2022 Cupola Award Recipients

Each year, Lowell General Hospital employees nominate managers, supervisors, and clinical leaders for their outstanding leadership and contributions to the organization. The Rewards and Recognition Council vote for the year’s Cupola Award recipients based on the nominees’ abilities to meet the hospital’s Standards of Performance and the dimensions of Completed connected care through personal stories or specific actions shared by the nominees’ team.

We are proud to announce this year’s Cupola Award recipients: Gabriela Bradburn, Interpreter Services Manager; Myra Dionido-Magat, Clinical Manager, D4 and MS2; and Kristine Gollihur, Clinical Leader, R3.

Here is a closer look at the winners:

Gabriela Bradburn, Interpreter Services Manager

Gabrela has been with Lowell General Hospital for nearly 17 years. Her staff says that she values her employees, encourages them to grow, and keeps the team informed about all changes in the department and the organization. 

Gabriela was the driving force behind the implementation of ServiceHub, which provided significant improvement in service efficiency. During the Epic implementation, Gabriela advocated for department needs and provided staff education for the evolving technology. Staff says that Gabriela’s outstanding work to help her team adjust to the many changes in work flow, communication, video, phone, in-person and remote services has prepared them to be ready for anything and everything. 

Her staff says that Gabriela is a hard worker who goes above and beyond, cares deeply for the Interpreter Services team, and wants everyone to know about the important work of the department. One nominator says, “Gabriela has shown that a leader is not the person who manages or commands a team, but a person who serves.”  

Gabriela shows vision, energy, commitment, integrity, professionalism and strength. A staff member commented that Gabriela makes a positive difference in the department and that “the work week would not be the same without her management.” 

One of her team members stated, “Gabriela Bradburn is the manager that any employee wishes they could have.”

Myra Dionido-Magat, Clinical Manager, Intermediate Care Unit D4 and Medical Surgical Unit 2

Myra has been with Lowell General Hospital for nearly 17 years. She became Clinical Manager in 2020. Her staff says that Myra brought a “transformational type of leadership” to the unit, and that her dedication, attention to detail, hard work, empathy and commitment transformed a good unit into a great unit.

Myra advocates for her staff, encourages autonomy and professional development, listens to input and ideas, and empowers staff to make decisions. One team member shared, “I like how Myra asks for our feedback on unit issues. I feel like she truly considers our opinions and factors them into solutions that make MS2 better.”

Myra is described as compassionate, a good listener, approachable, and staff feel she truly always has an open door. When the pandemic hit, staff says that Myra made sure each employee was taking care of themselves, worked to create a “Zen Den” space for staff to relax and recharge, and implemented a snack station for staff, often funded with her own money.

Many team members highlighted the amazing work that Myra does leading multiple units. She has provided vital educational opportunities to staff and implemented “Lunch and Learn” sessions for D4 as well as in-depth onboarding education for new hires. One nominator says, “she truly wants her staff to learn something every day and become experts at what we do.” MS2 had many staffing vacancies when Myra became leader, and there is now a waitlist of people hoping to work there.

Staff says that Myra has a tremendous passion for patient care and her staff, and that no matter how much is on her plate, she will rise to the occasion and be an amazing leader. 

Kristine (Kris) Gollihur, Clinical Leader, Intermediate Care Unit R3

Kris has been with Lowell General Hospital for 27 years. She has been a Clinical Leader since 2020. Speaking about her move to the clinical leader role, staff says “this role has given Kris the ability to reveal her other gifts, beyond bedside nursing.”

Staff says that Kris is a great role model for them, very organized, attentive and efficient, and works well with leaders and staff to best serve patients and keep team members on track. During each daily safety huddle, Kris reminds staff of ways to improve care and holds each person accountable for their work. Kris has boosted morale by initiating team builders, including a birthday board and baby picture contest that was a hit with staff.

During the challenging work of scheduling staff, Kris is “attentive to life events, making us feel seen and valued.” Her staff notes that Kris has helped them to recognize the importance of the hospital’s Magnet designation and taking pride in their workplace.

Whenever necessary, Kris will come in to help on nights and weekends. She is often found on the unit helping others with patient care, and her staff says this really inspires teamwork. Kris never loses sight of the patient experience, and if team members are feeling burned out she will gently remind them to put patients first and how fortunate they are to not be on the other side of the bed.

Her staff says they believe that Kris is one of the hardest workers at Lowell General, but doesn’t call attention to her accomplishments which is why they want her to be recognized for all she contributes to the R3 team. One of her nominators says, “Words cannot really describe the impact she has on us.”