Bio

For over fifteen years at Stanford University, Ana Mezynski is happier than ever as a Cardinal At Work. As the Research Office Administrator 3 for the S-SPIRE Center, she currently assists with the daily tasks of running the office including the onboarding of faculty and postdoctoral researchers, managing finances and facilities, and planning educational workshops. Through her experiences, she has become proficient with a myriad of administrative applications including Epic, Oracle, Qualtrics, and Microsoft Office. As a website developer, she has been trained in Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Software. She also supports Center Director Dr. Arden Morris and is actively increasing her skill set to include web and print design.

In addition to her office management duties, Ana recently became a published author for her contributions to the research project "Lost in translation: informed consent in the medical mission setting", which was accepted by the journal Surgery. As a certified transcriber, Ana assisted with the transcription of interviews in addition to translation from Spanish to English and data preparation.

In 2017, Ana received the Anne G. Crowe Spirit Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the mission and vision of the School of Medicine. She holds a certificate in research administration from Stanford University and a diploma in Medical Administration from Bryman College.

Current Role at Stanford

Working with Director and Vice-Chair of Clinical Research in The Stanford-Surgery Policy Improvement Research and Education (S-SPIRE) Center at Stanford University School of Medicine.

•Website development
•Facilities
•Finance: Budgets
•iProcurement, SU Expense, Pcard
•Postdoctoral Affairs/ Visa Process
•Academic & Faculty Affairs
•Quarterly reporting
•Event’s organizer: Mixed Methods Research Workshop, PD Bootcamp Sessions, Work In Progress Sessions, NVivo Software Training, Writing Workshop Training.
•Grant preparation and submission assistance
•Qualtrics

Honors & Awards

  • Ann G. Crowe Spirit Award, Stanford University, School of Medicine. (2017)

Education & Certifications

  • Research Administration, Stanford University, Administration (2013)
  • Healthcare Administration, Bryman College, Administration (2004)

Service, Volunteer and Community Work

  • Emergency Response Team Member, Stanford Medicine, Stanford University, School of Medicine (July 31, 2017 - Present)

    Location

    Stanford, CA

  • CPR & First Aid Certified, Division of Medical Sciences and National Research Council, American Association (9/14/2023 - 9/13/2025)

    Location

    Stanford, CA

  • “Lean Restart: Identifying Pain Points and Improving Workflows/Processes” Team Member, Surgery (11/1/2023 - 3/20/2024)

    Team member of the Department of Surgery "LEAN Restart" Program. A 5-Month program lead by the Improvement Training Department of Quality at Stanford Health Care.

    Location

    Stanford University

Links

All Publications

  • Lost in translation: Informed consent in the medical mission setting. Surgery Sceats, L. A., Morris, A. M., Narayan, R. R., Mezynski, A., Woo, R. K., Yang, G. P. 2018

    Abstract

    BACKGROUND: Informed consent is a fundamental tenet of ethical care, but even under favorable conditions, patient comprehension of consent conversations may be limited. Little is known about providing informed consent in more uncertain situations such as medical missions. We sought to examine the informed consent process in the medical mission setting.METHODS: We studied informed consent for adult patients undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy during a medical mission to Guatemala using a convergent mixed-methods design. We audiotaped informed consents during preoperative visits and immediately conducted separate surveys to elicit comprehension of risks. Informed consent conversations and survey responses were translated and transcribed. We used descriptive statistics to examine informed consent content, including information provided by surgeon, the translation of information, and patient comprehension, and used thematic analysis to examine the consent process.RESULTS: Thirteen adult patients (median age 53 years, 69% male) participated. Surgeons conveyed 4 standard risks in 10 out of 13 encounters (77%); all 4 risks were translated to patients in 10 out of 13 encounters (77%). No patient could recall all 4 risks. Qualitative themes regarding the informed consent process included limited physician language skills, verbal domination by physicians and interpreters, and mistranslation of risks. Patients relied on faith and prior or vicarious experiences to qualify surgical risks instead of consent conversations. Many patients restated surgical instructions when asked about risks.CONCLUSION: Despite physicians' attempts to provide informed consent, medical mission patients did not comprehend surgical risks. Our data reveal a critical need to develop more effective methods for communicating surgical risks during medical missions.

    View details for PubMedID 30061041