Meet our longest-time employee

Meet Rosetta Barkley, HT/ASCP, a histotechnologist in the Kansas Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center. Rosetta is smart, sassy, and fun-loving. She refers to some of her coworkers as her "babies" and has a smile and hello for everyone who passes her way. She is also the most senior employee at KU Medical Center, having just celebrated her 50^th anniversary with us. 

Rosetta came to KUMC in 1963 to support the new School of Medicine program which had previously been located at the KU campus in Lawrence. She eventually moved into research and earned her histotechnology certification by completing the first medical technology program offered at KUMC. 

As a histotechnologist, Rosetta prepares and processes tissue for use in diagnosing diseases or conducting research. 

"I'm really interested in this work," Rosetta explained. "I've seen a lot of changes throughout my career, but the one thing that remains constant are the people who care and are invested in what we do here. I enjoy working with those people." 

And these people enjoy working with Rosetta. She retired in 2009, but was recruited back only two months later to work part-time. 

When she's not making a difference at KUMC, Rosetta enjoys traveling and shopping. 

Congratulations, Rosetta, on this milestone, and thank you for your dedication to our university!

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Congratulations also to our other long-time employees of 40 and 45 years of service. To view the complete list of employees who celebrated service anniversaries, click here.

Forty-Five Years of Service

Curtis Klaassen, Ph.D.	Medicine-Gastroenterology
Leona Therou, M.D.	Pediatrics

Forty Years of Service

Laura Zeiger	School of Medicine-Exec Dean
Gloria Schroder	Office of the Registrar
William Godfrey, M.D.	Ophthalmology
Thomas Pazdernik, Ph.D.	Pharmacology