Former U.S. Surgeon General meets with UNMC students

Rubens Pamies, M.D., left, UNMC’s new vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean for graduate studies, escorts David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., former U.S. Surgeon General.

Former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., encouraged UNMC’s minority students to reach for the stars as they pursue their dreams.

“We’re all still growing,” Dr. Satcher told students during his brief stop at the Research Colloquium Poster Session for summer research undergraduate students. “You never stop growing, never stop learning, never stop facing new challenges. The critical thing is to have the right background and the right attitude to respond to those challenges – they never end.”

Approximately 50 undergraduate students – including several from Dillard University — showcased their summer research findings Thursday in the Durham Outpatient Center West Atrium. UNMC forged a partnership with the historically black college in Louisiana in 2001 to enable students to prepare themselves for a future in the health sciences.

David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., speaks with a student.

“For me, you represent hope, and hope is the thing that bridges the gap (between those at the beginning of their careers and those at the top of their profession),” Dr. Satcher told the undergraduates.

Dr. Satcher, director of the new National Center for Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, was in Omaha Thursday to give the keynote address for the Fifth International Congress on Dental Law and Ethics. During his visit, he stopped by UNMC to meet with longtime friend, Rubens Pamies, M.D., UNMC’s new vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean for graduate studies. Drs. Pamies and Satcher are co-editing a book on health disparities.

Dr. Satcher told students he admired Dr. Pamies’ for his long-standing commitment to students. “This university is very fortunate to have him because that’s where it is – making sure that students have the opportunities to achieve their goals,” he said.

From left to right, Iona Rone, Xavier University senior student from Omaha; Sadari Fisher, junior student from Dillard University; Dr. Satcher; and Tessa Nowlin, junior UNMC College of Nursing student.

Dr. Satcher was sworn in as the 16th Surgeon General of the United States in February 1998 and served a four-year term. He also served as Assistant Secretary for Health from February 1998 to January 2001, making him only the second person in history to have held both positions simultaneously.

Dr. Satcher’s passion for promoting the health of communities is evident by the proliferation of reports he wrote during his four years as surgeon general – more than any other surgeon general in a single term, Dr. Pamies said.

From 1993 to 1998, Dr. Satcher served as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. In 2000, a scholarship was established in his name at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The scholarship was called the Dr. David Satcher-Dr. Rubens J. Pamies Scholarship for Academic Excellence for Minority Students.