A Note of Appreciation to Employees from Dr. Michael Friedlander
Dear Carilion Colleagues,
This pandemic seems to go on and here at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, we are acutely aware of the continuing challenges it is putting on all of you and the entire health care system. It seems like only yesterday that this all began and people all over the country, including here in Roanoke, were reaching out to show their appreciation for the selfless work that health care providers do every day in support of our community’s health (e.g. thank you drive-bys, banging pots and pans, signs thanking health care heroes). Like all things, people get complacent (or numb) over time and while I know that CC leadership regularly acknowledges and values the incredible work that you all do, I wanted to be sure that you heard that message loud and clear from your colleagues here at the research institute, where we don’t have as much opportunity to interact with you and express our support and appreciation on a daily basis.
THANK YOU! For every day that you go to work and face serious illness and mortality in your patients, doing all that you can for them and their loved ones; for every day that you put your own health at risk for the benefit of others; for sacrificing your personal and family time to pull extra shifts and respond to the crisis with your expertise, skills and knowledge; for hanging in there when the goalposts for reaching the end of the pandemic seem to keep moving farther into the future; and for being part of this community that we all call home. THANK YOU!
We are proud to be your friends and colleagues and are extremely grateful for your contributions that make our community a better and safer place for us and our families.
Sincerely,
Mike
Michael J. Friedlander, Ph.D.
Virginia Tech Vice President for Health Sciences and Technology, Virginia Tech
Executive Director, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion
Senior Dean for Research, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Professor, Biological Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
