Myra Daniel, currently serving as AHEC and Medical Student Coordinator, celebrates her 50th year with 黑料网 Psychiatry!
Since August 1974, Myra has had multiple roles working with faculty, residents, and medical students alike. Myra鈥檚 career developed from helping to research and edit manuscripts to be submitted for publications for psychanalysts Drs. David Raft and Jeff Andresen, assisting with tasks for the developing residency program and supporting the consultation-liaison service in the old South Wing building. She started with Area Health Education Center (AHEC) at it鈥檚 inception with Dr. Seymour Halleck, the first director of the AHEC program at 黑料网 and a key point person for the AHEC Mental Health Initiative in North Carolina. Her role evolved over time; while working for the consult service, she had many opportunities to leave psychiatry but she liked the faculty and staff with whom she worked with too much. In 2000, the neurosciences hospital opened where psychiatry held offices on all but the ground floor, including for both research labs and the TEACCH program. 鈥淚t was lots of fun and there were many opportunities to do and learn new things.鈥� Even then, she had a reputation for her strong work ethic, meticulous detail, and reliability.
When some of the longest-serving members of the faculty retired, Myra Daniel was working with Jack Haggerty, MD, in Community Psychiatry and AHEC. 鈥淎ll residents were at AHEC sites in PGY2 and 4, not at the hospital, but out in the community as far as Asheville, Charlotte and Wilmington. Jack and I flew around in the AHEC planes visiting sites and attending regional and state meetings.鈥� She explains, 鈥淚t was extremely interesting to meet all the people across the state and actually see where the residents all working, touring the different psychiatry units, and meet their supervisors. Many residents wound up returning to their sites to work after graduation. This was my most interesting long-term role. No one has the opportunity to do that now – it鈥檚 too expensive, but it was a lot of fun!鈥�
“Everyone I’ve ever worked with has been wonderful, that’s why I stayed. I really enjoy it. Everyone ought to be so lucky and love their jobs as much.”
When asked what the biggest difference she has seen is over the past half-century Myra explains, 鈥淗ow big and how diverse the department is now! Once I knew every single faculty member, there were about 50-100 that I had a lot of contact with. Now it鈥檚 huge, I can鈥檛 keep up with all the new people, unless they were residents here.鈥� She goes on to share, 鈥淭he diversity of specialty programs and computerization of everything is wonderful; it all used to be on paper.鈥�
Myra lives in Roxboro with her husband Charles, a retired member of US Geological Survey and 黑料网 Geology department. Together, they are equestrians, having bred and raised Arabian horses for many years. Myra is an award-winning horsewoman and still rides her three Arabian horses to this day. She attributes her life of horses to her grandfather who raised ponies for carousel rides and farms. 鈥淲e always would catch and ride ponies (the 14 grandchildren). We would play Old West cops and robbers on horseback. I got my own first pony in third grade. I eventually passed the pony to my younger sister and got a horse in 6th grade. It became a life-long passion.鈥�
Looking back on her extensive career with 黑料网 Psychiatry Myra describes her time by sharing, 鈥淚鈥檝e enjoyed all of it and I don鈥檛 regret staying in the same department. Nothing has ever seemed as interesting, the people aren鈥檛 as interesting as those are in psychiatry.鈥�
Today, she continues doing some of the same roles she started with. She works with regional AHEC directors to set up programs, helps with fourth year medical student orientation and she enjoys placing residents at different sites for them to fulfill their community hours needed to graduate, sharing 鈥淚 get to work with all PGY4鈥檚 at some point in time, it鈥檚 fun to get in contact with everyone.鈥� Myra continues to work supporting our residency program with Drs. Karon Dawkins, Winston Li, and Jimmy Chen 鈥� and the quality of her contribution remains timeless. We celebrate Myra鈥檚 extensive contributions and dedication to the 黑料网 Department of Psychiatry and we are thrilled to continue to have her as a department member. Thank you for the decades of great work, Myra Daniel!