The chances of finding Connie Bonds sitting still are slim. “I don’t do boredom very well,” she admits.

Connie Bonds is August’s Employee of the Month. If you know someone who should be Employee of the Month, nominate them. Send letters of nomination to Jason Turner at jturn1@uab.edu or visit www.uab.edu/eotm.

Others have taken notice of the work Bonds does in her role as office associate in the Department of Nutrition Sciences. Faculty and staff who work with her routinely commend her dedication, drive and  willingness to help others — and her penchant for speaking her mind. As a result, Bonds has been selected Employee of the Month for August.

“Connie has been cited again and again as a self-starter with initiative and drive who works above and beyond in both time and effort and is diligent in assisting those she works with — faculty, staff, patients and students alike,” says Timothy Garvey, M.D., director of the UAB Diabetes Research and Training Center. “She exhibits superior technical skills and is recognized by her colleagues for her interpersonal skills, as well.”

Bonds takes the compliments in stride, saying she is fortunate to work with a group dedicated to helping each other.

“It’s really a fun atmosphere to work in,” she says. “We take our work seriously, but we cut up and kid around. I know it sounds cliché, but I really look forward to getting up and coming to work.”

Bonds’ organizational skills and professional attitude aids her in her role of supporting all of the clinics in Nutrition Sciences, says Sarah Morgan, M.D., medical director of the Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment Clinic. Bonds supports the Optifast and EatRight programs, the Medical Risk Reduction Clinic and the Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment Clinic.

She also has developed a system to help her track laboratory values for osteoporosis clinic patients, and she reminds patients to get repeat vitamin D levels after they have been documented to be vitamin D-deficient. Bonds also created a method that follows and orders infusions for osteoporosis patients at the proper intervals, and she developed a cross-filing system that links clinic patients with their pharmacological treatment.

“There is no task too large or small for Connie,” Morgan says. “She is an excellent office manager and is responsible for the success of many of the faculty members in the Department of Nutrition Sciences.”

Jose Fernandez, Ph.D., associate professor of nutrition sciences, has many examples of how Bonds has contributed to create a positive working environment.

He cites her work in meeting the needs of students, co-organizing and leading the departmental retreats, assisting faculty with deadlines and training newcomers to the department as critical strengths. These duties are performed with her typical smile, her desire to offer a helping hand and her spirit of camaraderie, Fernandez says.

“Connie continuously goes the extra mile, taking the initiative and embracing new challenges and opportunities,” Fernandez says. “She is one of the people who can deliver in every occasion with efficiency and charisma. She is honest, pleasant and intelligent — a prototype of efficiency and effectiveness, of professionalism and energy, of honesty and kindness.”

Bonds also plays a key role in the department’s nutrition physician specialist and dietetic intern-training programs. Clinical nutrition fellows speak highly of her willingness to walk them through the paperwork and credentialing process in an efficient and timely manner. She also has received support from individuals in the community for her extremely courteous and prompt assistance in all her interactions.

“You can see how Ms. Bonds is so valuable to us because she enhances our ability to excel in all three of our academic missions: patient care, education and research,” Garvey says.