CNO Roundtable 2022

Get to Know the CNO

We asked our panelists some fun personal questions. Their answers may surprise you!

By Working NurseMay 1, 2022

2 min read

We asked our panelists to share a few personal details with us, ranging from favorite comfort foods to adorable pets and fictional characters they admire.

Elizabeth Adams, Kaiser Permanente Downey

Favorite comfort food: Chips and salsa.

Music I enjoy: Country music and jazz — I’m from Texas, and in high school I worked in a radio station, where I hosted a jazz show.

A fictional character I admire: Lassie, because she was always loyal and tried to do the right thing. Pets: Walter, Penny and our new little schnauzer puppy, Winston.

Lori Burnell, Valley Presbyterian Hospital

Most memorable place: In 2001, my husband and I sold our house and traveled with our 18-year-old son to Jerusalem to serve as volunteers for Calvary Chapel and a nonprofit called For Zion Sake, which assisted new Jewish immigrants with food, clothing and other practical needs. It was the most challenging and rewarding experience of our lives. Life is full of risks — choose them wisely!

Anita Girard, Cedars-Sinai

Favorite comfort food: Vegan Mac Daddy, from the Veganomicon cookbook.

Most memorable place: The Great Barrier Reef in Australia, where I once went snorkeling.

A fictional character I admire: The Téa Leoni character in “Madam Secretary,” for her ability to handle highly charged political situations while still prioritizing her husband and children.

Pets: Our rescue kitty, Prudence. I just love how she knows how to take a nap!

Karen A. Grimley, UCLA Health | UCLA School of Nursing

Favorite comfort food: Indian food has become my go-to: butter chicken, tikka masala, garlic naan and palak paneer.

Music I enjoy: Jimmy Buffet, the Beach Boys or Tony Bennett. Most memorable place: The River Sâone in the south of France.

A fictional character I admire: Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, for her wit, situational awareness, unassuming humility and candor.

Pets: Two rescue cats: Delilah and Dexter.

Ceonne Houston-Raasikh, PIH Health Downey

Favorite comfort food: I haven’t met a chocolate food I didn’t like!

Music I enjoy: I have a 7-year-old, so I listen to a lot of Kidz Bop. Most memorable place: A remote village on the Caribbean island of Dominica.

A fictional character I admire: Harvey Specter, the high-powered corporate lawyer from “Suits.” Although he’s a narcissist, he’s also confident, relentless and maintains a winning attitude.

Katie Hughes, Casa Colina

Favorite comfort food: I am originally from the UK, so my favorite comfort food is Marmite on toast. A bit of an acquired taste, but comforting to me.

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Most memorable place: Petra in Jordan. I remember first seeing images of Petra in one of the Indiana Jones movies, but it was stunning to see it in person.

Pets: A 14-year-old black cat called Gracie.

Evelyn Ku, Henry Mayo

Favorite comfort food: Porridge — it comforts my heart and brain.

Music I enjoy: I like Zumba music. It gets me going and keeps me healthy.

Most memorable place: Cabo San Lucas. When I get stressed out, I think of the breeze and the smell of the ocean.

Pets: I don’t have a real pet, but I have a table pet, “Buddy,” who sits on my desk.

Joyce Leido, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles

Favorite comfort food: Filipino and Hawaiian food.

Music I enjoy: Nineties R&B and hip-hop. Most memorable place: Bali, Indonesia.

Three traits I appreciate in others: Fearlessness, tenacity and humility.

A fictional character I admire: Yoda from Star Wars.

Pets: Our two Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers, Lani and Kai.

Jinhee Nguyen, Adventist Health Glendale

Favorite comfort food: Grilled cheese and tomato soup.

Music I enjoy: Classical music.

Most memorable place: Haleakala National Park in Maui, watching the sunrise or sunset from almost 10,000 feet above sea level.

Three traits I appreciate in others: Resiliency, humility and authenticity.

A fictional character I admire: Sherlock Holmes.

Tanya Osborne-McKenzie, MLK Community Healthcare

Favorite comfort food: Peach cobbler, lasagna and Cheetos.

