Focus on Staff With Sarah Gramann

Sarah Gramann, UC Stroke Team and fellowship coordinator in the neurology and rehabilitation medicine department, has to hit the ground running after the holidays: The annual International Stroke Conference is typically in early February (Feb. 5-8 this year, in Honolulu), and clinician-researchers in the department are active as presenters and moderators. Gramann also serves as administrative assistant for four faculty members who specialize in cerebrovascular disease: Dawn Kleindorfer, MD, Pooja Khatri, MD, Daniel Woo, MD, and Matthew Flaherty, MD. Here she talks about her duties and her appreciation of art and science.

How long have you worked in your current department and at UC?

I have worked at UC, in neurology, for a little over a year; I was previously at UC Medical Center for two years. 

What is a typical day for you?

My typical day is a lot of emailing, organizing and coordinating for the doctors and fellows I support. Since there is a myriad of tasks that exist, from academic to administrative, I simply prioritize and go from there. There are meetings to coordinate, manuscripts to upload, financial duties, many business trips to plan, and from November to January, fellowship candidate interview days to plan.

What do you enjoy about your job?

Mostly I enjoy all that I’m learning and am exposed to from the doctors’ work. They are extremely intelligent in their field. I’m lucky to be in this atmosphere, which is so different from my education and work history.  I also enjoy utilizing my art/graphics background when I can. The department is very supportive of that. 

Before you came to UC, what was your background?

I worked in the GME (graduate medical education) department at UC Medical Center for two years prior to this position. That meant working with all the current and incoming residents. In a nutshell, all of my work experience has to do with administrative support in general. 

Do you have any hobbies?

I’ve been painting since high school (my BFA is in Fine Arts), have a website, and always have a painting commission I’m working on. I love TV and movies, probably too much. I enjoy hiking in the woods, traveling to new places and listening to music. 

Tell us something people may not know about you.

A few things people may not know: I’m first-generation American (my family is from Germany), and received a full scholarship to the College of Mount St. Joseph, where I also did a semester abroad in London. And I wish I would have gone into film production or directing.