Staff Spotlight: Kseniya Savva
Any new Department of Medicine faculty and trainee, especially those who have completed visa processing, would definitely know Kseniya Savva. Originally from Ukraine, Kseniya has been with the University of Washington since 2015 and has been a part of the Department of Medicine Academic Human Resources team since 2017.
Prior to moving to the United States, Kseniya graduated from the National University of Ostroh Academy (NUOA) in Ukraine with a Bachelors in Law, Bachelors in Foreign languages and Masters in Philosophy and Religious Studies.
She then worked for four years at the NUOA, managing international volunteer student exchanges as well visiting faculty and students and then for years years at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv (Ukraine) at the non-immigrant visa unit and then in immigrant visa unit.
In 2014, Kseniya moved to the United States with her husband and daughter.
"In 2014, I immigrated to the U.S. with my husband and my 9 month old daughter at that time. Now we are a family of four. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family. I have many hobbies – baking, doing nails, I especially enjoy our 'craft time' with my kids."
Since joining the UW School of Dentistry in the Office of Research in 2015, Kseniya transitioned to the Department of Medicine AHR team in 2017, managing acting faculty and fellow appointments, faculty leaves, and J-1 and H1B visas for faculty and trainees.
“Kseniya is one of my favorite people in the department,” says colleague Heidi Williams. “She’s incredibly knowledgeable and an expert on faculty visas, leaves, and complex faculty appointments even when things are constantly changing. She is my main go-to person for questions and problem solving.”
Colleagues often notice how often Kseniya goes above and beyond to help others, both professionally and personally.
“Kseniya is one of the hardest working people I know,” says AHR manager Shoshana Hague. “She’s also one of the most generous, always willing to help anyone out no matter how busy she is with her own work. The complex and ever-changing nature of the programs that she manages takes a special kind of patience and skill. We are so lucky to have her as part of our team.”
Visitors coming by Kseniya’s workspace might see some cute feline faces looking up from framed photos.
"Last year I got interested in breeding cats – I chose the Scottish fold breed. I love this breed for their owl like face and very laid back temperament. We had our first litters this spring and the kittens made the quarantine time more joyful."
