It’s been a great year at the DorobekINSIDER. Our show launched in February and 260 guests later the show is really something we are very proud of. So, for the last week in 2012, we wanted to do something different. We wanted to take a step back and highlight some of the great interviews we’ve done over the year. Stories that framed technology, hiring, career, innovation, communications and leadership.
2012 has been a wild ride for government with pay freezes, budget cuts, the digital government strategy and government conference scandals, and with the country on the brink of a fiscal cliff, it couldn’t be a more exciting time to cover the government space.
But despite all the hardships there have been real innovation in the federal government. And nothing highlights that innovative spirit better than the Partnership for Public Services’s Service to America Medal Awards. They are like the Oscars for Feds. We were honored to talk with some of the finalists this summer.
Sammies Finalists Take Center Stage
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An AIDS Free Generation — How one Sammies Finalist is making it happen In the 1980s, an AIDS diagnosis was considered a death sentence. Even more troubling was the number of children who contracted the disease from their mother. But thanks in part to the work of Dr. Lynne Mofenson, future generations won’t have to worry about being born with HIV or AIDS. She pioneered a clinical trial that used the AZT drug to help stop transmissions from mother to child. With that amazing work Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been able to announce that creating an AIDS-free generation worldwide, one in which no children are born with the HIV infection, is not only possible, but a U.S. policy priority.
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Improving Transportation One “Black Box” at a Time In 2009, the US Airways Flight 1549 emergency landing on the Hudson River made international news as “The Miracle on the Hudson”. The ditching of the aircraft and successful rescue of all passengers and crew was recognized as a “heroic and unique aviation achievement”. In the aftermath of the downed flight, one of the critical components of the accident investigation involved analysis of the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. While these boxes were recovered without significant damage, in some cases it requires significant effort to recover data from burned or otherwise damaged boxes.
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HUD and VA team up to put an end to Veteran homelessness Some have called it a “national disgrace,” the presence of thousands of homeless veterans on American streets and in shelters. In 2010 President Obama made a strong statement, saying that his administration would end homelessness by 2015. But how do you do that? The Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs teamed up to find a solution.
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Trouble Abroad: Who Ya’ Gonna Call? Sammies Finalist Michelle Bernier-Toth! Being tasked with people’s safety is no small calling, especially when the people are across borders in sometimes hostile countries. When a crisis happens overseas, it’s Michelle Bernier-Toth’s job as managing director of Overseas Citizens Services at the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs to contact US nationals and get them out of the situation.
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NIH scientist fights back against bone marrow failures Bone marrow — most of us don’t fully understand what it is, let alone why it fails. But Dr. Neal Young does.He is the world’s leading expert in the field of bone marrow failure. His groundbreaking research at the National Institute for Health has led to life-saving treatments for a rare and deadly blood disorder known as aplastic anemia.
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Saving lives with inter-agency teamwork — how one Sammies finalist is reducing medical errors Every year, tens of thousands of patients die or are harmed by preventable medical errors such as pharmaceutical prescription mistakes, hospital acquired infections and surgical missteps. Breakdowns in communication among doctors, nurses and other care providers are a leading cause of these tragic errors.
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