(light jazzy music)
This is a singular honor for Dr. Florescu
and she is incredibly well deserving.
She came to UNMC in 2006
with really top-notch clinical training
but not a great deal of clinical research experience,
and because of her perseverance, her hard work,
her dedication, she's really risen to the top of her field.
What a lot of people don't know about Diana
is that for probably about 15 years
she built up an international reputation
for her scientific discoveries and her contributions
to our understanding of infectious complications
in solid organ transplant patients.
In particular, she helped characterize adenovirus infections
in small bowel transplant patients,
and she also defined the importance of hypogammaglobulinemia
in our post-transplant patients.
And she was internationally recognized for this work.
And then she really stood up tall
during the COVID-19 pandemic,
and quite frankly, her work was inspirational.
While many of us were very stressed
Diana rose to the occasion
and really helped to lead the UNMC response
to COVID-19 with regard to the development
of therapeutics and preventative treatment
and in particular with vaccine development.
I have had the privilege to be her first mentor
at UNMC, and that's really special for me
because she has grown so much
to become a world renowned clinical researcher
and a outstanding clinician and a great mentor
for so many people at UNMC.
So congratulations
for this well deserved award, Dr. Florescu.
When she recognizes a research project that is important,
she works tirelessly to make it happen.
She figures out what is needed and develops strategies
that will make it be successful.
She recognizes that there may be some challenges
but she doesn't let that deter her.
She is really remarkable at setting goals
and achieving those goals,
and we are just so fortunate and blessed to have her
in the Department of Internal Medicine.
I'm a basic scientist and I'm very interested
in understanding how staph works from the bacterial slide.
What I can only dream about is the work that you do
in the clinical research arena,
where you actually take some of the basic science
and turn it into practice.
And this is what you have excelled in your whole career.
The work that you do with testing vaccines
and therapeutics is really on the cutting edge
and the most translational work that that you can get.
Congratulations, Diana, on this fantastic award.
I am very proud to say that I have known you
for almost 20 years, and your work has impacted many lives
in every setting that you have been.
For those that know you,
we know that your work is exemplary.
You're an awesome teacher.
You have been involved in teaching research,
but more importantly,
you're a great person and you have always been.
I have been your friend for 20 years.
I know your family,
and I cannot say that this award surprises me,
because I know who you are, what you do,
and the work that you have done throughout your career.
I can't tell you how many nurses on the floor
reach out to me when they want a precept with us
and they want to know and follow us when she's on,
because she teaches so much to everybody all the time.
We have fellows that reach out to me
and her constantly regarding protocols
that they wanna implement that she started here,
specifically about vanco locks
and with the pediatric transplant patients.
Organized, I know from a teaching standpoint
a lot of our patients are super complicated
and I get overwhelmed going in,
and I can trust her to always bring me down.
She is so able to focus
and pull out all the information that she needs
so that we can systematically, step-by-step
address everything that we need to.
She truly loves her pediatric patients,
and I know that that is something that she wasn't into
when she first went into it.
But they make her sparkle and shine and she is not afraid
to tackle whatever is going on with them.
I'm honored to join those who recognize Dr. Florescu today
for her achievements in clinical research.
I have known Diana for more than 20 years
and attest that success in medicine is never an accident.
Behind Diana's accomplishments there is integrity,
hard work, and unwavering determination.
I have never seen anyone with more passion and grit
in designing studies, publishing solid results,
and creating a successful research team.
As she is Romanian, I am partial
to her exceptional achievements.
Let's not forget
that she built an outstanding career in USA anew
after being a full-fledged public health attending
in Romania.
Diana has inspired scores of colleagues and disciples.
She is the one who determined me
to join the select group of ID specialists.
She sparked my interest in academic medicine
and the care of immunocompromised patients.
Diana is a fantastic human being and friend
who loves flowers, strange animals,
and sends me the best cat videos in the universe.
She was also the first one to make me ride a horse.
The evidence of her leadership
is my lack of obvious injuries.
I'm delighted that the institution she is loyal to
recognizes her today.
Proof UNMC is a great place.
Dr. Florescu, I'm so grateful
for your guidance and mentorship.
I really cherish our relationship
and here are the top five things
that I think make you an excellent mentor.
Number one, you're always willing
to share your expertise with your mentees.
Number two, you're always available to help.
Number three, you give honest feedback and some tough love.
Number four, you've always looked out for my best interest.
Number five, you're an outstanding female role model.
It's been the greatest pleasure and inspiration
to see everything that you've achieved in your career,
breaking boundaries and stereotypes along the way.
And I know I speak for many others
when you make me feel like anything is possible.
It's a great honor to congratulate you, Diana,
on this incredible recognition.
I've gotten the chance to get to know you
over the last couple of decades because of a mutual interest
in two unusual viruses, norovirus and adenovirus,
as well as our love for travel
and generally having a good time.
When we were looking for sites for our norovirus study,
your site, and you in particular, were the first
that we contacted because I know
that you are an amazing researcher who is easy to work with
and always recruits patients and completes their enrollment.
It's been a huge honor working with you.
Congratulations on this award.
I've been working with Diana since 2014
and she's taught me everything I know
about academic research.
She is a wealth of knowledge and a very strong leader.
From Diana I've learned how to be caring and compassionate.
I've learned what it means to be part of a team.
I've learned to be able to keep things in perspective.
And I've really learned good work ethic
and how to set the the standard for success pretty high.
Hi, Diana, and while so many people know
about your incredible brilliance and your insight
into all these challenging clinical problems,
many people may not appreciate the compassion
and the thoughtfulness that you've provided
to so many of our transplant recipients.
And in particular, I know you know what I'm talking about.
Many people may not appreciate
what an incredible ballroom dancer you are
and how you put together our sort of danceathon
that me and other "volunteers" met with certain patients
who had received transplants, these children,
and you invited us all to a ballroom dancing competition.
And we are all so really touched by your compassion
and your commitment and your ability to organize all this.
I'm so excited for you.
I'm so proud of you, and again,
I can't imagine anybody more deserving
of this award than you are.