The University of Nebraska Medical Center invites Omahans to attend
a forum Tuesday, April 29, presented by Harold M. Maurer, M.D., chancellor
of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The forum, which will begin
at 6:30 p.m., will be held in the Westside Community Conference Center
Lighthouse Room, 3534 S. 108th St.
The purpose of the forum is to share how UNMC is shaping the future
of health care for Nebraska and beyond and discuss the impact of the budget
cuts on education, research and economic growth for the University, particularly
UNMC. It also will be an opportunity to share their thoughts, concerns
and ideas about the University of Nebraska system and UNMC in particular.
A native of New York, Dr. Maurer joined UNMC as dean of the College
of Medicine in 1993 and was appointed as the universitys chancellor in
1998. Prior to joining UNMC, Dr. Maurer spent 25 years at the Medical
College of Virginia, serving as professor and chair of the Department of
Pediatrics for 17 of those years.
Dr. Maurer is internationally known for his expertise in rhabdomyosarcoma,
a childhood cancer. He served as principal investigator of NIH research
grant awards and chaired the national Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study
Group for 26 years. The group has been credited with raising the cure rate
for that cancer from 20 to 75 percent. For his leadership of this group
and his own significant work in research and treatment of this disease,
last month Dr. Maurer was awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement
Award by the Childrens Oncology Group, a major pediatric cancer treatment
and research group.
His achievements at UNMC as dean include leading the merger of University
Hospital and Clarkson Hospital to form the Nebraska Health System, increasing
research funding with the College of Medicine, bringing together the faculty
practice through reorganization, and expanding the family medicine rural
residency.
In 1999, Dr. Maurer set a goal to double UNMCs externally funded research
in five years to $62 million and triple it in 10 years. Already, resources
that have been reallocated to strengthen the research infrastructure have
paid dividends, as UNMC received more than $52 million in research support
primarily from the National Institutes of Health in 2001-2002.
Dr. Maurer has articulated a new vision and strategic plan to become
a world-renowned health sciences center, repositioning the UNMC from a
regional to a national center of excellence in the 21st century. Private
gifts and commitments totaling more than $100 million have been designated
for construction projects at UNMC. In 2003, construction is expected to
be completed on the Durham Research Center, a 10-story facility funded
without state dollars.