Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/13061
JULY 2010 HEALTH & HAPPINESS 72 day in the life of… DIANA HENDEL FACES & PLACES : DAY IN THE LIFE OF … WRITTEN BY CHERYL SCOTT PHOTOGRAPHED BY MIRANDA MIRSEC Managing one of the largest hospitals in Southern California was in Diana Hendel's future 21 years ago when she was a fourth- year pharmacy student at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. After graduating from UC Irvine with a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy, she completed residencies in clinical pharmacy and management at the hospital, earning her doctorate in pharmacy at UC San Francisco. "I found that I loved management," Hendel said, "but I never dreamed I would one day be leading such an extraordinary group of people in an organization that was recognized throughout the country as one of the best." The fact that her personal mission meshes with that of Memorial Care is a key to understanding what the job means to her. "I've always wanted to work in health care," she said. "Every day I am part of an effort that is focused 100 percent on helping people." Hendel said essentially her day is like that of any other executive. She puts in about 12 hours a day, then goes home to her family. "When I'm home I'm fully focused on that aspect of my life, and when I'm at work I'm just as focused on that part," she said. Hendel worked her way up at the six hospitals in the Memorial Care Medical Centers system, including serving in executive positions at Anaheim Memorial, Memorial Care and Saddleback Memorial in San Clemente. "By the time I came back to Long Beach,