University of Nebraska Medical Center Chancellor Harold M. Maurer M.D., accompanied by eight senior leaders from UNMC, will visit six Nebraska communities April 30 and May 1. This is the fourth annual UNMC leadership visit.
From West Point, Norfolk on April 30, to Wayne, South Sioux City, Macy, and Winnebago, on May 1, the group will meet with members of the community at community receptions and service club meetings, during tours of health facilities, and visits with health facility administrators, health professionals and staff.
The purpose of the trip is to thank communities for their support, listen to the health care needs of the community, introduce members of the UNMC leadership team, and let people know UNMC leaders are accessible. Host communities will provide overviews about their communities and UNMC leaders will provide brief updates about UNMC’s progress toward its goal of becoming a world-class academic health sciences center.
UNMC’s research funding from external sources now is nearly $80 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,400 highly skilled jobs in the state.
While visiting Norfolk, UNMC leaders will speak to a combined meeting of Kiwanis and Rotary clubs and later that day will participate in a letter of intent signing ceremony with its partners, Northeast Community College and Faith Regional Health Services, for the proposed UNMC College of Nursing division in Norfolk.
UNMC leaders will discuss the new UNMC College of Public Health, the Center for Health Disparities, and academic success of students and programs, including the recent U.S. News & World Report rankings. They also will talk about a recent visit of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, which recommended that UNMC be reaccredited for 10 years.
Also addressed will be success in UNMC rural programs, including the Rural Health Opportunities Program, Rural Health Education Network and Area Health Education Centers, UNMC Health/Science Meet, UNMC Career Day, community grant programs, and student rural rotations.
Campus expansion plans also will be highlighted. The largest, current construction projects in progress are: the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education; the Research Center of Excellence II; and the Good Manufacturing Practices Transplant Production Facility. In January, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved construction of a $1.2 million Weigel Williamson Center for Visual Rehabilitation, which will be the only non-profit provider of comprehensive visual rehabilitation services for children and adults in the region. Groundbreaking for the center is April 27.
Joining Dr. Maurer on the trip will be: Rubens Pamies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs; John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D., dean, College of Medicine; Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc., dean, College of Nursing; Jay Noren, M.D., dean of the UNMC College of Public Health; Clarence Ueda, Pharm. D., Ph.D., dean, College of Pharmacy; John Reinhardt, D.D.S., dean, College of Dentistry; Kyle Meyer, associate dean, School of Allied Health Professions; and Robert Bartee, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
During the leadership tour, Dr. Maurer and other UNMC leaders will log their experiences on a blog along with photos at http://www.unmc.edu/blog/chancellor. The public is welcome to log on and ask questions.
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through its commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources is now nearly $80 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,400 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes more than 460 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties. They practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center, UNMC’s teaching hospital. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.
-30-