Music I enjoy: Most everything!

Most memorable place: Checkpoint Charlie, as a child. Our train was stopped and searched by the East German police — having just read The Diary of Young Anne Frank in school, it was a daunting experience!

Three traits I appreciate in others: Honesty, kindness and a sense of humor.

Chiarina Piazza, West Coast University

Favorite comfort food: Sinigang, a Filipino soup.

Most memorable place: Tuscany, where I met and married my husband. A fictional character I admire: Anne Shirley from Anne of Greene Gables. I loved and admired her spunk when I was a little girl.

Pets: Fozzie Bear, our senior Shih Tzu, and Bill, our Chihuahua/Cairn Terrier mix, whose boundless energy annoys Fozzie to no end.

Ramona Pratt, PIH Health Whittier Hospital

Favorite comfort food: Chocolate.

Music I enjoy: Show tunes — my current favorite is the soundtrack from My Fair Lady.

Most memorable place: Alaska.

Three traits I appreciate in others: Kindness, honesty and creativity.

A fictional character I admire: Atticus Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Pets: Our dog Charlie recently passed away, but I think it’s just a matter of time before another dog wanders into our lives.

Gloria Sanchez-Rico, Huntington Hospital

Favorite comfort food: Oxtail stew, a traditional Cuban meal. My mom’s recipe is the best!

Music I enjoy: French and Italian café music while cooking, and Caribbean and salsa music in the summer.

Most memorable place: Venice, Italy, some years ago. I had this strange feeling that I had been there before — it was a surreal experience.

Pets: An adorable two-year old Havanese named Olive.

Darlene Scafiddi, Pomona Valley Hospital

Favorite comfort food: Vanilla ice cream with vanilla syrup.

Music I enjoy: U2! I have seen 43 U2 concerts across the world.

Most memorable place: The Vatican in Rome, where I experienced a mass led by the Pope.

A fictional character I admire: Patrick Star from “SpongeBob SquarePants.” He finds joy in the smallest of things, and he’s always there for his friends.

Pets: My 10-year-old German Shepherd, Prada.

Linda Soubirous, Loma Linda Univ. Med. Center – Murrieta

Favorite comfort food: Chips and salsa — I love to snack.

Music I enjoy: Contemporary Christian. Most memorable place: The Eastern Caribbean.

Three traits I appreciate in others: Grace, integrity and transparency.

A fictional character I admire: Wonder Woman — I like her compassion.

Lauren Spilsbury, Redlands Community Hospital

Favorite comfort food: Chicken and dumplings. I like to make this dish whenever it’s cold and rainy.

Music I enjoy: My favorite song right now is “Good Morning” by Kanye West.

Most memorable place: Istanbul, Turkey. It is fabulous: the vibe of a modern city in a site of ancient empires.

Pets: Brandy, our labradoodle. She is incredibly smart and understands what we’re saying!

Sarah Stevens, California Rehabilitation Institute

Favorite comfort food: Curry!

Music I enjoy: British pop of the ‘80s, like Duran Duran and Wham!

Three traits I appreciate in others: Kindness, honesty and tenacity.

Annette Sy, Keck Medicine of USC

Favorite comfort food: A glass of wine.

Music I enjoy: Country. Most memorable place: The Vatican in Rome.

Three traits I appreciate in others: Honesty, forgiveness and accountability.

A fictional character I admire: Captain Kirk from “Star Trek.”

Sidebar:

Nurse Claire from “Outlander”

Several of our CNO panelists expressed their fondness for Claire, the time-traveling nurse heroine of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander novels (played by Caitriona Balfe in the STARZ television adaptation).

A WW2 British Army nurse, Claire is magically transported from 1945 to 1743 for adventures in the Scottish Highlands.

“She uses her battlefield knowledge and interest in herbal remedies to become a healer in those ancient times,” explains Lauren Spilsbury. “She is fierce in her protection of her patients, and she is headstrong, which gets her into many harrowing situations.”

Return to CNO Roundtable 2022 main page to read more.

In this Article: Career Advice, CNO Roundtable 2022, Leadership and Management