It is a convergence of astronomical proportions that happens once a quarter in the Fox Chase Cancer Center cafeteria. On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, the second set of STAR – Special Talent Achieving Results – Award winners were announced and celebrated. This quarterly employee recognition event highlights excellence in achieving the organizational goals, leadership competencies, and core values of Fox Chase.
“Our core values include Respect, Service, and Quality, and we are here to celebrate our colleagues who live these values every day,” said Towanda Record, AVP, Strategic Human Resources. “This is not just about accolades or ceremonies, but about fostering a culture of recognition and support.”
The STAR Award is part of the new Fox Chase Recognition Program to honor employees for excellence in performance, and it honors employees in each of the following categories: Excellence in Administration, Excellence in Management, Excellence in Patient Support, and Excellence in Research Support.
“The STAR Award conveys the message that we are all united together, and that we are Fox Chase,” said Robert Uzzo, MD, MBA, FACS, Fox Chase’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We recognize and celebrate people at every level of our organization who are a critical part of our mission.”
The latest STAR Award winners include:
- Brian Burke, Practice Administrator, Department of Surgery – Excellence in Administration
- Cynthia McCandless, Supervisor, Communication Services – Excellence in Management
- Valerie Heron, Registered Nurse – Excellence in Patient Support
- Madeline Wargins, Clinical Research Data Specialist – Excellence in Research Support
2nd Place Winners:
- Ey Luu, Director, Stem Cell Lab – Excellence in Administration
- Natasha Varela, Administrative Manager – Excellence in Management
- Martha Killian, Clinical Dietitian Specialist – Excellence in Patient Support
- Deborah Grace, Research Study Assistant II – Excellence in Research Support
3rd Place Winners:
- Robert (Bob) Siegfried, Facility Regulatory Compliance Officer – Excellence in Administration
- Amy Estrada, Clinical Manager, Patient Flow and Operations Support – Excellence in Management
- Harry Pendleton, Security Officer Rover/Trainer – Excellence in Patient Support
- Bryant Schultz, Assistant Manager, Biosample Repository – Excellence in Research Support
Brian Burke – Excellence in Administration
Leadership requires a certain type of presence – a combination of unflappability and competence – that allows those who possess it to act with confidence in a stressful situation. According to his nominator, Jeffrey Farma, MD, FACS, Chair of the Department of Surgery, Brian Burke has exemplified this presence since he stepped into the role of the department’s practice administrator in 2022.
The department, like many across Fox Chase, had just begun implementing Epic Cadence, and all the clinical schedules required reconfiguration to maximize new patient access. According to Farma, Burke quickly took the lead, positioning the Department of Surgery at the forefront of fixing and maintaining clinic schedules. His work has ensured continued growth in the department and enhanced patient access.
“Brian leads by example, prioritizing genuine engagement with the team, thoroughly understanding challenges from all perspectives, and developing actionable plans to implement meaningful change,” wrote Farma in his nomination. “His expertise in organizational efficiency and process improvement has been transformative for our department.”
Operating Rooms present complex problems in coordination and timing, and Farma recognized Burke for his dedicated, hands-on approach to communications, which has driven process and scheduling efficiency across the entire department.
Burke, for his part, attributes every part of his success to the strengths of the providers and administrators throughout the Department of Surgery. According to Burke, the award serves as an affirmation of their collective efforts.
“Hard work is meant to be challenging and a team effort,” said Burke. “The recognition helps you get over the challenges and is really about recognizing the whole team involved.”
Already an experienced hospital administrator when he arrived at Fox Chase, Burke noted that it was not difficult to understand what sets Fox Chase and his colleagues apart from any other hospital where he has worked.
“A significant aspect of working at Fox Chase is that within three months of your hire date, a friend or family member will walk through the doors for cancer treatment,” said Burke. “It forms an intimacy with your colleagues as well as patients unlikely experienced at other hospitals.”
Cynthia McCandless – Excellence in Management
Cynthia McCandless, known as Cindy to her friends and colleagues, has become the Voice of Fox Chase in ways both literal and, often, intangible. As the supervisor for Fox Chase’s telephone operators, McCandless’s voice is often the first point of contact patients have with the Cancer Center, a role she has played since 1986.
Often, callers are frightened, intimidated, nervous, and even a little angry – all natural reactions to the news of a cancer diagnosis, which some callers may have received moments before calling.
“Cindy has taught her team to actively listen with empathy, be non-reactive to what may be difficult interactions, and ask the critical questions necessary to route the patient correctly the first time,” wrote her nominator, Amy Grace, MBA, Assistant Vice President of Patient Referral Services. “Her ability to calm the upset patient and instill in them the confidence that she will provide them assistance is what makes her a STAR.”
