Sanford Fargo honors Employees of the Year
Contact:
Christen Rennich
Sanford Health Media Relations
(701) 200-6080 /christen.rennich@sanfordhealth.org
FARGO, N.D., Oct. 15, 2021 – Sanford Health recently honored five Fargo region employees with Sanford Health Employee of the Year awards.
Sanford Employee of the Year award winners are nominated by their peers and chosen by enterprise-wide and regional selection committees. “The 2021 awards recognize the exceptional work by Sanford providers and employees, who over the last year, have faced hurdles never-before-seen in modern history. Despite the challenges, our people served our patients and communities with the bravery, compassion and professionalism that helped us all overcome the worst of the pandemic,” said Brittany Sachdeva, DNP, RN, vice president of operations for Sanford Health in Fargo.
Julie Olson, RN, was named Sanford Health’s Clinical Employee of the Year. Olson is continually striving to reach an even higher standard of care by learning to understand what matters most to her patients, their families and her colleagues. She is known for upholding each patient’s dignity, worth and uniqueness. She respects the values of each patient and builds a trusting relationship without any bias or prejudice.
Lisa Gibson, a senior director of facilities, was named Sanford Health’s Management Employee of the Year. Gibson is highly respected by employees in food services and other areas she leads, as well as by department leaders across Sanford Health. She genuinely cares about each employee and refers to everyone as family. During the pandemic, Gibson has made extra efforts to ensure the well-being of her employees. Her strong work ethic, integrity, empathy and compassion are seen in everything she says and does.
Sanja Gurung, an environmental services technician, was named Sanford Health’s Support Services Employee of the Year. Garung is from Nepal and spent 20 years as a refugee. She has overcome many challenges with language barriers, cultural differences and working in America. She has influenced others to change and grow during her time at Sanford Health. She always creates a great work environment for her coworkers and is the first one people go to for help.
Dr. Samy Karaz, a sleep medicine physician, was named Sanford Health’s Physician of the Year. Dr. Karaz has devoted his life to furthering the sleep medicine program in Fargo. He consistently goes above and beyond for his patients and colleagues and makes everyone he interacts with feel comfortable as if they were his family. He plans to retire at the end of 2021 but will leave an outstanding legacy with Sanford Fargo Sleep Center.
Nicholas Luchau, a lead personal systems technician, was named Sanford Health’s Information Technology Employee of the Year. This is an enterprise-wide honor. Luchau is known as everyone’s go-to for help and is known for his tenacity in overcoming challenges. Luchau’s expertise has proved invaluable during the pandemic, especially with providing remote technology for offsite COVID-19 vaccination sites and events.
About Sanford Health
Sanford Health, one of the largest health systems in the United States, is dedicated to the integrated delivery of health care, genomic medicine, senior care and services, global clinics, research and affordable insurance. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization includes 46 hospitals, 1,500 physicians and more than 200 Good Samaritan Society senior care locations in 26 states and 10 countries. Learn more about Sanford Health’s transformative work to improve the human condition at sanfordhealth.org or Sanford Health News.
