Darcel Douthitt, a human resources generalist at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC), is credited with saving lives.

Douthitt oversees payroll, general HR issues, postdoctoral appointments, faculty and academic affairs-related support, and, perhaps most importantly, new hires and appointments for over 200 University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) employees at UMGCCC.

Over 16 years in the role, her duties were never more important than during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the UMGCCC Clinical Research Management Office (CRMO) lost 40 percent of its staff to the pharmacy industry, affecting the CRMO’s ability to conduct clinical trials for cancer patients.

“At one point, the CRMO was so short of staff that new clinical trials in our solid tumor [such as breast, lung, prostate, and GI] cancer research program were called to a halt over safety concerns due to the lack of qualified staff. We were placed in the position of not being able to offer new therapies to cancer patients,” said Robert Mitchell, associate director for administration at UMGCCC and Douthitt’s supervisor. “Can you imagine being a cancer patient, looking forward to joining a trial, and not being able to?”

Douthitt supported the logistics of placing ads in various forums and prescreening candidates and provided the support necessary to hire essential full-time employees in a rapid, ongoing fashion while continuing to perform her regular duties.

"We were able to get that back up and running because of what she did,” Mitchell said.

For these efforts, Douthitt was named the UMB Employee of the Month for May. She was surprised with the news on a videoconference May 17 with UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, who called her work “spectacular.”

“This is why we exist. This is one of the reasons for this university. And it’s so easy to forget that that’s part of our mission. And you are an exemplary example of that, and we would all hope that we would have the same kind of person standing behind us when we need help,” Jarrell said.

Kevin J. Cullen, MD, UGCCC director and the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Distinguished Professor of Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, said Douthitt is responsible for the most important component of the cancer center.

“Her diligence, professionalism, judgment, and good humor serve all of us and facilitate all that we do,” he said. “She is a most valued colleague and very deserving of this award.”

Douthitt said she was shocked to receive the award.

“I love my job. I love what I do. I love the people that I serve,” she said. “I’ve had two family members being treated and died at the cancer center as well. It feels good to know that you’re behind the scenes, working for a greater cause. We have a great team here in the cancer center, and I’m just honored.”

Robert Villanueva, MPA, director of the CRMO, called Douthitt a superhero and one of the most valuable resources at the cancer center.

“Absolutely every single ounce of credit to the CRMO surviving and now thriving goes to Darcel,” he said. “Darcel was able to cajole people, and her doing that saved lives. I can’t think of any higher calling. Some of these actions demonstrably saved lives or gave people hope.”

The CRMO consists of 70 staff members who oversee 500 clinical trials that enroll nearly 1,500 patients a year.

“Oncology patients are the most fragile and clinically complex in all of medicine,” Villanueva said. “To enroll in a clinical trial means a patient has failed other lines of therapy so they are truly looking for miracles.”

Villanueva said Douthitt’s commitment to the mission of the cancer center and her dedication to people and patients make her stand out.

“She showed her extraordinary skill navigating the most complicated personnel landscape anyone has ever seen,” he said. “Passivity was not an option, and over the course of several months she doubled down in every imaginable way to help find and onboard staff so that our patients could receive the care they desperately needed.

“We were truly a cancer center in crisis, and through it all, Darcel helped us keep our heads above water, kept us engaged, and provided the most up-to-date guidance from HR.”

Mitchell said Douthitt went above and beyond to respond to emails late in the evening or early in the morning to help with the restaffing of study nurses and coordinators, regulatory professionals, data managers, and clinical lab staff.

“Her flexibility, responsiveness, and innovative problem-solving skills benefited both the cancer center as a whole and our patients in particular,” he said.

Douthitt said she used different recruitment strategies during the hiring process. She also persuaded UMB’s HR to focus on retaining staff and was able to achieve equity increases and promotions so the center could retain the team members who stayed.

The center has been able to fill its staffing needs over the last 18 months.

Douthitt, who thanked her co-workers at the cancer center for their support, will receive a plaque, a letter of commendation, and an extra $250 in her next paycheck for the Employee of the Month award.

She said one of her favorite parts of the job is “feeling like you’re part of something bigger: saving lives. That’s the end goal here.”

 —Jen Badie