Munroe-Meyer Institute
UNMC_Acronym_Vert_sm_4c
University of Nebraska Medical Center

Patient Care | Services

Explore our department and team histories of patient care, services and programs that span decades at what is now UNMC's Munroe-Meyer Institute in Omaha, Nebraska.

History of Departments and Programs

Audiology

  • 2024: Clinical audiology services are offered to patients across the lifespan at MMI audiologists from Boys Town National Research Hospital.

Care Coordination

  • 2023: A combined team of social workers, service coordinators, parent resource coordinators and interpreters was established to provide coordination and continuity of care for patients receiving services within any department or program at the Munroe-Meyer Institute.

Community Engagement

  • 2016: Established at MMI.
  • 2016: Melonie Welsh, MS, appointed director.
  • 2022: Melonie Welsh, MS, received the Robert F. and Myrna L. Krohn Professorship.

Dental

  • 2023: Adult dental services was established within the Caring for Champions Program at the Munroe-Meyer Institute. Adult Dentistry at UNMC has been seeing patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 1984. Pediatric Dentistry previously provided services at MMI.

Dietary Health and Wellness

  • 2023: As part of the Caring for Champions Program, patient-centered, nutrition education is provided to people with developmental disabilities and complex medical needs by a registered dietitian nutritionist, who is often part of a larger multi-disciplinary health care team of different specialists.

Education and Child Development

  • Early 1970s: Department began as the Infant Program. The cost for a parent-infant session was $2.
  • 1973: Corry Robinson took over the Infant Department and expanded into a center-based program for children who were deaf-blind and who had multiple disabilities.
  • The Department of Education was also known for its assessment of young children with disabilities.
  • 1980s: The department expanded their work to supporting young children who were hospitalized in both the neonatal units and pediatric floors. These were funded by national grants and the department was recognized for their work in this area. This was the precursor to the current Neonatal Intensive Care Units follow-up project, Developmental Tracking Infant Progress Statewide program, frequently known as TIPS.
  • 2000s: The department expanded their role into the area of program evaluation.
  • The department was directed by Barb Jackson and currently by Jolene Johnson.

Genetic Medicine

  • 1974: Medical genetics evaluations provided by PhD geneticists, including Dr. Warren Sanger.
  • 1981: First MD clinical geneticist at UNMC, Dr. Bruce Buehler, arrives and begins working with one genetic counselor in close cooperation with Sanger and the Human Genetics Laboratory.
  • 1983: Buehler took on institute leadership and would serve as the second MMI director until 2007.
  • 1984: Clinical genetics moves to the Meyer Children’s Rehabilitation Institute.
  • 1984-present: Rapid expansion of inpatient and outpatient services, including other Omaha hospitals and outreach clinics throughout the state.
  • 1986: First Genetics Medicine fellow completes training.
  • 1995: G. Bradley Schaefer, MD, department clinical geneticist, was appointed the medical director of MMI and in 1997 the associate director of MMI.
  • 2010: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredits new fellowship training program and two fellows begin training.
  • 2017: Omar Rahman, MD, formerly the division chief of medical genetics in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, is hired as the new department director. Dr. Rahman was the inaugural holder of the Friedland Family Foundation Distinguished Professorship.
  • 2019: Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling accredits new genetic counselor training program in collaboration with the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions and eight students begin training.
  • By 2021: The department has grown to include six clinical geneticists, 20 genetic counselors, two genetics fellows and 16 genetic counseling interns.
  • 2024: Craig Baker, MD, is hired as department director after serving as interim for three months. He is also appointed to serve as medical director of MMI.

integrated Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders

  • 2006 Jan: The Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders began seeing patients.
  • 2006 Nov: The Munroe-Meyer Institute opened a specialized treatment facility for the CASD under the leadership of Wayne Fisher and Cathleen Piazza.
  • 2008, 2012 and 2015: MMI renovated space to develop and expand the CASD, which occupied approximately 14,000 sq. ft. of specialized and advanced clinical treatment and research for autism and feeding disorders.
    • The new facility had two wings each with six treatment rooms — the east for autism and the west for feeding disorders. Both programs shared a common reception/waiting room and conference room, but separate play rooms.
    • Severe behaviors was a major focus of the autism program. Highly specialized services were provided to children who displayed destructive behaviors such as aggression, self-injury, compulsive cravings to eat non-food items and property destruction.
  • 2019: The center was officially renamed to the integrated Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders with Courtney Burnette as director.
  • 2022: MMI named Alice Shillingsburg recruited from May Institute to serve as director of the iCASD.

Medical Services

  • 2001: Developmental Medicine moved into the MMI Diagnostic Center (412 Building) with two physicians and a clinical nurse specialist.
  • 2005, 2008 and 2019: Clinical services expanded with addition of nurse practitioners.
  • 2007: MMI's Developmental Medicine Department assumed management of the 412 Medical Clinics.
  • 2008: Child psychology services incorporated into developmental medicine services.
  • 2017: Social workers incorporated into the provider team.
  • 2021: Developmental Medicine Department dissolved with the opening of MMI's new location and outpatient services were established which included nursing.

