September 2016, Primary Care Division

“Loto Reed does everything for the Primary Care Division,” says Sang-ick Chang, MD, MPH.

And he may be right. As administrative associate and physician onboarding coordinator, Loto’s typical day includes work on the following: Sang’s very packed calendar, panel interviews for job candidates, training and orientation for new faculty/physicians, meetings, celebrations, retreats, other Department events and business travel physicians/staff.

According to her colleagues, the secret to Loto’s success is her gift for being organized. In Loto’s nominations for Employee of the Month, her organizing skills were praised over and over again (by our count, eight times), and those who didn’t use the words “organized” or “organizer” described her as detail-oriented (four times) or skilled with logistics (four times).

In the time that she’s been with the Department (she started in October 2012), she’s facilitated the recruitment and onboarding of 50 new primary care faculty, and she regularly interfaces with 12 clinic medical directors and 75 faculty. Sang says a recent off-site event Loto organized was “the most well attended and enjoyed” in primary care division history. “She is a consummate event planner,” he says. “Everyone relies on Loto for her expertise and can-do attitude. There is nothing she will not tackle.”

By other accounts, as well, Loto’s ability to plan and execute Department processes and events is unsurpassed. Christopher Sharp says Loto is tireless and “looks after details that others would miss,” and Margaret Wei says that Loto focuses on “making sure that everything goes smoothly for each one of the faculty.”

John DiMario has experienced this, as well. He says Loto’s work ensures that her colleagues are “well-prepared,” have “plenty of advance notice” and “don’t feel overwhelmed.”  Loto “considers the needs of others and how best to ensure everything is moving smoothly – a true team player!” he says.

The face of the vision

Although this does require a knack for gaining the upper hand on a fair amount of chaos, Loto somehow manages to represent the division with calm and grace. Sang is the first to point this out. He says, “As the face of the division, Loto has presented a friendly and competent image that has made a huge impact on our recruitment rate.”

It’s a quality mentioned by Kimya Stidum, as well: “Loto is the face of our division for many, and she represents us with exceptional grace and warmth.” And Craig Gaines says, “She makes everyone feel welcome, and she coordinates every last detail.”

Catherine Forest, MD, MPH, credits these skills for the division’s “close communication” and ability to be a “highly functioning growing organism.” Megan Mahoney, MD, calls this work essential: “Loto plays a crucial and vital role in our division. The level of commitment to excellence in the division is truly remarkable and commendable.”

In providing details about Loto’s commitment, her colleagues also convey how supportive she is. Here’s Sang again: he says she demonstrates “exceptional friendliness, grace and competence.”  Latha Palaniappan, MD, MS, describes Loto as “thoughtful and conscientious,” and Steven Lin says she’s “an indispensable resource for the entire division. She is friendly, approachable and infinitely patient.”

Marina Martin, MD, MPH, and Baldeep Singh, MD, agree. Marina says, “Loto is always available, helpful, calm and positive,” and Baldeep says, “She is always energetic and enthusiastic.” Erika Schillinger, MD, adds that she is “steadfast, kind, resourceful and supportive.”

Having fun in and out of work

Loto feels it’s a privilege to do this work on behalf of her colleagues: “I’ve been fortunate to coordinate events for our division. Having the opportunity to provide a fun, memorable, culture-building event for our team has been great fun.” She says she was very touched by all the special remarks from Sang Chang and Cathy Forest when they surprised her with this award. Loto says, “I truly work with some amazing people. Sang has been a tremendous leader, and the faculty I work with are truly dedicated to improving the health care system here at Stanford.  To be able to see firsthand the amount of work and dedication to provide excellent service, education and research has been an eye-opener for me.”

In addition, she says, “I really enjoy the beautiful campus and the undeniable benefits we get to enjoy, including BeWell, HIP, commuters program and work/life balance.” As part of achieving balance, when she’s not working, Loto enjoys live jazz concerts and performing arts, cooking (but not the cleaning!), Polynesian dancing and Bikram yoga.