Meet the nurses of OMRF SPRING 2025 HOT NEWS FROM INSIDE OMRF
preservation of precious scientific samples. “I’m not doing much diagnostic work. At that point, it’s just about moving the contents to a spare freezer, going back home for some sleep and then identifying the issue the next day.” The SIS team, formerly known as Biomed, also services an array of other lab equipment beyond freezers -- items like incubators and biosafety cabinet hoods. In a typical day, Sam estimates he spends 60% of his work time doing repairs, 30% on preventive maintenance and 10% moving equipment. The SIS team also inspects and certifies Comparative Medicine equipment annually to ensure OMRF maintains compliance with federal regulations. “Not having to outsource it gives us a lot of confidence,” says Jennie Criley, OMRF’s attending veterinarian. “We know and trust these guys.” During external training sessions and conferences, David has discovered that OMRF’s multi-talented team is rare among research institutions. “Most places have specialists – people who only fix freezers and people who only do ventilation.” Like his SIS co-worker, Jordan Mirich appreciates the opportunity to develop a broad skillset. It adds variety and learning BUNSENburner Spring 2025 It’s almost unheard of for David Robertson and his colleagues to go a full week without at least one after-hours trip to the office. David can’t specify how many late-night or earlymorning odysseys he’s made to 825 Northeast 13th Street in his 26 years here. Dozens, maybe? “Oh, no,” he says. “Way more. Hundreds.” When a critical piece of research equipment needs emergency attention, someone from Scientific Instrument Services rushes into action. Often, it happens on a night or weekend. Freezers are a common culprit. Nearly 400 are scattered around campus, more than 100 of which reach temperatures of minus-80 degrees Celsius (minus-112 Fahrenheit). Each freezer contains samples critical to past, current and future experiments. As with other expensive lab equipment, they also feature temperature sensors. Any significant temperature rise, and the sensors automatically notify the “SIS” team’s on-call designee. Still, the technology they use for alerts is a bit of a throwback. “We carry a pager,” says SIS team leader Mike Austin. “Every so often I’ll ask IT if there’s something new that’s more reliable than a pager. There’s nothing yet.” When Sam Davis drives in to check a freezer, he says his first priority is triage, to ensure the Scientific Instrument Services keeps OMRF labs running smOOthly
opportunities, such as the refrigeration training he and Rick Billetter will receive this spring. Count Umesh Deshmukh and Harini Bagavant among the team’s biggest fans. When a pair of 18-wheelers moved their lab from the University of Virginia to OMRF in 2013, SIS unpacked the trucks so quickly that their lab was running at full speed within a week of their arrival in Oklahoma City. Six years later, as the couple watched a Thunder game, a phone call came bearing bad news. The rising temperature on their ultra-low freezer had sent an alert to Pat Marble, then a part of the SIS team (and who now services OMRF’s security and IT equipment). Umesh arrived to find Pat putting the freezer’s contents in a spare freezer, a move that saved 15 years of samples. More recently, Sam replaced a minus-80 compressor, saving Umesh’s lab the $15,000 cost of a new freezer. “The SIS team has come through for us in a pinch. And if we need them again, I know they’ll be there,” says Umesh. “We’re lucky to have them.” 3 OMRF labs count on these guys to limit the downtime of essential equipment. From left are Rick Billetter, Mike Austin, David Robertson, Sam Davis and Jordan Mirich.
