Cindy Nolan, health records technician, maintains a very calm and methodical demeanor. She has a great, welcoming smile, but there's a firmness and control to it. Add that to her soft but clear voice, and it is easy to see she's the perfect type of person to work in the Student Health Service and why she is February's STAR of the Month.

Nolan's main task is to prepare patients for examination by a doctor or nurse practitioner.

"First I take the patients vitals -- blood pressure, pulse, temperature and respiration," she explains. "Then I take down their recent medical history, prep the medical chart, and finally, make sure the patients are ready to be examined by the doctor. We're also the first line of trying to calm patients down."

Nolan began working at the Student Health Service in 1999. She started out working the front desk at Urgent Care, but she had worked at UCSF as a medical secretary in the mid '90s, and on her own had earned certificates in ekg (electrocardiograms) and phlebotomy (drawing blood). The nurses at the clinic were happy to fill in the small gaps in her medical knowledge and she soon moved up to her current position.

While she works in different areas of the Student Health Service, her main assignment is Clinic C, the women's health clinic.

Susan Feldkamp, women's services nurse in Clinic C, and Donna Webb, also a nurse in Clinic C, nominated Nolan for the award.

"Cindy is extremely motivated and is the first to volunteer to go anywhere in the clinic," says Feldkamp. "She's always on time, always diligent and always gives more than 100 percent."

"She has the best attitude of any person in the Health Service," says Webb.

Part of that is Nolan's personality, but a lot of it is her love for the work.

"I feel our work as a clinic is very much appreciated by the students," she says. "The students really see the health center as their own-and that makes me feel gratified."

This actually isn't the first time Nolan has worked on campus. While a SFSU student in the late '80s she worked in the office of former College of Humanities Dean Nancy McDermid.

Nolan, a native of New York City, lives in Park Merced. Her husband Todd works at the San Francisco Chronicle. She likes to read, especially history and science, and enjoys cooking. She hopes to someday complete a degree in physical anthropology.

Please join us in congratulating Cindy and thank her for making such a difference.

As the STAR of the Month, Nolan will enjoy four free lunches on campus, a free parking pass or equivalent in one month's public transportation costs, and more. She will also be eligible for the STAR of the Year award.

• Meet previous STARs of the Month.

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• Join the STAR selection committee

• STAR information.