April 1, 2017
Jenna Slobozian | Why work doesn鈥檛 feel like work
When Jenna Slobozian talks about her work with the Cumming School of Medicine鈥檚 research team, you can see the passion on her face and hear it in her voice.
鈥淚 love this work so much, that it doesn鈥檛 feel like work,鈥 she says enthusiastically. 鈥淎nyone who knows me, knows that I鈥檓 very obsessed with my work. It鈥檚 because for me, it isn鈥檛 work!鈥
Jenna has been with U不良研究所 for four years. She started with the Vice-President (Research) Office as a research grants officer responsible for all foundation and non-profit grant funding. Jenna then shifted her focus to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and was promoted to the role of senior research grants officer. Last July, she joined the Cumming School of Medicine as the research facilitator.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been fascinated by health research, but gave up on the idea that I could be the person who actually does the research a long time ago,鈥 she chuckled. 鈥淎t the beginning of my career, I didn鈥檛 even know positions like the one I have now existed.鈥
Jenna completed her undergraduate degree in cultural anthropology at the University of Lethbridge in 2007. Her first positions, with the Canadian Cancer Society and the Heart and Stroke Foundation, helped her discover more about the role she could play within the research community.
鈥淭he Canadian Cancer Society hired me to do health promotion. I started meeting with a lot of researchers, and quickly realized that working with them was the one thing in this world I wanted to do more of,鈥 said Jenna. 鈥淚n those positions, I was always so excited to work with U不良研究所. I was thrilled when an opportunity for me to work for the university came up.鈥
When it comes to U不良研究所 and the people who work here, Jenna had always heard and experienced such great things.
鈥淭he university has done an incredible job at making me passionate about the impact my work is having,鈥 Jenna gushes as she explains how U不良研究所 has lived up to her expectations. 鈥淚 appreciate how easy it is to make the connection between hard work and why we鈥檙e doing it. It makes me feel like my work is important.鈥
All of Jenna鈥檚 hard work certainly hasn鈥檛 gone unnoticed. She is the recent recipient of a 2017 U Make a Difference Award. Jenna was recognized at event held on Thursday, May 25, 2017.
鈥淚鈥檓 so honoured to receive this award; it鈥檚 validation that my hard work is paying off,鈥 said Jenna. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also great for my husband to see. It helps him understand why I sometimes have to work so late.鈥
When Jenna isn鈥檛 at the office, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband and soon to be five-year-old daughter, Aurelia. 鈥淲e live in Cochrane, so spending time outdoors is mandatory. Camping is something we do a lot of.鈥
鈥淲hen I鈥檓 not here, I鈥檓 spending all of my time with family,鈥 says Jenna. 鈥淢y daughter is my whole world. She鈥檚 a little firecracker! She鈥檚 opinionated, vivacious, energetic, outrageous, and hilarious 鈥 she鈥檚 all of that with big plans. She claims she wants to be a nurse, a doctor and a veterinarian when she grows up.鈥
It sounds like Aurelia takes after her mom. What a wonderful thing!
Tidbits from Jenna
Favourite place to be: At the family farm. 鈥淚 grew up on a farm in central Alberta. I lost my dad at a young age, and my siblings and I helped my mom with the farm. We spend a lot of weekends there with family, and it means a lot.鈥
Favourite colour: 鈥淩ed. Always red 鈥 it鈥檚 the greatest colour.鈥
Favourite flavour of ice cream: Bubblegum. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 actually like the bubblegum 鈥 it鈥檚 frozen, it hurts my teeth, and it disintegrates in your mouth after about two seconds. I also don鈥檛 really like ice cream cones, so I always get it in a bowl. That helps because I can easily pick around the bubblegum and then throw it out.鈥
Current read: The Daily Show (the book). 鈥淚 have to read every night before bed. I think I picked it up from my mom; I remember her always doing the same.鈥
Pets: A golden retriever cross named Ayla.
Passionate about: Research and the Blue Jays! 鈥淚鈥檓 the biggest Blue Jays fan ever. My dad was a huge fan, and I can remember sitting on his lap watching the games. I rarely miss a game, and frequently travel to Toronto.鈥
On the Cumming School鈥檚 50th anniversary celebration: 鈥淔ifty years is actually a really short period of time. When we talk about research, medicine, success鈥e usually talk about those things in much lengthier chunks of time. When I hear 鈥50,鈥 it kind of shocks me a little bit every time. As far as we鈥檝e come, all of the successes鈥t blows me away to think about how much has happened in such a short timeframe.鈥
What the Cumming School of Medicine should do in the next 50 years: Take time to recognize how far we鈥檝e come. 鈥淎 lot of people should be clapping themselves on the back. When we look at who we鈥檙e comparing ourselves to, we ask a lot of our faculty. For our faculty, this isn鈥檛 a nine-to-five job that they shut off when they leave. It鈥檚 who they are as people. I see their passion, how hard they work. We need to take pause and recognize that.鈥
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