Ricardo Garay (left) with Premiere Cares Award

This week, we say goodbye to Ricardo Garay, our longtime Health Network Manager, as he heads to a new and very exciting position with the Dell Medical School at University of Texas, Austin, where he will be the program manager for the Department of Population Health’s Division of Community Outreach and Health Equity. Garay is thrilled to be working so closely and directly with the Austin community, building a program that will best address the community’s unique needs, while continuing to champion Health Network as a solution for community members who are on the move.

In February 2009, Ricardo Garay joined MCN’s Health Network as Health Network Manager. With a background in both tech and recruitment, his skills were well suited for the position, which requires close collaboration with health centers, health departments, clinics, and patients all around the world. He came to manage our global case management system at a time of rapid growth and technological expansion, and he represented MCN at conferences and through in-person and virtual trainings all over the country. Here is a reflection on Ricardo’s important contributions to MCN by Deliana Garcia, Director of International Relations, Research, and Development, who hired Garay over eight years ago.

Ricardo Garay came to the adolescent Health Network when the project was 12 years old and pushed it to the next level. Not only has he been a great program manager but an outstanding spokesperson and trainer.

Last year, MCN’s Health Network received the prestigious Premier Cares Award, which spotlights innovative programs to help the medically underserved. The image of Ricardo accepting the award and delivering his acceptance speech will stay with me.

He talked about the invisibility of the people we served to the world around them as they struggled to make their lives better. He admonished everyone in the ballroom to use their position as professionals in the health care industry to speak out on their behalf because they had the power to change perceptions. And, ever the champion of the Health Network team, he spoke of the passion and commitment of each of the members that spent their days trying to connect people in need with the health care they required and deserved.

Having Ricardo leave MCN for a position with the Dell Medical School at UT Austin is bittersweet. We are delighted that he is moving on in his professional career, inoculated with MCN, to a place where he might influence the education of new health care professionals. Equally true is that he will leave a huge hole in the organization. His warmth, good nature and positive outlook have been a gift when the work has been overwhelming and the political environment hostile.

We wish Ricardo well and congratulate the School of Medicine on their outstanding hiring decision!

Good luck in your new position, Ricardo. We look forward to seeing more of the good work you will do within our wonderful Austin community!

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