This Staff Spotlight is part of a series dedicated to those employees who continue to shine as we navigate through the challenging times of the pandemic. As much of the world was shut down, SMPH staff shifted gears to adapt to the many barriers that prevented business as usual. The featured employees were nominated by their colleagues because they exemplified the Building Community Shared Values of SMPH throughout this hectic time. We will share a different profile every other week through November.
Jamie Wiepz is a Protocol Administrative Supervisor for the UW Carbone Cancer Center.
What is your role?
I am the Protocol Administrative Supervisor for the Genitourinary (GU) Research Group in the UW Carbone Cancer Center (UWCCC). I oversee our team of Protocol Administrative Coordinators (PACs) who manage the administrative aspects of our GU clinical research trials, in addition to assisting our clinical (patient-facing) team with various tasks. The protocol administrative role largely involves coordinating with many teams (such as physicians, sponsors, hospital services, labs, and our internal collaborators (compliance, fiscal, and regulatory) to activate, maintain, and close out trials. We also oversee multiple Investigational New Drugs (INDs) and some larger multi-site trials.
What does a typical day look like for you?
My days vary widely, but they mostly involve constant communication and problem-solving with the trial collaborators and our team to make sure we are running the trials correctly and safely. Additionally, workflows and requirements are constantly changing in this field so a lot of my time is spent assisting with new workflow development and training staff and myself on updates.
What is your workplace superpower?
I don’t know that I have one, but I guess I’d say my ability to problem-solve. Because things change so rapidly in my field, I’m constantly having to figure stuff out on the fly. Luckily, my team (both GU and the rest of UWCCC) are amazing and I can always find a resource I need when looking for answers.
Tell us something that your coworkers don’t know about you?
This is a hard one. My team is pretty close and they usually know stuff about me before I do, haha. But I guess my other coworkers might not know that I’ve traveled all over the world or that I’ve competed in Muay Thai.
What book can you recommend to your SMPH colleagues?
I have not had much time to read lately but if they like this genre, I love The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss.
What is your favorite place to visit in Madison?
I spend a lot of my time outside of Madison but the Memorial Union is always a classic option. I also enjoy going to the Dane County Farmers Market at the Square, various breweries, or visiting any of the local parks.
What is something personal on your desk?
Besides photos, I have some of the gifts and cards my co-workers have given me.
From the nominators:
Jennifer Engel-Diaz
When we had to make a sudden shift to working remotely, Jamie went out of her way to help everyone get set up to work from home. This included driving to people’s houses to help with computer set up and becoming our own personal IT advisor for many of the issues that came up. She is a strong leader who is also very kind and compassionate. She has been an essential part creating a cohesive structure to keep our group working through the difficulties of communicating while remote. She has helped mediate conflicts and promote a healthy work family atmosphere. We consider ourselves very lucky to have her as a leader for our group.
– Q&A condensed and edited by Arvette M. White, MBA