Staff Profile: Toddie Hays, Senior Research Navigator
For many of us, the “Groundhog Day” effect — that feeling like you’re living the same day over and over again — has set in at least once during the pandemic.
For Toddie Hays, senior clinical and translational research navigator, however, keeping things different allowed her to relive the comedic film in a different way.
“I’ve had the pleasure of teaching my daughter how to drive over the past six months and we’ve taken full advantage of near-empty streets to tour many Chicago landmarks and local film sites,” says Hays. “One day we drove to Woodstock — site of “Groundhog Day” — and although we didn’t see Bill Murray, the city is frozen in time, it’s very cool.”
Hays is a native Chicagoan, having grown up on the northwest side before relocating to the lakefront. Her first stint working in Streeterville began in 1998 as an administrative assistant for the vice president of marketing, public relations, and patient services at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
“Shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks, my husband took a role with Marsh & McLennan and we moved to New York where I worked in executive administrative roles at Presbyterian Columbia and Cornell,” says Hays. “I returned to Northwestern in 2006 as the clinic supervisor for the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, and later as the division administrator for Cardiology.”
Hays has also held administrative and clinical management roles with Neurological Surgery, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and Anesthesiology/Pain Medicine. In 2016, she joined NUCATS as the clinical operations manager for the Clinical Research Unit (CRU), where she played an instrumental role in the buildout of the Galter 15 CRU Outpatient Space and the new Clinical Research Hub. In June, Hays became the NUCATS Institute’s senior clinical and translational research navigator.
“I’ve had the pleasure of teaching my daughter how to drive over the past six months and we’ve taken full advantage of near-empty streets to tour many Chicago landmarks and local film sites. One day we drove to Woodstock — site of “Groundhog Day” — and although we didn’t see Bill Murray, the city is frozen in time, it’s very cool.””
“I love working with the NUCATS team because everyone is altruistic and wants to give back to society by fostering quality research,” says Hays. “I have the pleasure of working with smart, savvy, and caring individuals who want to make a difference and to help bring progressive research to fruition.”
Hays earned an Associate’s Degree in fashion merchandising before completing a Bachelor of Arts in psychology at Loyola University Chicago. She then pursued a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Walden University.
“I’m still tempted to get a squishy doctorate cap,” she admits.
As the lead research navigator at NUCATS, Hays helps investigators navigate administrative hurdles by pairing study teams with the proper resources and tools to aid their research.
“My favorite part of the job is the interactions I get to have with different teams, learning about the vast array of research, and contributing towards innovative methods to help our shared patient population,” says Hays. “Every day is a learning opportunity and I am fortunate to work with truly outstanding individuals. It’s amazing that I get to serve as an extension of the exceptional work being accomplished at Northwestern.”
