{"id":25584,"date":"2022-06-01T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-01T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/?p=25584"},"modified":"2024-07-08T06:04:23","modified_gmt":"2024-07-08T10:04:23","slug":"profiles-in-it-amy-yamasaki-the-art-of-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/2022\/06\/01\/profiles-in-it-amy-yamasaki-the-art-of-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Profiles in IT: Amy Yamasaki\u2014The art of IT"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Amy
Amy Yamasaki is a jeweler and metal smith by trade. She loves firing up her blowtorch for her artwork. (Photo by Stephanie Dascola)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What is your role? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In my research liaison role with Health Information Technology & Services (HITS), I am at the information crossroads between our customers and technology and services they need to do their work. I apply my fine arts approach to my role as a business systems analyst. I want to understand the problem that needs to be solved and then figure out how I can help them achieve their research goals. I spend a lot of time just listening and being empathetic. I use the same process to solving research technology problems that I use to solve design problems in my studio. It starts by understanding the problem that we\u2019re trying to solve, then following a continuous improvement cycle: plan, do, check, act. It\u2019s a short cycle with small iterations.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While l\u2019ve worked in IT most of my professional life, I\u2019ve learned that it\u2019s so important just to listen and to get people to talk about what they\u2019re trying to do. To come to IT from a fine arts background is kind of funny – but it\u2019s helpful in the sense that I don\u2019t have a lot of preconceived notions. But at the core, my work is centered around giving form to abstract ideas. When I understand the problems my customers are trying to solve, I can connect them to the technology services that will enable their research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was your path to your current role? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If someone told me this is what I\u2019d be doing for a living I wouldn\u2019t have believed it. But upon further reflection, I\u2019ve been doing this my whole life. The arc of customer service and support has been the one constant in every job I\u2019ve ever held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My path to where I am today has not been straight. I sold some of the very first computers in Ann Arbor. I worked for a think tank for the U.S. Department of Defense that evaluated the quality of care of veterans and active duty military. My job was to test (and try to break) the code. I went to culinary school after that. And then I earned my master\u2019s degree and taught jewelry and metal smithing. After that, I worked at Pfizer in clinical student management monitoring. From there I worked at a local startup specializing in network intrusion detection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through all of those roles, my work always centered around process and the customer experience. It has taken my entire life to build the skills that I have today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now I\u2019ve been at the university for 18 years, I\u2019ve worked in all of the Michigan Medicine missions: clinical, education, and research. I\u2019ve worked with the learning management systems (LMS) team, clinical research biospecimen management team (LabVantage) and operating rooms, patient and resident education, project management, and now basic science research. I\u2019ve gotten to do so many things. I feel really lucky to have the opportunity to traverse such an interesting place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you enjoy most about your job?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I get to talk to so many smart people. We all want to do a good job, push the edges of science, save lives, hold the institution safely – I get to put those pieces together. It\u2019s a very fun and imaginative process. I get to use my creative problem solving skills and I get to learn about things I never heard about. I enjoy advocating for customers, discovering gaps, and finding solutions. It\u2019s such an interesting job!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What motivates you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve always wanted to know what my customers want. If I can help you, I will. I\u2019m committed to that. I also find ways to add onto my skills, and use the tools that I\u2019ve learned, such as LEAN training and Managing to Learn, to create positive outcomes. I use the valuable professional skills of empathy, listening, and communicating to help me understand what I hear and translate that for all those involved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest challenge you face in your work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a knowledge driven society, we are supposed to know the answer. It\u2019s hard to say \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d I\u2019ve adapted that to, \u201cI don\u2019t know, but I can find out.\u201d This shift allows me to be curious and ask questions until I understand the need. It allows me to understand what our customers are trying to do. Additionally, the IT ecosystem at U-M is so big that sometimes it\u2019s difficult to understand nuance and find the right solution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have found that our customers are grateful that we, as research liaisons, elevate their concerns so they can get their work done and change the world. It’s incredible to be a part of that. We help them find the IT resources they need to do their job. We help someone do what they were brought here to do. We have to understand our audience, communicate effectively, build trust, and be empathetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What advice would you give your younger self? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I wish I had asked for help more often when I was younger. I would encourage my younger self to engage more with people – to ask them for advice to answer the question, \u201cIf I want to do this (whatever \u2018this\u2019 is at that time), what do you think is the best way for me to do that?\u201d I would nudge my younger self into being completely curious – I\u2019d tell her that it\u2019ll change her life! I\u2019d tell my younger self that it\u2019s okay to be vulnerable – there\u2019s no shame in not knowing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you do for fun? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My art studio is my happiest place in the world. I am a sculptor and metalsmith. I\u2019m happiest when I have a hammer in my hand, especially when I use it in my art work. And I love riding my bike around Ann Arbor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Amy
Amy is happiest with a hammer in her hand. She has many to choose from!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A
This piece of copper will eventually be a bracelet, and the design was inspired by an ornate door.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A
A copper tray that Amy created using chasing and repouss\u00e9.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
Amy created this Winnie-the-Pooh design for her nephew. It took a lot of work to translate a watercolor painting with soft edges to a piece of metal with hard edges. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The finished product – Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, and Tigger. Amy added the text, texture, and a butterfly. By the way, she hammered this into the copper from the back. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amy Yamasaki was trained as an artist. Her creative process allows her to solve problems, both in her art and in her job as a research liaison with HITS. She\u2019s most at home with a hammer in her hand. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":25585,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_umich_oidc_access":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[176,509],"class_list":["post-25584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-hits","tag-profile-1"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/amy-yamasaki-blowtorch.png",723,576,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/amy-yamasaki-blowtorch-400x266.png",400,266,true],"medium":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/amy-yamasaki-blowtorch-300x239.png",300,239,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/amy-yamasaki-blowtorch.png",665,530,false],"large":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/amy-yamasaki-blowtorch-600x478.png",600,478,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/amy-yamasaki-blowtorch.png",723,576,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/amy-yamasaki-blowtorch.png",723,576,false],"excerpt-thumbnail":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/amy-yamasaki-blowtorch-200x140.png",200,140,true],"themonic-thumbnail":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/amy-yamasaki-blowtorch-60x42.png",60,42,true],"ioslider-thumbnail":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/amy-yamasaki-blowtorch-658x300.png",658,300,true],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/amy-yamasaki-blowtorch-665x530.png",665,530,true],"400x250-crop":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/amy-yamasaki-blowtorch-400x250.png",400,250,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"D. Stephanie Dascola, Medical School Office of Research","author_link":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/author\/sdascola\/"},"uagb_comment_info":2,"uagb_excerpt":"Amy Yamasaki was trained as an artist. Her creative process allows her to solve problems, both in her art and in her job as a research liaison with HITS. She\u2019s most at home with a hammer in her hand.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25584"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25584\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25595,"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25584\/revisions\/25595"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}