Elisa Spitalsky
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Elisa Spitalsky, a certified medical assistant, was working at one of the highest enrolling sites for a vaccine trial when she received an even more challenging opportunity: working for the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD). What started out as a position as a contractor turned into a permanent job as CVD’s senior quality management specialist.
“CVD was so busy at the time with the pandemic we needed someone to help with our quality assurance, our regulatory affairs, internally reviewing all of the clinical trials that were going on,” said James Campbell, MD, MS, interim director of CVD. “And it was difficult to hire people quickly at that time, but we had the ability to get a contractor. Elisa came in and blew us away with her skills and her ability to make sure that we were doing high-quality work. We decided that she needed to be hired as a full-time quality and regulatory person.”
Four years later, Spitalsky continues to stand out as she was surprised during a Jan. 14 videoconference by University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, with the news that she is the University’s January Employee of the Month.
“You are pivotal to the work of the CVD,” Jarrell said, congratulating her for her high level of performance.
In her quality management role at CVD, Spitalsky ensures that the center is following protocols and rules for studies. She leads internal audits, tracks training and onboarding, and supports front desk operations, participant payments, and other essential functions. CVD, which spearheads collaborative efforts to prevent, diagnose, treat, control, and eradicate infectious diseases, has been at the forefront of vaccine development for diseases such as malaria and COVID-19. Currently, Spitalsky is working on about half a dozen studies.
“Her ability to manage these diverse responsibilities with precision and professionalism makes her indispensable to our team,” said Alyson Kwon, MS, CCRC, ACRP-PM, director of regulatory affairs and quality management, CVD, who is Spitalsky’s supervisor. “By ensuring our processes are compliant and efficient, she helps create a safe and sustainable operational environment.”
Kwon also praised Spitalsky for streamlining quality management processes and adapting administrative workflows to meet evolving needs, while maintaining accuracy and efficiency.
“Her ability to innovate within her role supports the broader mission of the CVD,” Kwon said in nominating Spitalsky for the award.
Spitalsky said a research study on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases comes to mind as a complicated study that required specific processes. During the study led by Campbell, CVD vaccinated pregnant women and babies to see how well they would respond to an RSV vaccine.
“I hold that study dear to my heart because it is clearly very important,” Spitalsky said. “That was a complicated study because it required very specific specimen collection at a very specific time. It was a very big process because not only did it involve the CVD team but the University of Maryland Medical Center and multiple locations. We had to get everybody together to agree on one plan. It was my first trial study in making sure that we all agreed on how we were going to approach the study.”
Spitalsky’s colleagues praised her for her willingness to take on any task and for being a team player.
“Elisa fosters a respectful, inclusive, and supportive work environment,” Kwon said. “Her calm, collaborative approach and willingness to help others make her a role model and a source of stability and positivity.”
Kwon said Spitalsky also consistently steps into informal leadership roles, mentoring new staff, improving workflows, and proactively solving problems.
Spitalsky said it is easy to feel “imposter syndrome” around talented researchers so she reassures new co-workers that they belong.
“I make sure that I’m able to give them my expertise and guide them on how to work a protocol,” she added. “I make sure that we’re checking all of our boxes and we’re following all of our rules.”
Spitalsky, who has participated in some of the coaching programs at UMB and is currently part of the Emerging Leaders Program, is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in social sciences at the University of Maryland Global Campus and expects to graduate in 2029.
She said her favorite part of her job is the people.
“I’m surrounded by such amazing, smart people,” she said. “It is just very inspiring.”
Spitalsky, who will receive a certificate and $250 in her next paycheck as rewards for her Employee of the Month honor, thanked her team for its support as well as her family.
“If it wasn’t for James Campbell and my team giving me the opportunity, I would not be where I am now,” she said. “It’s very nice to know that my team appreciates me, they value me, they see that I bring something to the table. And without my family, I wouldn’t be where I am today; they are a very big part of me. I have my own family and my team who has become like a second family.”
— Jen Badie