Capturing Moments with His iPhone

Name: Michael Palko Position: Informatics educator, Duke University Health System Clinical Education & Professional DevelopmentYears at Duke: 3What I do at Duke: I train people how to use technology. I’ve been in the training business almost 20 years, mostly software training. I do some classroom training but mainly create online on-demand e-learning courses to teach hospital staff how to use Maestro Care, which is the new electronic health record. (The training is for all three of Duke’s hospitals and more than 220 clinics.) If I had $5 million, I would: Give some of that money to family, and I would give some money back to Duke. They’re the reason why I am where I am. Family has always been there to support me, and the opportunities that I’ve had here at Duke in the last three years have been tremendous. The photography thing started here while I was at Duke. I took pictures before with my phone, but it wasn’t until I took an online course here and got connected with the Duke Photo Club that things really took off for me. My first ever job: I grew up in Pennsylvania and worked in a family-owned car parts store. I worked after school, on Saturdays and in the summer, and it was filling orders for the drivers that were coming in. My dream job: To work for a baseball club. I love baseball. Not just the game, but the experience, the sights and the sounds. I love going to the park, no matter what level, minor league or major league. If someone wanted to start a conversation with me they should ask me about: iPhoneography. So many people, when they see a photo of mine and I say I shot it with my iPhone, they say, ‘Are you kidding me?’ The best advice I ever received: Don’t wait to be happy. Too often I think people will say ‘I’ll be happy if…’ or ‘I’ll be happy when…’ That may not come. You are the only person who’s responsible for your happiness. When I’m not at work, I like to: I shoot photos all the time and that’s one of the reasons why I like shooting with the iPhone, because it’s always with me. So many photos I would have missed because I would have had to go back and get my camera. Something most people don’t know about me: I’m going to the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke. I’m working toward my certificate in documentary arts. I just started that in September.An interesting/memorable day at work for me: I was in the new employee orientation, and one of the activities we had to do in our orientation was to make a bucket list. I wrote that I wanted to go to a basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Everybody was sharing their list, and everyone agreed that’s a hard ticket to get. But the guy sitting next to me leans over and says, ‘Hey, I teach Sunday school with Coach K’s secretary, so if you’re serious about that, I can get you tickets.’ A few weeks later, we’re three rows behind the bench at Cameron. A Movie I like: I’ve always been a fan of Fight Club. And, of course, Bull Durham. A pet peeve: Doors being left ajar. I don’t know why. It drives me crazy.