Before working her way to becoming a Registered Nurse and a Certified Diabetes Educator at UCLA Health, Kailee Gaffny was working in the outfield and the batter’s box for the Chapman University softball team. Kailee graduated from Chapman in 2006, ready to take on the ever-changing landscape that comes with working in healthcare.

Kailee works specifically with diabetes patients, demonstrating how to use certain medical devices, providing education on their medical condition as well as being a resource for support and encouragement. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Kailee has been forced to adapt her practice to a telemedicine model, working with patients over the phone and on video. Kailee also says that her role as a diabetes educator has changed, making sure her patients understand what it means to be at a higher risk to COVID-19. She ensures her patients know how to prepare and manage their medical condition in case they do contract the virus.

Despite all the negativity surrounding the virus, Kailee says she receives many thanks from the patients that she works with, and her neighborhood conducts nightly cheers at 7pm to thank the frontline workers.

Kailee also relies on her experience as a student-athlete to help her during these unprecedented times. “As an athlete I think you learn how to adapt and adjust to uncontrollable situations. I think it helps you to be more resilient and work with others as a team to get through difficult times. As this situation has unfolded, there are new updates and processes being implemented every day and working as a team has been critical to be efficient and successful.”