A father-daughters trio at Sharp Mary Birch

As a young man, Winston Rosete served in the U.S. Air Force for eight years, working on aircraft missiles and bombs. Not long after leaving the service, he met a U.S. Army Reserve recruiter outside a San Diego mall who talked to him about a career in respiratory therapy.

“I had wanted to do an associate nursing program, but at the time, all of the community colleges had a long waitlist, and I already had my first daughter,” says Winston, now 58.

Winston decided that joining the U.S. Army Reserve was a perfect opportunity to further his interest in health care. So, he served for four years, attended school and became a respiratory therapist.

He now cares for premature babies at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns, where he has worked for about 27 years. To this day, he looks forward to going to work.

“I get emotional seeing babies survive,” he says. “It’s an incredibly rewarding feeling.”

Introducing his daughter to Sharp Mary Birch
When Winston noticed that his firstborn daughter, Antoinette Rosete, had an interest in the medical field, he suggested she volunteer at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center.

Antoinette earned a nursing degree at San Diego State University and in 2016, joined Sharp Mary Birch. Now 31, she credits her father with influencing her to become a clinical nurse.

“Growing up, my dad would always talk about how much he loved working at Sharp Mary Birch,” Antoinette says. “Sharp Mary Birch has always felt like home. I started working here as a new grad. And now I work with preemies too in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), but as a clinical nurse.”

Occasionally, Antoinette and her father even get to work together. Winston’s pride grows when his colleagues and patients learn the individual next to him is his very own daughter.

Another daughter joins the team
His pride grew even more when his daughter Alexis Rosete, 28, also came to work at the hospital as a research associate in 2021. “I work for the Neonatal Research Institute at Sharp Mary Birch, where I help conduct studies to better care for preemies,” says Alexis.

Alexis was introduced to Sharp Mary Birch in the same way her sister was — with Winston’s encouragement to volunteer at the hospital. “A clinical role working at the bedside wasn’t for me," she says. "But seeing what research associates do and being exposed to the NICU world firsthand developed my interest to go into research."

As a researcher, Alexis works with various individuals, such as respiratory therapists, nurses, neonatologists, OBGYNs, pharmacists and patients. “I run into my sister and my dad at work sometimes,” Alexis says. “Respiratory therapists help with studies, so I guide them. Plus, my dad and I work the same day shift.”

What's more, Antoinette and Alexis' mother, Mary Ann Rosete, also works at Sharp HealthCare. She is a 20-year employee, serving as an advanced clinical lab scientist in the Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Laboratory, and is equally proud of her daughters' success at Sharp.

The Sharp Mary Birch family
Alexis describes her dad as tenacious and goofy, often teasing his colleagues. Meanwhile, Winston says Antoinette is nurturing and easygoing, and Alexis is spunky and smart.

Both Alexis and Antoinette say their colleagues have mistaken the two of them. “Especially when we have our masks on, it can be hard to tell who’s who,” says Alexis. “My sister and I also have the same build, and some say our voices even sound similar.”

The three appreciate working for Sharp Mary Birch. And Courtney Akel, manager of the NICU, says the staff admires them all.

“Our hospital is lucky to work with Winston, Antoinette and Alexis,” she says. “Their working here is such a testament to the Sharp family culture and atmosphere — we are family by blood, by choice and through healing.”

The Rosete trio agrees.