“Oftentimes, her contributions are overlooked because she just makes things happen and never needs assistance,” Grace commented. “She is a problem solver who never looks to others for a solution; she creates every solution needed.”
McCandless received news of the award with her typical humility.
“My team is exceptional, extremely devoted to their jobs, and I am blessed to have the team. I could not do my job successfully without their hard work and dedication,” said McCandless. “The STAR Award is very important and helps acknowledge the hard work that we all do.”
Valerie Heron, BSN, RN, OCN – Excellence in Patient Support
For the purposes of writing a nomination, Heron’s manager at Fox Chase East Norriton, Nicolas Hoover, BSN, RN, OCN, had a nearly impossible task.
The award category is for Excellence in Patient Support, but Heron could just as easily qualify for Excellence in Being a Great Mentor, Excellence in Team Support, or even Excellence in Being an Excellent Human Being. Of course, all of those attributes are part of the overall picture of Valerie Heron’s 20-year history of contributions to patient care. Being a great mentor ensures that the Fox Chase culture of patient care perpetuates. Being a great colleague means that an entire team has the support it needs to focus on patient care. Being a great human is perhaps the result of dedication to others, whether in the clinic in East Norriton, or volunteering for neighborhood food drives.
“She consistently goes above and beyond to ensure that every patient under her care receives personalized, high-quality attention,” wrote Hoover in his nomination. “Valerie’s ability to empathize with her patients, combined with her deep clinical expertise, has earned her the trust and respect of both patients and their families, as well as her colleagues. Her thorough patient teaching and the ability to translate medical terminology into language her patients understand alleviates their fears, and her comprehensive approach improves patient outcomes and strengthens their trust in our healthcare team.”
According to Hoover, Heron’s star shines particularly bright at East Norriton, which includes medical oncology and infusion teams. Heron provides a model of calm in stressful situations and is always quick to do what is needed to get medical providers up to speed or fill in wherever needed – all without losing sight of patient needs.
“The East Norriton team is a unique, close-knit group of hard workers,” said Heron. “We seamlessly support each other throughout our day, whether it be cleaning a room, fixing a schedule, providing reports, or just lending an ear: we back each other up.”
“Patient care is our number one priority, but we also genuinely care about each other and want to see each other succeed and grow to be the best person that they can be,” Heron explained. “Without this group of wonderful co-workers I get to call friends, this award wouldn’t be possible.”
Madeline Wargins – Excellence in Research Support
Sometimes, it takes a moment to internalize the fact that you are a STAR. Madeline Wargins was seated next to her manager and nominator, Alexa Gerchman, in the Office of Clinical Research, when she received the email. In that moment, Gerchman was possibly more excited than Wargins herself.
“I’m someone who takes time to process things, so I didn’t really feel like a star until later,” said Wargins. “Working in data can feel like you’re working in the background, and it can be easy to forget the impact you have. With programs like the STAR Award, it reminds me that my role is more important than I realize sometimes.”
According to Gerchman, however, Wargins has been a star since the day in August of 2023 when she took on the role of Clinical Research Data Specialist with the genitourinary group in OCR, taking on any protocol she is given with ease. Now, with many investigator-sponsored trials in her portfolio, Wargins has gained a reputation for detailed accuracy and has served as a mentor to new CRDS professionals joining the team.
“The CRDS position is one that does not get enough recognition, but is an integral part in advancing clinical research,” wrote Gerchman in her nomination. “The data that is entered by CRDSs like Maddie are crucial to future publications and FDA approvals that will lead to advancements in cancer treatments.”
In addition to her normal workload, Wargins has taken on the leadership of two pilot programs in the Office of Clinical Research, which involves coordination with team members across many departments to keep the projects moving forward. She’s also keen to volunteer when needed within the department. And, whenever Wargins does have free time outside of work, she volunteers in the infusion room, Gerchman says.
“She makes the GU team and everyone around her better. Maddie will not only succeed, but excel in anything she sets her mind to in the future,” Gerchman wrote. “Fox Chase is lucky to have a STAR like her!”
Wargins praises the STAR program and its gathering momentum, as it can show people that their work and their efforts don’t go unnoticed.
“Fox Chase is unique, especially when it comes to clinical research, which provides so many patient benefits that other institutions just can’t access,” said Wargins. “A lot of the specialized roles we have in the OCR try to make sure that studies run smoothly. I think the more people that can be recognized, the more enthusiasm people will have to continue working for the Fox Chase mission.”
Wargins’ enthusiasm was echoed at the ceremony by Fox Chase Chief Operating Officer Joel Helmke, MSHP, FACHE.
“It takes all 2,400 of us supporting each other to drive Fox Chase’s ongoing growth and success, and these STAR awardees exemplify the best of our culture as an organization,” he said. “Thank you to everyone who nominated a colleague or direct report—and thank you to all who will nominate someone in the next quarter.”