCEAN SETIA MD, PGY2 VASCULAR SURGERY RESIDENT
“Ocean had just completed a week of nights and mentioned how kind the nurses had been to her while she had on nights, always making sure she had time to eat and drink, etc, and she noticed that the pot for their coffee maker in the SICU breakroom was broken. She purchased a replacement for them from her own pocket. It was just a very kind and genuine gesture motivated by appreciation for similar kindness. Many of the residents will drink the nurses’ coffee or eat their food but this action stood out to me as emblematic of the unity we should have in taking care of our patients and each other, particularly during weird times like a pandemic." — Lucy Ruangvoravat, MD
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