Yuhong Liu

Organization. Attention to detail. Efficiency. These are all qualities typically sought in a senior research associate. But when Dr. Yuhong Liu was nominated by the Department of Orthopaedics to receive a 2000 Employee Excellence in Service Award, it was for her extreme devotion and her outstanding people skills, in addition to the above qualities.

"Dr. Liu works closely with residents from different specialties (medical and dental) as well as local area high school students to educate them in the techniques and research studies in the laboratory," said Dr. Isabel Gay, research fellow in orthopaedics, in her letter of nomination. "Her adeptness in dealing with every imaginable situation demonstrates her public relations skills and interpersonal savvy." Dr. Gay was one of several colleagues who nominated Dr. Liu for the award.

Dr. Liu came to the Health Science Center to work in the laboratory of Dr. Barbara Boyan nearly a decade ago from Beijing, China, after obtaining her M.D. One of her favorite facets of the job is the productive nature of the laboratory environment, specifically the exchange of new ideas.

"I enjoy investigating the mechanisms behind certain phenomena," she said.

Dr. Liu has been described as the "go-to person" in the department—adept at multi-tasking, meticulous in her work and enthusiastic to volunteer her help. In addition, one talent all nominators lauded was Dr. Liu’s ability to maintain one of the most cost-efficient labs on campus, maximizing research funds in every way possible while maintaining all supplies necessary to perform the work. According to Dr. Victor Sylvia, assistant professor in orthopaedics, Dr. Liu saves materials and time by performing the experiments right the first time, and by expecting the same quality from the students she supervises. "She has saved our laboratory and the Health Science Center an immeasurable amount of money that otherwise would have been wasted on unnecessary purchases of supplies," he said.

"If it were not for her attention to detail, commitment to success, loyalty to our department and kindness of spirit, our laboratory would not have the number of publications, grants and students competing every year for prestigious awards," Dr. Sylvia said in his nomination letter. "She is a treasure."