BUNSENburner Spring 2025 If it’s in the wee hours following Hump Day, you’ll find them there. Rain or shine. Sweltering heat, bone-chilling cold or anything in between. Each week at 5:50 a.m., a group of OMRFers gather in Heritage Hills, right outside of Harvey Bakery. They’re not there for first dibs on a latte or cinnamon roll. No, this is OMRF’s Thursday Morning Run Club. First organized by Fitness Center Director Kelie Watson in 2023, this sweat-addicted cadre of foundation employees meets yearround each week for a pre-work workout. Their numbers vary from 3 or 4 to a dozen or so, and they typically run 4 miles, though people often choose to go different distances, depending on their individual fitness levels and goals. “It doesn’t matter how fast or slow you are or whether you’re planning for a specific race or just want to get out for some exercise,” says Kelie. “It’s all about getting together.” The group usually takes off when it’s still dark out. They run in pairs at a minimum for safety – and a sense of camaraderie. “We’ve become a family,” says Kelie. Information Technology’s Stephen Apel ran by himself for many years. But at Kelie’s encouragement, he joined the group last year. His verdict? “I’ve become a Thursday morning fanatic,” he says. Stephen and others use the runs – and postworkout debriefing sessions over coffee at the bakery – as marathon preparation, especially for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, which takes place each April. The Marathon honors the 168 people who were killed in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. OMRFers have run in the marathon each year since its inception in 2001; we even boast a member of the Ran Them All club in Philanthropy’s Penny Voss. With President Andy Weyrich’s encouragement, OMRF’s participation in a different portion of the event has also thrived. Since his arrival in 2022, Team OMRF relay groups have more than quadrupled. Historically, those relay teams have consisted of five people running a relay on the same course as the full marathon, with individual legs varying from about 3 to 7 miles. But for this year’s 25th Memorial Marathon, the format has changed. Teams of four will now start together, Pounding the Pavement OMRFers get together to sweat together OMRFers enjoy post-run beverages at Harvey Bakery.
4 with each participant running a quarter of the 26.2-mile race distance, or about 6 ½ miles. Aging & Metabolism’s Zuzanna Siek plans to be one of those OMRF relay runners. She says she fell in love with running “just for fun and to balance my mind. When I get overwhelmed, it really helps me.” She’ll take this same relaxed approach come April. “When I try to set a strict goal or run a certain time, it never happens,” she says. Andy expects to be at the starting line alongside Zuzanna and 62 other OMRFers who’ve registered for our relay teams. It will mark the fourth straight year he’s taken part, and it’s become a spring “must” for him. “I hope this community continues to grow. It’s special to run alongside my OMRF coworkers,” he says. Plus, Andy says, putting one foot in front of the other fits perfectly with OMRF’s mission. “Being active is a big part of the work we do to live longer, healthier lives.” Registration is closed for OMRF’s relay teams at this year’s Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, but there are still ways to participate! You can register individually to walk or run the 5K, half marathon or full 26.2-mile event. You can also be a volunteer or get out on the course to cheer. Find out more at okcmarathon.com. Are Thursday Mornings in Your Future? Interested in finding out if the Thursday Morning Run Club might be just your speed? Reach out to [email protected] or stop by and see her in the Fitness Center. The Memorial Marathon and You
BUNSENburner Spring 2025 How do OMRFers get their steps in? John Daum Cell Cycle & Cancer Biology I’m a complete morning guy. I like to go for a run first thing, and I enjoy going with groups like OMRF’s Thursday Morning Run Club or Red Coyote Running. Antonio Martin Security Services I get approximately 15,000 steps a day just monitoring the buildings and garages. Knowing the nooks and crannies at OMRF is my job, and I’d rather be moving around than sitting still. Foot Traffic
COLLABORATIVE Tony Thornton Public Affairs When possible, one “step” toward my daily goal is a quick afternoon walk with my co-workers to the north garage and back. It’s a nice little refresh for our bodies and brains. Noemi Hernandez Arthritis & Clinical Immunology I really get my steps working on weekends as a nurse technician. I’m constantly walking to attend patients and even sometimes running when I work the medical-surgical unit. It keeps things interesting. Janice Gales Institutional Review Board My daughters and I like to play Pokémon Go, so that keeps us entertained as we get our steps in. We are all out together for at least an hour on the weekends in parks around town, or when the weather is awful, we walk inside malls. Kiely Grundahl Genes & Human Disease I don’t pay much attention to the count, but in a typical day of “dog school” – the canine agility training I lead – I’m basically moving for two hours. The course setup adds plenty of strength training and cardio to the mix, too. Carli Hartley Human Resources I usually get my steps by chasing my toddler around or walking at my local park with my kiddo in tow!
Photo Finish 2024 Employee Service Awards 2024 Service Awards by the Numbers 68 pins for 5 years of service or more earned 935 years of service celebrated 24 throwback walk-up songs 200 OMRF noisemakers for the best applause 45 years from our top awardee, Mary Long!