 |
Susanna Von Essen, M.D. |
As leader of the initiative, which was a product of the 2006 UNMC Strategic Planning Retreat, Dr. Von Essen will guide and strengthen the medical center’s research in rural Nebraska.
Health care issues in rural Nebraska hit close to home for Dr. Von Essen, who was raised on a farm near Pender in northeast Nebraska.
“I’ve been working in this area for 20 years and have always been excited about rural health research,” said Dr. Von Essen, who also has a master’s degree in public health.
Dr. Von Essen came to UNMC in 1981 to train in internal medicine and pulmonary medicine and she joined the faculty in 1988.
She has researched such rural-health issues as farm injuries and respiratory diseases that come from breathing in dust from grain and other agricultural environments.
The rural research initiative will focus on these issues and more, Dr. Von Essen said.
To get insight into other issues, Dr. Von Essen said she wants input from health professionals, farmers and others in rural Nebraska about what they feel are health concerns there.
“We have a lot of really good things happening already in terms of rural-health research,” Dr. Von Essen said. “But we can get even better. We would love to hear from people in rural Nebraska about what UNMC can do to improve health care for them.”
Because of her rural background and her passion for medicine, Dr. Von Essen will be an excellent advocate for rural Nebraskans, said Thomas Rosenquist, Ph.D., vice chancellor for research.
“The excellent corps of health scientists at UNMC gives us a unique opportunity to advance the health of rural Nebraskans,” Dr. Rosenquist said. “Expanding research in rural health is a key part of our strategic plan. Dr. Von Essen is an outstanding scientist and physician who is a passionate advocate for advancing rural health. I am very excited that she has accepted this responsibility and I am very optimistic about the future of UNMC research in this area.”