Occupational Therapy

  • 1958: Meyer Therapy Center was founded to support the rehabilitation of children afflicted with polio, some of whom were being treated as inpatients at Children’s Hospital located across the street at that time or in residential care at the Hattie B Munroe Pavilion.
  • Meyer Children’s Rehabilitation Institute occupational therapists were among the first to provide educationally related therapy services in Nebraska under PL 94-142 (EHA-1975), because many Nebraska school districts contracted with Meyer Children Rehabilitation Institute to educate their students with multiple and severe disabilities.
  • Early 1980’s: The occupational therapy department began adding staff to contract with Omaha metro area public school districts including Bellevue, Millard, Omaha and Ralston Public Schools.
  • 1980-1990’s: Students with developmental disabilities attending school in greater Nebraska came to Meyer Rehabilitation Institute for interdisciplinary evaluation, and/or participated in multi-disciplinary clinics staffed by MRI physicians and therapists near their home.
  • 2000: Assumed full responsibility for the educationally related therapy needs of Special Education verified students in Omaha Public School and this relationship with OPS continues today.
  • 2007-2019: Janice Flegle served as disciple director of the department.
  • 2022: Michelle Westengaard joined MMI as its new occupational therapy director.

Pediatric Feeding Disorders

  • 2006: Pediatric Feeding Program at the Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation was founded by Dr. Cathleen Piazza within the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders.
    • Her systematic research was foundational in the field of Pediatric Feeding Disorder and established behavior analytic interventions as the only empirically-supported treatment for pediatric feeding disorder.
  • 2020: Amy Drayton recruited from the University of Michigan Medical Center to serve as department director.

Physical Therapy

  • 1958: Founded as part of the Meyer Therapy Center for rehabilitation of children disabled by polio.
  • 1975: Participation in Muscular Dystrophy Adult and Pediatric Clinics.
  • Early 1980’s: Began serving children in the public schools; assumed full responsibility for Omaha Public in 2000, for Bellevue Public in 2008.
  • 1987-2015: Wayne Stuberg served as department director.
  • 1988-2015: Dr. Stuberg directed the Motion Analysis Lab.
  • 2010: Pediatric residency program and graduate training program established.
  • 2017: Sandra Willett appointed department director after serving as interim.
  • 2019: Virtual Reality Laboratory originated under the leadership of James Gehringer.
  • 2022: Play Lab originated under the leadership of Andrea Baraldi Cunha.
  • 2024: Susan Riley named department director.

Psychology

  • Early 1970’s: Rune Simeonsson was the first psychologist hired at the Meyer Children’s Rehabilitation Institute. Psychologists, Drs. Jack Stark and John McGee joined Meyer Children Rehabilitation Institute and concentrated on serving individuals with developmental disabilities and psychiatric behavior disorders.
  • 1974: Coming from Johns Hopkins University Kennedy Institute, J. Michael Leibowitz was hired as the first department director, tasked with expanding the department's work into behavioral health intervention, treatment and research.
  • 1986: Dr. Joseph Evans was hired to direct the Meyer Children Rehabilitation Institute Psychology Department. Under his leadership, 42 integrated behavioral health clinics were introduced to urban and rural primary care practices in Nebraska and the MMI model starts being replicated across the country.
  • 2016: Dr. Keith Allen was appointed to direct the MMI Psychology Department and under his leadership, programs were established in lifespan intellectual and developmental disabilities, school-based services and trauma-based services.
  • 2023: Dr. Brandy Clarke was appointed as department director; Dr. Allen remained Director of MMI of Academic Affairs.

Recreational Therapy

  • 1982: Recreational therapy services began as a seasonal summer day camp program with private funding from the Hattie B. Munroe Foundation.
  • 1984: Year-round services began with the addition of after-school and Saturday morning programs.
  • 1987: The first adult (over 21) program launched with the help of the Meyer Foundation for Disabilities and created a large center-based clubhouse program to support the development of friendships.
  • 1988: Through the NU Foundation, the Cowdery family privately endowed a second adult program for medically fragile adults: An adapted aquatics programs for individuals requiring a hot-water therapy pool.
  • 2000-2020: Dr. Michael Crawford served as department director.
  • 2002: Social clubs for individuals with high-functioning autism were added with funding from the Gail Werner-Robinson Foundation.
  • 2004: The budget and program offerings for adult services expanded significantly with funding from the Enrichment Foundation of Omaha.
    • New seasonal programs included Wheel Club (previously known as Adapted Cycling Club) and Garden Club (previously known as Community Gardening Club).
    • New year round services included day-care for adult participants, community inclusion services and individualized leisure counseling services.
  • 2020: Nicole Giron was appointed department director, 20 years after being the first employee hired as Dr. Crawford assembled his department staff in 2001.

Severe Behavior

  • 2024: Tara Fahmie, PhD, BCBA-D appointed department director.
  • 2019: The severe behavior program became an independent department within MMI.
  • 2006-2019: Severe behavior services were provided through the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at MMI until they were provided through their own department with Amanda N. Zangrillo, PsyD, BCBA-D as its inaugural director.

Speech-Language Pathology

  • 1959, June 1: Speech-language pathology began at MMI.
  • 1976: The Scottish Rite RiteCare Clinic began in Lincoln, Nebraska as the Scottish Rite Childhood Aphasia Program.
  • 1979: MMI took over administration of the RiteCare Clinics and it became the Scottish Rite Parent-Child Language Program.
  • ~1979: Started ongoing speech-language conferences, which developed into the annual Augmentative and Alternative Communication conference.
  • ~1986: Began offering clinical services in the hospital setting.
  • ~1988: Added augmentative and alternative communication services and joined the pediatric swallowing team.
  • 1993: Augmentative and Alternative Communication Preschool started.
  • 2015: Amy Nordness, former director of the speech department at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, joins the team as department director.
  • 2023: Susan Fager, former director of the communications center at Omaha's Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, is hired as department director.

Vision

  • 2023: The Vision Clinic and optical shop were established within the Caring for Champions Program at the Munroe-Meyer Institute to provide inclusive care and support for patients of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities and complex medical needs.