OUR VALUES

Larry Clark

Floor Technician, Facilities Management

Larry Clark helps students focus on their education, not only by keeping facilities clean and safe but also by volunteering for extra duty in setting up, taking down and cleaning up after student organizations’ events.

This enables students to get back to class on time, especially after lunchtime events such as fund-raisers. On one occasion a group had completed an event and was struggling to clean up the aftermath. Without hesitation or any supervisory directive, Clark stepped in. He stacked chairs, unlocked the supply closet and generally expedited.

Clark is often ready with a word of encouragement to a student. His positive attitude and his willingness to serve beyond his position description is a testament to his character. Clark performs custodial duties but offers so much more. He could easily just clean and stay hidden in the shadows. However, he is out greeting students and providing them encouragement.

Students know they can call on him for a solution when an issue arises. If someone spills a drink, he rushes to clean it up. Yet, he never utters a complaint. He serves because it is in his heart to do so.

Clark demonstrates his vision by identifying needs and resources that could benefit the students, faculty and staff who use the buildings. By engaging with the patrons of the buildings, he has come to understand the challenges they face. As a result, he plans his day to be available during peak periods for spontaneous issues that may arise while focusing the rest of his time on cleaning the restrooms, break rooms and other community spaces.

Says one of his nominators, “He plans each day to maximize his impact to the campus community he serves.”

Giovanny Destin

Student, Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine

Creating a health fair is a big job. Giovanny Destin did this for the underserved in a Fort Worth neighborhood called Stop Six. His leadership brought in the participation of classmates and departments across the university, plus community organizations, so the fair could include everything from blood pressure readings to information on registering for CHIP and Medicaid. This Extraordinary Teamwork shows how he serves others first, collaborates and is visionary.

Stop Six’s unemployment rate is 2.5 times the city average; 78 percent of its population is low- to moderate-income; and 65 of every 1,000 residents are crime victims. Many people might hesitate to bring a health fair to the community, but Giovanny Destin saw it as an opportunity to give back.

Most are not aware of the planning that goes into holding a health fair; often it takes a large team. But he accomplished the majority of the work on his own (and recruited classmates to help). He created flyers and signage for the event, secured a venue in the heart of the community, worked with organizations including Walgreens, JPS, Moncrief Cancer Institute, Cook Children’s, Aetna, NTERI, Alzheimer’s Association, Cigna, and Health South; and coordinated with the UNTHSC Community and Alumni Relations Office.

Some people just get it. Giovanny is one of those people. He understands the importance of putting others before yourself, working hard and giving back. Read more about the health fair.

Rehana Lovely

Assistant Professor of Physiology and Anatomy

Students know they can always turn to her for that extra inspiration, encouragement and hours of her own time that makes all the difference for a successful academic career. She offers exam reviews in the Anatomy Lab on weekends and is never too busy to go the extra mile. With her own actions as example, she inspires students to serve others first, collaborate and respect others.

Students describe her as exuberant, caring and driven. She provides additional written reviews with tagged anatomical structures to help students prepare for exams. Her enthusiasm empowers students to truly engage and understand the material.

Lovely’s weekend review sessions are so popular that when all the time slots for her Saturday review session filled up, she offered to come on Sunday to make sure everyone got a chance for review. Dr. Lovely instills the UNTHSC value of serving others first, always putting her students first.

She takes additional time, if needed, to help students identify anatomical structures on cadavers as well as guide them to other groups’ cadavers to point out good views of structures. Her lecture slides are always well organized and easy to follow. When she answers questions, she offers easy-to-follow explanations.

One student comments, “Dr. Lovely has been nothing less than extraordinary since I met her. She always has a line of students waiting to ask for her guidance in Anatomy Lab because of how approachable, sweet and helpful she is.”

Derrick L. Smith

Academic Program Manager, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

He’s a diplomat, confidant and expert problem-solver. Students, and all who work with him, give him their complete trust – the foundation of leadership and the cornerstone of Our Values.

He serves on the Care Team, placing students’ wellbeing first. His colleagues applaud his respect for confidentiality and high ethical standards.

He trouble-shoots for each student. A student who needed to reschedule a test because of a funeral said: “He respected my grief … and relieved so much of my stress during such a difficult time.”

Smith often devotes his lunchtime or evening hours to help students whose busy schedules make it difficult for them to see him at any other time.

He also envisions the big picture and works tirelessly to improve processes and efficiency for all. He redesigned a preceptorship course so preceptors and more than 210 students can complete their requirements more efficiently.

He helps faculty meet tight deadlines in preparing exams and syllabi. He answers email at night to capture faculty documents to be posted before 8 a.m. class the next morning.

Says a student, “As I continue to pursue a career in medicine, I will emulate the persistence and passion that Derrick displays on a daily basis.”

Sajid Surve

Associate Professor, Family Medicine

Humble but capable and endlessly visionary – that’s Dr. Surve. Patients know he’s on the case until their issues are resolved.

In addition to all his duties on our campus and in the community, he travels to Denton every Friday to work in the Student Health Clinic on the UNT campus, bringing outstanding health care and knowledge to even more students. He serves others first, respects everyone he encounters and collaborates in initiatives to improve the way we educate the providers of the future.

Says a nominator, “In the three years that Dr. Surve has been with UNTHSC and that I’ve worked closely with him, I’ve witnessed nothing short of extreme kindness, professionalism, integrity, and hordes of great ideas designed to bring others together and to have fun doing it.”

He also practices great compassion.  A patient who had been in pain for many years and did not find relief from other providers found in Dr. Surve a physician who listened and went the extra mile, working late to help.

This is a man who empowers others. “I believe he sees potential in everyone,” says a nominator.  Those he works with remark that he’s more concerned about treating others with respect and helping them along the way than about his own potential gain.

In addition, he works tirelessly as a Co-Director of the Texas Center for Performing Arts Health, a unique partnership between UNT College of Music and UNTHSC that combines expertise from schools of music and medicine to make performing arts safer and artists healthier. As a musician and osteopathic physician, he fits the two together with passion and dedication.