LMP’s Nelson Cabral awarded Staff Impact Award for leadership
Inclusive community
Nelson Cabral, Manager of Business and Administration in the Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology has been recognized for his leadership by the Temerty Faculty of Medicine.
Since joining LMP over two years ago, Nelson has worked tirelessly to create a supportive and collegial environment for staff, learners and faculty and to promote the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s strategic goals.
Nelson’s leadership extends beyond LMP. He is the Co-Chair of the Group on Business Affairs (GBA) and Chair of the Basic Science Managers subgroup, a forum where he has led the introduction of important topics for managers such as Mental Health in the Workplace.
Nominated by Department Chair, Dr. Rita Kandel, and the administrative team in a heartfelt and detailed letter to the selection committee, the team highlighted his many achievements.
“To nominate Nelson for this award was the easiest letter I ever wrote”, commented Rita. “However, it was challenging to condense the many examples of his significant contributions to LMP. He has made an incredible impact across all areas of the department and I cannot thank him enough for his dedication, hard work and incredible can-do attitude.”
Supporting staff through the reorganization of the administrative structure
When Nelson joined LMP, the department was in the middle of a reorganization of the administrative structure and was experiencing a high staff turnover.
Reorganization is a cause of great stress and anxiety, but Nelson led this process in a way that mitigated these pressures. He was transparent about what would transpire, and when and whom it would affect. He met each employee individually and was able to reinvigorate staff morale with his honesty and compassionate nature.
His commitment to the team continues to this day and its impact has created a cohesive and effective group.
“Through his example he has helped foster a culture of collaboration and mutual support in the department where everyone is always ready to help out a colleague”, said Xilonem Lopez, Administrative and Appointments Assistant.
Championing the professional growth of administrative staff, learners and faculty
Nelson has spent time and effort creating budgets to support the professional development of those in LMP.
He created a full-time administrative staff professional development allowance to enable attendance at courses, workshops, seminars, and/or conferences.
He supports the advancement of learners and faculty by finding funds to underpin new departmental initiatives such as the LMP Workshop Program, which awards students with financial support for practical training in an area related to their thesis project, and the Faculty Leadership Grant to help send faculty to leadership conferences or workshops.
Empowering the department through technology, even before the pandemic
Even before the pandemic, Nelson was looking for ways he could improve working practices through technology. Foresight which helped LMP adapt to COVID-19 restrictions more easily.
He introduced technologies like Zoom and Sharepoint, and online forms, event registrations and abstract submissions. He implemented electronic locks (fobs) on lab doors so that lab personnel did not have to find keys to open doors and improved safety – essential during the pandemic.
“Nelson has always embraced technology and searched for solutions and software that would make our jobs easier even before the pandemic.” Commented Paula Nixon, Postgraduate Education Officer.
However, not everything can be done remotely, and Nelson is regularly found on campus helping ensure the smooth running of laboratories and all aspects of the department in light of reduced personnel onsite.
“When undergraduate classes were canceled due to COVID-19, our department was given one weekend to transition all courses online”, said Dr Jeff Lee, Undergraduate Co-coordinator. “Nelson immediately helped find virtual classroom options and took the initiative to set up a teaching station in the department for guest instructors to record their online lectures. As a result, we were able to minimize disruptions to our learners.”
Advocating for, and supporting, LMP’s growth
He has been instrumental in supporting LMP’s growth over the past two years including:
Supporting the recruitment of two joint tenure stream faculty with the Department of Computer Science: Dr Bo Wang and Dr Rahul Gopal Krishnan (joining in 2021)
Rita commented, “Despite the numerous demands on his time, Nelson consistently goes above and beyond his role. I do not know how he found the time to drive all these initiatives forward!”.
“I feel blessed to receive this accolade and to lead such a great team,” acknowledged Nelson.
Please join us in congratulating Nelson.
The award-winning LMP administrative team
Nelson leads an award-winning administrative team:
