Stars of Stanford Medicine

With gusto and pizzazz, Misty Mazzara manages the four graduate-level educational programs in the Department of Health Research and Policy.

 In this role, she juggles the tasks associated with admissions, orientation and graduation for the master of science and PhD degree programs in epidemiology and clinical research and in health policy. She also assists these graduate students in tracking course requirements, applying for scholarships and finding paid research positions.

“Misty is incredibly helpful in guiding students through the graduate program application process and tracking the myriad details necessary for completing the degrees,” said Martha Kessler, executive director of finance and administration in health research and policy and several other units at the medical school.

Mazzara started at Stanford in the Department of Medicine in 2012, after spending a decade traveling the world with her daughter and husband, a Navy pilot. She said this experience contributed to her resilience and resourcefulness.

After her husband left the military to enroll in Stanford Law School’s JD-MBA program, she jumped at the chance to launch a career in higher education.

“I figured I’m down the street from the best university in the world, and I’d love the opportunity to work there,” she said.

In June 2016, she joined the health research and policy team and began streamlining the administrative processes and launching the new PhD program in epidemiology and clinical research. As she has settled into her role as educational program manager, she has also been taking advantage of the many educational opportunities available to Stanford employees, including management training classes and kickboxing.

“Misty’s dedicated service, initiative, thoughtfulness and positive attitude are truly appreciated by everyone, and she has consistently demonstrated all the qualities this Spirit Award intends to recognize and honor,” said Rita Popat, PhD, clinical associate professor of health research and policy.