Leading with appreciation: Honoring IT professionals across our hospital

Tuesday, September 16, marks National IT Professionals Day, a time set aside to recognize and celebrate the people who keep UC Davis Health running behind the scenes—our incredible IT professionals. From network engineers and system administrators to data analysts, application specialists, customer support technicians, and so many others, these individuals make sure our technology works reliably and securely every single day.

Being an IT professional takes a unique blend of technical expertise, problem-solving, and perseverance—especially in health care, where technology touches every aspect of patient care, research, and education. It’s no small task to support such a complex environment, and yet our IT teams rise to the challenge day in and day out.

Much of their work happens quietly in the background, such as upgrading systems, strengthening cybersecurity, protecting sensitive data, and ensuring that our tools and applications are available when we need them most. And then there are the moments when things don’t go as planned: the email that won’t load, the network that slows down, or the system that glitches during a busy day. In those moments, our IT professionals are the ones who jump into action, working quickly and calmly to resolve issues and get us back on track. Their dedication helps keep our patients safe, our operations efficient, and our staff supported.

Today is the perfect opportunity to pause and thank these experts for all they do. Whether you see an IT team member in the hallway, connect with them over the phone, or chat with them in Teams, take a moment to say, “thank you.” A simple acknowledgment goes a long way in showing appreciation for the essential role they play in the success of UC Davis Health.

So please join us in celebrating National IT Professionals Day, because our IT teams truly make a difference every day.