Cathy Garzio Wins a 2021 Amy J. Blue Award
Cathy Garzio, vice chair and director of finance and administration in the Department of Medicine at Stanford Medicine, is among this year’s winners of the Amy J. Blue Award, which honors staff who are exceptionally dedicated, supportive of colleagues and passionate about their work.
BY KATHLEEN J. SULLIVAN
As an undergraduate student at Stanford, Cathy Garzio was drawn to two fields – human biology, reflecting her interest in health care, and Italian, honoring her heritage as the daughter of a first-generation Italian American father and an Italian immigrant mother.
When Garzio graduated in the summer of 1979, becoming the first person in her family to earn a college degree, her parents traveled to campus from their home in Southern California for Commencement. She treasures a particular photograph from that time.
“I have one photo taken in Old Union, where all three of us are bursting with pride,” Garzio said.
It was the end of one academic journey and the beginning of another for Garzio, who would go on to earn a master of business administration (MBA) at the University of Chicago. It was a path that would eventually lead full circle back to Stanford.
Garzio, who became the vice chair and director of finance and administration in the Department of Medicine at the School of Medicine in 2015, is among this year’s winners of an Amy J. Blue Award, which honors members of the university’s staff who are exceptionally dedicated, supportive of colleagues and passionate about their work.
Galina Malukhina, director of finance in the Department of Medicine, said the department has flourished under Garzio’s leadership.
“Cathy is an amazing leader and a bright star,” Malukhina said. “She has created a supportive and engaging culture for faculty and staff in the department, and has modeled for me how to be an effective and caring leader.”