2025 April STARDoM Awardees!!
Please join us in congratulating this month’s STARDoM awardees, Maddie Bockus and Natalia Gnatienko!!
Maddie Bockus
“One of the things that make her special is the ability to be proactive and innovative in her work. She takes the effort to investigate all options, try out new approaches, and really be thoughtful of the pros and cons for end users. We are extremely blessed to have her in our section.”
Job Title: Writing & Communications Coordinator
How many years have you been at BUSM/BMC? 1 year, 3 months
Describe your role within the Department of Medicine: I am a Writing & Communications Coordinator for the Section of General Internal Medicine. In my role, I coordinate internal and external communications, write nomination letters, letters of support, and letters for appointment/promotion, & provide writing/editing support for faculty working on manuscripts.
What do you like best about your job? I love to write, so I really appreciate that I get to work on so many different types of writing projects (original research, letter writing, commentaries, website posts, etc.). I also love working with so many different faculty and staff across the Section & learning about their work!
Favorite thing to do outside of work? Exploring new restaurants in the city with my friends (I’m a major foodie)
Little known fact: I love to travel! I hope to eventually travel to every continent (4/7 so far). I recently took a trip to Argentina, which was my first time in South America.
Natalia Gnatienko
“Natalia is an exceptional employee and an outstanding manager who consistently goes above and beyond in her role. She is not only highly knowledgeable but also incredibly supportive, always willing to share her expertise and assist others. Whether answering questions, guiding her team, or stepping in to help wherever needed, Natalia’s dedication and willingness to support those around her make her a true asset to the organization.”
Job Title: Clinical Research Director
How many years have you been at BUSM/BMC? 16
Describe your role within the Department of Medicine: I oversee a number of research initiatives within the Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit (CARE), mostly focusing on studies that are conducted internationally at the intersection of substance use and HIV.
What do you like best about your job? I love the people! This includes the incredible colleagues and mentors at BMC and collaborators from other countries and institutions. Everyone is really passionate about the research that we do and it is exciting to contribute to this work! I also like the opportunity to work on multiple projects simultaneously. In a span of one day, I can have a call with our Ugandan partners in the morning to discuss an HIV/alcohol/TB project, followed by a study check-in with our team in Ukraine where we work to understand patterns of substance use among internally displaced people, and end the day submitting an IRB application for a new project that would collect data from communities in MA. The variety keeps the work interesting!
Favorite thing to do outside of work? Spend time with my family!
Little known fact: I recently started learning to play the violin (alongside my son) and I love it… can’t say the same for those who have to listen to me practice!