When Amelia Kuhar first joined the University of Chicago, she started as a receptionist in Environmental Services. Today, as an administrative assistant in Gastroenterology, she supports five physicians, drawing on the experience she’s gained across Pathology, Anesthesia, Psychiatry, Transplant, and OB/GYN, where she worked for 20 years.

Kuhar takes pride in her role overseeing patient care, ensuring messages reach the right hands quickly and efficiently. For her, what makes UChicago a great place to work is not only the challenging environment but the dedication and empathy of the doctors and nurses she works alongside.

Kuhar answered our questions about her interests and experiences at the University:

Q: What initially brought you to the University? What role did you start in? What other roles have you held?

Someone told me that the University of Chicago was a great place to work. Now that I’ve worked here, I agree, the University of Chicago is a great place to work because of the dedication and compassion of our doctors and nurses in caring for our patients. I have experienced this first-hand with my own health issues. I started as a receptionist in Environmental Services. I have worked in several departments (Pathology, Anesthesia, Psychiatry, Transplant, OB/GYN (where I worked for 20 years), and I am currently working in Gastroenterology as an administrative assistant to five physicians.

Q: How has your role changed/grown over the past 40 years?

I started as a receptionist, answering phones and processing payroll, and now I’m an administrative assistant to five physicians. I keep their academic calendars, arrange meetings, arrange travel, and process travel-related reimbursements.

Q: Where are you originally from?

I am originally from South Holland, IL. Now, I live in NW Indiana. I have lived in Indiana for almost 30 years.

Q: What is it that you enjoy most about your role?

The thing I enjoy most about my role is being an integral part of making a positive difference in patients’ lives by knowing what questions to ask when patients call and then delivering the message to the appropriate nurse in a timely fashion.

Q: What is it that you enjoy about UChicago? What’s kept you here all these years?

I enjoy working at UChicago because the physicians here are very dedicated to helping their patients. I like helping people and enjoy the stimulating atmosphere of working in a doctor's office.

Q: Do you have any favorite UChicago-related memories from over the years that you can share with us?

One of my favorite memories is hosting the ultrasonographers’ conferences from 2017 to 2019. We went from having only a small group of attendees in 2017 to several hundred attendees in 2019. I was in charge of all communications with the hotel where the conferences were held for the arrangement of speaker housing, meal preparations, AV setup, and speaker dinners. I was also responsible for communicating with speakers to obtain all conference-related materials, including their CVs, booking hotel reservations, confirming travel arrangements, obtaining copies of their slide presentations, and processing travel reimbursements. I assisted with all items that were needed to obtain CME credits for these conferences and sent CME certificates to attendees. I worked closely with outside vendors in obtaining sponsorships, which helped fund the conferences.

Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family, gardening, painting, and cooking.