Versatility is key for Vicki Herrera, a research coordinator working with Dr. Josh Santarpia in UNMC’s Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology.
“I wear many hats,” she said. Her duties range from field work to basic PCR to ordering supplies. “It could be a gamut of things for his projects that he has going on. I also do laboratory training and education for the biocontainment unit. I am a work group chair for NETEC, which is the National Emerging Pathogens Training and Education Center. And then I am an alternate responsible official for the campus select agent program, so I do lots of different things. My time is sort of split up, but that ebbs and flows, and I just try to balance all the things as best I can.”
Herrera has been a research coordinator since 2019. Before that, she spent about 10 years working for the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory, where they were responsible for the clinical laboratory testing of patients in the biocontainment unit. “I was here when we had our three Ebola patients back in 2014 and 2015—I supervised the biocontainment unit lab at that time. That was a mission that was near and dear to my heart.”
A continued focus on safety in the clinical laboratory is still very much in the forefront of her mind. “That’s what I do with NETEC as well, is promote and teach laboratory safety in the context of special pathogens. Keeping the laboratorians safe is my passion.”
Herrera said she enjoys the ever-changing nature of the research lab, where there’s always something new to learn. “I’m probably a forever learner. I like that it’s different all the time, based on the projects that we get, so there’s lots of differentiation. On the NETEC and the biocontainment unit side, I really like teaching people, I like knowing that I’m making a difference, I like knowing that I’m helping keep people safe. That’s what really lights me up right now. My mom used to be a nurse, and so I think that helpful attitude in protecting people and safety comes naturally through my upbringing.”
Herrera grew up in central Nebraska on a farm and went to school in Ansley, near Broken Bow. “I had a graduating class of 16 people. So, teeny tiny.”
Science has always been at the forefront for her. “I went to UNL for my undergrad in biology. Originally, I had wanted to do marine biology—kind of odd for a Nebraska kid, but I have always loved water and all the things related to water. That didn’t work out, so I ended up taking a lab technician job at Creighton. And then through that, I went back and got my master’s in medical microbiology and immunology and worked for a biotech company for a year. I had a friend that was working in the clinical lab at the Med Center. He was moving to a different town and so his job position was open. It was in the molecular area, which was really my area of expertise at the time. He recommended me for the job, and then the rest is history.”
After about seven years as a medical/research technologist, she moved to NPHL, where she was a technical supervisor for nearly 10 years before moving to her current role. “I’ve been here for a long time, so I have a lot of connections in different areas. Being on campus for 20+ years and, being on both the clinical side and research side of things means you are all over campus and meet a lot of different people at different stages, and different hierarchies, which has been fun.”
During the COVID outbreak, while many people worked from home, she was at the medical center, classified as essential personnel. “Less than a year prior I had moved to the research lab where Dr. Santarpia was doing aerosol work, and so that was good and bad timing, I guess, depending on how you want to look at it. With the biocontainment unit and national quarantine center response, I was busy 24-7 with that one. So, I have a little bit of a different viewpoint of COVID than a lot of other people do.”
Finishing her yoga teacher training and teaching yoga classes during that time was a relief. “That was sort of my mental break,” she said, adding that she continues to teach yoga at a local studio. Much of the time, though, is focused on her family. “I have three kids. My son just graduated college, so that’s exciting! I am trying to spend time with him before he moves back to the farm to work with his grandpa. I have a daughter that’s a sophomore at UNL, and then I still have a daughter in high school, so I’m busy doing all the things with her, going to all the games, show choir, all the events.”