Rowen Zetterman, M.D., professor of medicine and associate dean for veterans affairs at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine, recently received the prestigious Alfred Stengel Memorial Award for Outstanding Service for 2007 from the American College of Physicians (ACP).
The award — given by the nation’s largest medical specialty organization and the second-largest physician group in the United States — recognizes unusual loyalty and exceptional contributions to the aims and purposes of the ACP. The award also recognizes the recipient’s outstanding influence in maintaining and advancing the best standards of medical education, medical practice and clinical research.
“This is one of the ACP’s pinnacle awards,“ said Lynell Klassen, M.D., chairman of UNMC’s Department of Internal Medicine. “The award brings honor to UNMC and is well deserved because it recognizes Dr. Zetterman’s leadership role in one of the nation’s most important professional medical organizations, as well as his leadership role in our department of internal medicine and the VA.”
No other Nebraskan has ever won the Alfred Stengel Award, Dr. Klassen said.
"I am honored to have been chosen as the 2007 recipient of the Stengel Award,” Dr. Zetterman said. “Working with the American College of Physicians on the health care issues that affect us all has been one of the highlights of my professional career."
In addition to his UNMC post, Dr. Zetterman serves as chief of staff of the Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, as well as associate dean for veterans affairs at Creighton University School of Medicine. He also is president of the Nebraska Medical Association.
A native of York, Neb., Dr. Zetterman received his medical degree from UNMC in 1969 and has served on the UNMC faculty since 1976. Nationally, Dr. Zetterman served as president of the American College of Gastroenterology in 2000. He is editor emeritus of Digestive Diseases: Current Concepts in Research and Practice and the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
Dr. Zetterman’s service to the ACP began in 1991 with his appointment to the Governors Advisory Council of the ACP’s Nebraska Chapter. From there, he became governor of the Nebraska chapter (1992-1996) and then chairman of the ACP’s board of governors. He served on the ACP’s Board of Regents and was chairman from 2000 to 2001. He has played a vital role as a member of many key committees of the ACP, including its publication committee, managed care task force, finance committee, building committee and nominations committee.
The ACP Board of Regents established the Alfred Stengel Memorial Award in 1947 to honor Dr. Stengel, a regent and president of the ACP for two terms. ACP members — 120,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students — work to enhance the quality and effectiveness of health care by fostering excellence and professionalism in the practice of medicine.
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, ophthalmology and arthritis. 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.
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