Working to defy cancer: Meet Michael Taksa

This post is part of a series highlighting staff members within Dana-Farber Cancer Institute & The Jimmy Fund’s Division of Philanthropy, to give supporters an inside peek at life at New England’s favorite charity. Today, we’re talking to Michael Taksa, Software Engineer, Information Services (IS) Technical Services.

What brought you to Dana-Farber?

At the time I was looking for a job, Dana-Farber seemed like the right fit for me. It feels good to know that I am working for a great cause: to defy cancer.

What is the Information Services (IS) Technical Services team’s role within the Division and Dana-Farber?

The Technical Services team is responsible for building and maintaining all of Dana-Farber’s online fundraising and event forms, to help donors and participants give and raise money for our mission. We also are responsible for all backend processes and custom development. We collaborate with the IS Application Services team on most of our projects, including building interfaces, custom applications, and process improvement. We also manage all of our application servers and provide first-level desktop support to Philanthropy staff.

Can you describe your role here as a Software Engineer?

My role on the Technical Services team is to support all backend processes, including importing data from external sources into Philanthropy’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool. My job also involves managing and summarizing data. I wrote numerous interfaces to integrate external sources of data into our CRM. One of the most popular programs I worked on was our Events Management System, which allows event staff users to update the data in our CRM using a custom user interface. Our tech services team is constantly working on improving user experiences and streamlining processes, to help staff work more effectively and efficiently.

What does it mean to you to work here and support Dana-Farber’s lifesaving mission to defy cancer?

It took me a few months working here to realize the impact each of us has on our patients. I started working at Dana-Farber in 2004, which seems like a long time ago, but every day that I work here reinforces my belief that I am taking part in something great.

If you are interested in exploring a career in Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund’s Division of Philanthropy, we invite you to check out our careers page to learn about our culture, view open roles, or register for an upcoming virtual Information Session.

We also encourage you to support Dana-Farber & The Jimmy Fund through The Dana-Farber Campaign, our ambitious, multi-year fundraising effort to prevent, treat, and defy cancer. The Dana-Farber Campaign will accelerate the Institute’s strategic priorities by supporting revolutionary science, extraordinary care, and exceptional expertise. As a community, we have the power to create a more hopeful, cancer-free future—in Boston and around the world. Together, we can defy cancer at every turn. Learn more about The Dana-Farber Campaign at DefyCancer.org.