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Katrin Gabriel Q&A

Softball

Alumni in Action: A Conversation with Katrin Gabriel '11

LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego Athletics is sharing the perspectives of alumni scholar-athletes whose work in healthcare has been impacted by COVID-19. Today’s featured alumna is Katrin Gabriel '11, a former outfielder on the softball team.
 
With the Tritons, Gabriel was part of the program’s first National Championship in 2011. A threat on the base paths, she is currently tied for eighth in career steals with 48. The San Jose, Calif. native graduated with a major in human development and a minor in education studies from Marshall College. 

Katrin Gabriel Frontline

Q:  What is your job and where are you currently working?
Gabriel: I am a Speech-Language Pathologist in New York City. I work in acute care and in rehabilitation and nursing facilities and have the privilege of being part of the continuum of care.  My role is to assess, diagnose and treat speech, language, cognitive communication, feeding and swallowing difficulties in adults and geriatrics.  

In the hospital, my team and I are working with many patients who are COVID-19 positive post-extubation due to respiratory failure and have tracheostomies, ventilators, altered mental status/dementia.  Most of the patients have most difficulty with swallowing, speaking and communicating due to prolonged intubation periods from respiratory failure or stroke.  We are working with people to safely eat and drink and communicate with their voice and/or through communication boards. 

In post-acute rehab centers and nursing facilities, I am working with patients with COVID-19 who have been discharged from the hospitals, but require continued rehabilitation services before they are able to safely go home and go back to their normal activities of daily living. I am also continuing to work with people with other diagnoses such as strokes, traumatic brain injuries, head/neck cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.  Most of the therapy focuses on feeding and swallowing food and drinks safely, respiratory and voice exercises for speech production and cognitive-communication goals such as memory and problem solving skills.  

Q: How is COVID-19 impacting the work that you do and your life outside of work?
Gabriel: COVID-19 has significantly impacted my work. During the initial peak of COVID-19, NYC healthcare facilities were significantly affected. All staff members were “all hands-on deck” and assisted in other responsibilities to relieve other healthcare workers and assist with preventing the spread of COVID-19.  Healthcare workers from all over the country and the world came to the city.  Makeshift healthcare tents and freezer semi-trucks were set up to accommodate the demand. We lost so many people, including some of our own staff members. It was a very difficult time for everyone. 

Admissions of patients in hospitals and residents of long-term care facilities where visitations and social contact have ceased, have affected patients and families profoundly. After overcoming the critical stage of the disease in the ICUs, many patients who were severely ill from COVID-19 are on to their next part of recovery, which is rehabilitation therapy.  Rehabilitation therapy helps patients get their strength back in order to get back to their usual self in regard to walking, talking, eating and doing their usual activities. I am often one of the few people to come into contact with them and I have the privilege of interacting with my patients in person, connecting them to their loved ones and helping them optimize their functional independence to go home safely.

Since the pandemic started, work has been keeping me busier than ever. Life outside of work has also been tough.  I recently lost my grandmother after her battle with pancreatic cancer after being her caregiver in the Bay Area during the initial restrictions of the pandemic. She has been my biggest reason why I stay motivated to ensure my patients and their loved ones stay connected and comforted and that I fully stay present and focused for people who need my help during this time. Because of her, I feel that I have an even stronger sense of purpose with helping others recover and cope through a time of grief and loss.  When I am not at work I am exercising, reading, writing and spending as much time with family and friends (from a safe distance of course). 

Even through these unprecedented times, I have experienced an abundance of positivity and courage from people all over the world in a time of adversity. I am in complete awe of the dedication, compassion, and kindness my colleagues and the community have shown. Seeing NYC so empty is a rare sight, but this city is known to be the toughest and most resilient. I am so proud to be part of an amazing community that has come together during this world-wide fight against COVID-19.

Katrin Gabriel

Q: What did you learn from being a scholar-athlete that you've been able to apply to your profession?
Gabriel: Being a scholar-athlete greatly shaped my mental toughness, in which I have adapted, remained resilient, focused and confident during adverse situations. These qualities have helped me stay mentally focused and fully committed to providing the best level of care for my patients while navigating through uncharted territory and preventing the spread of COVID-19.  Softball taught me the importance of each person’s role on a team.  These moments have shaped me into the team player and leader I am today with my medical and rehabilitation team, where each of us play a significant part by bringing in our own set of skills to help save and improve quality of life for our patients and their families. 

Katrin Gabriel, Patti Gerckens
Gabriel, Jenn De Fazio & Patti Gerckens
Camille Gaito, Tess Granath, Katrin Gabriel
Camille Gaito, Tess Granath & Gabriel

 

Q: What suggestions, advice, or words of encouragement do you have for our current-scholar athletes during these trying times?
Gabriel: My heart goes out to all the scholar-athletes whose season got cut short, especially to all the seniors. There is nothing that I can say to make your loss hurt any less.  Our community, our world is facing a collective grief. Every person is processing their own loss and experiencing it in their own way, despite how universal this feeling is. Grief can already be so isolating in normal times, so under the current circumstances it’s even more critical to stay connected to others and to take care of your physical and mental health.  

Now more than ever, it is so important to be gentle, empathetic and kind to yourself and to others.  You all have worked so hard to get where you are today. Continue to be proud of all your accomplishments and cherish your time and the relationships you have created through your collegiate athletic experience. This pandemic has made me appreciate my friends, family and my community.   My former softball teammates will forever be my family and I am so grateful for their friendships and love today. 

"Alumni in Action" is an on-going series highlighting UC San Diego alumni in healthcare during COVID-19. Below are previous "Alumni in Action" conversations:


About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program begins a new era in 2020 as amember of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I.  The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in DivisionsIII and II and helped guide more than 1,300 scholar-athletes to All-America honors.  A total of 82 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships.  UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.

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