Medical assistant receives Hymore award

May 1, 2014 | Features, UToday, UTMC
By Vicki L. Kroll



“Happy” by Pharrell Williams is Mary Cornell’s favorite song.

Cornell

Cornell

That should come as no surprise to anyone who knows the medical assistant who works in the Psychiatry Department.

Her cheerful demeanor helped her win this year’s Diane Hymore Exemplar of Excellence Award last week at the UT Annual Awards Ceremony.

The honor named for the longtime executive secretary to President Lloyd Jacobs is presented to an individual whose work defines the core values of the University in her spirit of support, encouragement and service.

Cornell has worked at the University since 2006. She started as a medical assistant in Surgery, and joined Psychiatry in 2012.

“Mary is the face of psychiatry. She is the first person people see when they come to our department. Every day Mary has a smile that glows along with a courteous and happy tone,” one nominator wrote.

Another noted, “Mary has built a relationship with every single patient she encounters. She makes them feel comfortable, and they all know her by name. Mary also knows almost all of our patients’ first names. She even brings in dog treats for the assistance dogs our patients bring to our office. Mary even knows all the dogs by name, too.”

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