Philip D Benware

What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM?
I'm motivated by the desire to help. In my previous role as a Client Services Representative, I could help one or two people at a time. In my current role as IT Manager for Desktop Solutions in HMS IT, I can help the people that help everyone else. I can now impact a much larger audience through my co-workers.

What are you most proud of about your work at HMS?
I'm most proud of the everyday contributions I make that allow researchers at HMS to continue doing their great work. As a self-acknowledged technogeek, I'm thrilled that I can stay in touch with technology and support this great community.
It's that confluence of opportunity and technology that enables me and my team to find great solutions to some of the technical challenges faced by this community.

What is the significance of the object you brought with you to the photo shoot?
This is a photography of my grandfather, Philip. He was a great inspiration to me while I was growing up. He was the closest thing I had to a real father, and he taught me several things while growing up. My grandparents had a small cottage on an island in Maine. Although my grandfather was a civil engineer, he also performed many small handyman jobs around the island for his neighbors, and many times took me with him.

He instilled in me the desire to help. He showed me how to work with my hands. learned how to be patient, to observe a problem and work through it methodically until a solution presented itself. He also taught me that helping people is not about making money, or increasing notoriety, it's about improving yourself and feeling proud that you are willing and able to help others!