BIDMC Honors Employees at 30th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

BOSTON – Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) employees Afi Alfred and Glady Thomas have been honored as YMCA Achievers for their professional accomplishments and dedication to serving their communities at BIDMC's 30th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. 

“These are two exemplary employees – every day, Afi and Glady practice our mission of putting our patients first,” said Peter Healy, President of BIDMC. “Thank you both for representing the very best of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.”

The YMCA Achievers Program gives Boston-based organizations the opportunity to recognize the rich ethnic and racial diversity of community members for their talents, perseverance and determination. The award honors those who are deeply dedicated to their professional careers while being actively engaged in their communities. Recipients are asked to commit to at least 40 hours of voluntary service in the upcoming year.

“For the past 30 years, we have recognized and honored more than 60 YMCA Achievers at BIDMC,” said Master of Ceremonies, DeWayne Pursley, MD, Chief of Neonatology at BIDMC. “These Achievers come from a diverse range of departments, backgrounds and professional interests – but what unites them is the significant contributions they make to BIDMC and their community.”

In his keynote address, James Morton, CEO of the YMCA of Greater Boston, spoke on the importance of the Achievers Program and noted his gratitude for the organization’s long relationship with BIDMC.

“Thirty years doesn’t happen by accident,” he said. “It happens by intentionality.”

BIDMC’s 2019 YMCA Achievers

Afi Alfred, Clinical Operations Manager, Bowdoin Street Health Center 

As a lifelong resident of the Bowdoin/Geneva neighborhood in Dorchester, Alfred’s ties to Bowdoin Street Health Center are longstanding.  In her role, she is responsible for the clinic’s operations and oversees a team of nurses, medical assistants, physical therapists and interpreters. Alfred also represents Bowdoin Street Health Center on the Diversity and Inclusion workgroup at BIDMC.

Alfred is currently enrolled in the Master’s of Bioethics program at Harvard Medical School, is an alumna of the Organization of Nurse Leaders Leadership Academy, and is a member of the American Holistic Nurses Association.

Outside of BIDMC, Alfred is the founder of the Butterfly Soul Initiative, a non–profit organization that provides aid through mentorship and guidance opportunities to minorities entering the field of nursing. 

“I’m not just the story that I tell of the circumstances of my life,” Alfred said. “I am a hard worker, a creator, an inspirer, a healer, and my determination is a force outside of this world. I say all of this to impose a few important points. Go self-fishing: it is important to know who you are outside of your story. Never forget where you came from and always remember that you can fly, never walk.”

Glady Thomas, Community Resource Specialist II, BIDMC Social Work

Thomas joined BIDMC in 1992 as a Unit Coordinator/Surgical Technician for Labor and Delivery. She later worked as an Administrative Assistant in Maternal Fetal Medicine, before joining the Social Work Department in 2005 as a Community Resource Specialist. She now works with the Obstetrics team, helping find resources for new and expectant parents. 

Thomas serves the community through her church’s food pantry and as a newly appointed member of the Malden Cultural Council. She is also an active supporter of the Heartline Ministry in Haiti. The Ministry’s Maternity Center aims to reduce the high incidence of maternal and infant mortality and prevent Haitian children from becoming orphans by providing expectant mothers with prenatal, labor and delivery, and postpartum services and support.

“As I reflect on my many years working at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, I’ve gained a great deal of knowledge, have built transferable skills and, most importantly, have developed my passion to be of service to my patients and everyone else that I encounter on a daily basis.”