At Protenus, the values of Build Trust, Be Human, Live (Em)Powered and Onward Together are baked into all that we do. We continuously look for new and rewarding ways to integrate these eight values into our work, for the ultimate benefit of employees, customers, and the company.
For July, we are excited to announce that Ana Marple Ponder, Engineer, who is a member of the Engineering team at Protenus has been nominated for the Employee Values Spotlight for embodying our shared company values.
In just over three years at Protenus, across multiple teams, Ana has contributed to almost every component in our application stack: from data ingestion through to the UI. Through that time, Ana has consistently shown her ability to learn quickly, adapt to changing circumstances, and help her team succeed.
Ana's work on Airflow is the best way to see the value she brings to our Engineering organization, and Protenus overall. Airflow was a new tool for all of us and, along with the whole Ingest team, Ana has researched our implementation options and best practices, and worked through multiple rounds of prototyping. But Ana's contributions don't end once the code is written: when solving a problem or building something new, Ana always takes time to write up detailed analyses and "how to" guides. Overall, Ana sets a great example of being part of the team: always keeping a positive attitude, making the effort to build things the right way, not just the quick way, and prioritizing helping others. Congratulations, Ana, on being this Month's Employee Values Spotlight winner.
Q&A with Ana
What’s your role at Protenus, and what do you do?
I am an Engineer on the Data Ingestion team at Protenus. There are two primary operations we deal with - the first is to help integrate different EHR and ADC systems into our Protenus data models. The other is to support efforts in creating the new data orchestration system using Airflow.
What do Protenus’ values mean to you?
I believe the Protenus values are a North Star to company culture and how people should conduct themselves and their work. We have four values that are all equally important, but the one that is my personal favorite is ‘Live (Em)Powered: We Support and uplift each other in our work and life.’ I think working at a place that respects and realizes we have personal lives outside of work helps us (as employees) to avoid feelings of resentment or burnout. This in turn helps us become better employees for Protenus.
As Protenus celebrates their 10 year anniversary in 2024, what makes you most proud about working at Protenus?
I am most proud to work at a place that improves patients’ lives and safety.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of being an Engineer is to be able to use logic and creativity simultaneously while solving problems. There could be five different ways to reach the same endpoint, but it is up to you to find the optimum solution.
What challenges have you faced as a woman in a male-dominated discipline (Technology / Engineering)? And what advice would you give to other women who’d like to follow in similar footsteps?
I would first like to point out that I have not had to deal with any differences in treatment as a woman in tech while working at Protenus. The culture here makes me feel like we are all equals, regardless of things such as gender. Although, I have in a past job dealt with not being taken as seriously as my male counterparts, and I do notice that there seems to be more men in higher powered managerial roles than women in a lot of places. My advice for other women would be to keep your head up and work hard, support each other, and act like you are just as good as everyone else (because you are).
