Employee of the Month – Lauren Arthur

March 2018, Hospital Medicine

The level of praise surrounding Lauren Arthur, administrative associate for the division of hospital medicine, is slightly overwhelming. Her colleagues, both doctors and fellow staff, are very fond of her, citing both her efficiency and her positivity. As David Anders puts it, “To me, Lauren embodies the ethos of Stanford School of Medicine.” Others describe her as “an amazing addition,” “a gem,” “a great asset,” and a “game changer.”

Day to day, Lauren explains, she provides administrative support to Neera Ahuja, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine and Division Chief of Hospital Medicine, as well as the other faculty. She started her current position in June 2016, and says that the “small and talented” division has allowed her the chance to “wear many hats over the course of two years.”

Before coming to Stanford she worked in London in sales and marketing, but followed her partner, a postdoc in radiology, to Stanford. “Moving to a new country was daunting,” she says, “but the Bechtel International Center here at Stanford was warm and welcoming, which inspired my decision to turn to Stanford for employment.”

A stellar colleague

Many of Lauren’s colleagues praise her work. Jasmin Steiner cites Lauren’s “unparalleled attention to detail and organizational skill. Whatever task lands on her desk, she will go above and beyond to get it done. I have not met a more organized person in my life than Lauren--she has an Excel table for everything.”

Ahuja adds, “Lauren has been phenomenally organized in coordinating division events, scheduling meetings, arranging meeting rooms, and going above and beyond.  People outside our division stop and chat with her because she is so helpful, friendly, and welcoming.  This is exactly the type of person who we want to recognize and the type of behavior we want to encourage.”

Kristin Barklund says she “encourages independent solutions to departmental problems.” Andrew Chang, MD, clinical instructor in medicine, says “Lauren has consistently been the most responsive of the administrative associates I have worked with, returning answers to queries with incredible timeliness.” Others talk about her incredibly speedy response to email, and nearly all of the people who praise her have specific examples of a time she helped out. As Thomas Lew, MD, clinical instructor of medicine puts it, “Lauren is awesome!”

A great sense of humor

But Lauren isn’t just efficient—she’s funny. Many people are impressed by her wit and positive attitude. Jiaqi Hu says her humor “makes working life really enjoyable when she is around.” Poonam Hosamani, MD, clinical assistant professor of medicine, adds, “Whenever I go by MSOB, I can look forward to a funny conversation with Lauren (usually filled with dry, British humor) and often times a piece of cake as well.”

Rajani Kamal says “she is very approachable and helpful and great company for a cup of tea.” Tom Haywood agrees that her sense of humor “shines though whether by email, on the phone or in person.” Nidhi Rohtagi, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine, describes her as “intelligent, witty, and funny,” adding that she “thinks out of the box, and goes to great lengths to ensure she can be of help.”

Alistair Aronson sums it up: “What especially sets Lauren apart is her humor and collegiality.  She’s a genuine pleasure to work with!”

An active Stanford life

For her part, Lauren was genuinely surprised to win the Employee of the Month Award. When she found out she says (perhaps with the traditional English humility), “I immediately assumed there was a mistake! Working in a small, close knit building it’s hard to keep secrets but kudos to my Division Manager Elsie Wang for keeping a cool head.”

She loves the people she works with as much as they love her.  “There is a strong sense of camaraderie within Hospital Medicine and it is a reward in itself to be a part of a strong team,” she says. “I am fortunate to have a Division Chief and Division Manager who have my best interests at heart and it’s always a pleasure to come to work. “

She also loves the BeWell program, which allows her to take development classes, and stays very active in her free time. “You can often find me skiing or camping around Tahoe, or riding my bike throughout the Bay Area,” she says. “I recently extended my hobbies through a drawing course offered by Stanford Continuing Studies. Oh, and you can’t live in California without taking part in yoga!”