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‘Return-to-Work MVPs’ Recognized

Staff honored for worker’s compensation best practices

Duke administrators last week recognized seven supervisors and managers from the university and health system for their efforts to help employees find ways to stay at work while coming back from injury. 

In a presentation to Duke’s Worker’s Compensation Advisory Committee, Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for administration, handed out the inaugural set of “Return-to-Work MVP” awards. The recognition highlights staff who promote the opportunity for others to work within safe work restrictions, either in their own job, in a different job within their department or unit, or elsewhere within the institution.

“These people do a really great job serving important aspects of worker’s compensation,” Cavanaugh said. “There’s very good data that indicates the quicker we get a person back to their routine, the duration of time to get them back to their regular jobs is dramatically collapsed.”

Among those recognized was Laura Routhier, radiology supervisor at Duke Raleigh Hospital. She received her MVP award for providing light duty work that can minimize lifting, standing or walking for hurt coworkers, noting that back injuries are common in her department.

“I want that person to feel productive while they recover,” she said. “Keeping them in our same setting helps them feel that way.”

Along with Routhier, others who received awards as the first group of Return-to-Work MVPs were:

  • Leigh Fickling, director, Disability Management
  • Denise Motley, director, Duke recruitment and Duke Temporary Services
  • Tamara Mueller, strategic services associate, Duke Hospital Central Telemetry
  • Sharon Tobias, nurse manager, Duke Regional Hospital
  • Chris Vogelheim, resident regional manager, Duke Hospital environmental services
  • Juanita Wilson, human resources manager, Division of Laboratory Animal Resources