Let’s get to know Heather Buckley, our new Associate Dean, Office of Faculty Development.
What are your hobbies?
My hobbies seem to keep evolving over time, but the common factor in all of them is “people”. It might be odd to say that “people” are my hobbies, but connecting and spending time with others is really what I enjoy.
Do you have any secret talent?
Hmm……these seem to be dwindling over time. Not sure if that is related to the secret part (trust me, I can keep a secret!) or the talent part. I suspect it is the latter. But something people would not know or likely even guess about me: I was on a demonstration jump rope skipping team in my youth. I had a fantastic polyester uniform and everything. My team toured different schools performing fun routines with our ropes. To this day, I am still close to my “skipping” partner but our interests have now morphed into other activities, such as pickle ball. Fortunately, our fashion sense has also similarly changed.
Please tell us your most memorable moment….
One very memorable moment for me occurred at a tram station in Helsinki Finland at a medical education conference several years ago. I was approaching the tram stop when I saw two people with conference badges on, so I boldly went up to them and joined their conversation. I didn’t know either of them, but I somewhat cheekily introduced myself as one of their good friends. I soon found out that one of them was Dr. Margaret Hay from Australia. We ended up sitting on the tram together, and by the end of the ride, she had invited me as her guest to her leadership conference at Monash University. She took a chance on me, and it meant the world to me to have someone believe in me so spontaneously and generously. I went to Melbourne for her conference in 2018, and it was a trip I will never forget.
Do you have a favorite quote, song or any thought of the day you would like to share with everyone?
Several years ago I read a quote by Robert Burke “A way of seeing is also a way of not seeing”. It has really stuck with me, and I say it a lot! The phrase is a personal reminder to me that my view is never “all seeing”, and I hope to think it also influences how I approach my work and interactions with others.