Labor Day and the “Epicenters”

Sep 5, 2023

Labor Day is an excellent example of an ironic oxymoron where we celebrate workers by not working.

Another ironic oxymoron is “airline schedule” because since when are planes on time and this holiday weekend was no exception.

Glass half full, we used the airport delay to write this encomium about the EpicentRx one-hundred percenters, or Epicenters, for short, that pour their blood, sweat, and tears (not literally) into the company. These “Epicenters” show up every day and bring, not their A games, but, even better, because they work at EpicentRx, their “E” games. (For more information on the Epicenters check out their individual spotlights here).

E is for embodiment and for excellence, and it is for Erica Burbano, Head of Quality Assurance, and the embodiment of “Philly tough” because she hails from Philadelphia. Philly tough means that Erica shows up every day for work, pandemic, or no pandemic, ready and willing to get the job done both during and after normal business hours.

E is for entropy, and it is for Angelique Coyle, who fights against it successfully every day as Associate Regulatory Affairs Specialist. Angel raised another fighter, her son, who is an undefeated champion mixed martial artist.

E is for efficient and for ex-Army nurse, and it is for Jeannie Williams, Director of Clinical Operations, and a force of nurture, who seamlessly runs point on all EpicentRx’s clinical trials.

E is for endure and for evident, and it is for Allison Pratt, Head of Human Resources, whose dedication to the job is evident no matter how trying the circumstances, for example, even when she developed multi-inflammatory syndrome for adults (MIS-A) after her second COVID booster shot.

E is for enthusiastic, and it is for Garrett Soapes, whose enthusiasm for the job and for life in general are hard to miss.

E is for EF Hutton, and it is for Elena Prokopenko, Head of Quality, because such is Elena’s importance to the company that when she talks, everyone always listens.

E is for Einstein and for enter at your own risk, and it is for Meaghan Stirn, whose Great Dane, Einstein, is heavier and bigger than all of us. Plus, as the newly promoted VP of Finance and Special Projects, Meaghan’s clearance ranks above ours.

E is for example and extensive, and it is for Cade Wesolowsky, Laboratory Assistant, who sets a good one with his hard work and dedication, even though his last name is, shall we say, extensive.

E is for evidence, and it is for Ana Sanchez PhD, Senior Project Scientist, because the success of the oncolytic virus program is evidence of her hard work.

E is for the eLOOP, and it is for Scott Caroen, Senior Director of Clinical Operations, who helped to invent it.

E is for exceptional, it is for Stacey Gates, Senior Clinical Research Associate, who is an exceptional CRA.

E is for exponential, and it is for Chris Larson, MD, PhD, because what he does perhaps more than anyone else at EpicentRx makes the company exponentially better.

Finally, E is also for enough said because, well, enough said.