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Chelsea Chesen, M.D. |
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Dennis McNeilly, Psy.D. |
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Tom Magnuson, M.D. |
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Vicki Adolf |
The UNMC selections were:
- Chelsea Chesen, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry, who was appointed to the state advisory committee for mental health services;
- Dennis McNeilly, Psy.D., associate professor of psychiatry, who has been selected to serve on the problem gambling and addiction services commission;
- Tom Magnuson, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry, was selected to serve on the nursing home advisory council; and
- Vicki Adolf, nurse coordinator in the department of psychiatry; who also will serve on the nursing home advisory council.
Having four members of the department placed in state service positions speaks to the high level of expertise that can be found in the psychiatry department, said Steven Wengel, M.D., the department’s chairman.
“We are thrilled to have these excellent members of our department serving the state in such a manner,” Dr. Wengel said.
That the psychiatry personnel were selected to commissions addressing a variety of different issues also was encouraging, Dr. Wengel said.
“It shows that our personnel are considered authorities when it comes to address many of the important health care issues that we are faced with today,” Dr. Wengel said.
In their roles on their respective commissions and councils, the appointees will help advise the governor and others as they formulate state policy concerning their respective fields of expertise.
UNMC Vice Chancellor for External Affairs Bob Bartee said all four appointees will serve the state well.
“These four are all among the best in their respective areas of expertise,” Bartee said. “They have all provided exemplary service to the psychiatry department and UNMC and I am very confident they will do the same for the entire state in their new positions.”
Dr. Chesen practices psychiatry full-time in Omaha at the UNMC Psychiatry Department clinic as well as the Omaha Veterans Affairs hospital. Her clinical interests include combined psychopharmacology and psychotherapy as well as telepsychiatry (providing long-distance care via two-way secure television networks).
Dr. McNeilly is a nationally-recognized speaker on problem gambling among older adults. He also has published many journal articles and abstracts on problem gambling, and has provided continuing education courses on the topic. He currently serves as president of the National Council on Problem Gambling.
Dr. Magnuson is a board-certified general psychiatrist with added qualifications in geriatric psychiatry. In his practice, he treats patients at several nursing homes in the Omaha area and beyond. In his research, Dr. Magnuson focuses on the recognition of medication side effects in the nursing home and the perceived need for mental health services in nursing homes in rural Nebraska.
Adolf works as a clinical nurse consultant in the geriatric psychiatry division at UNMC. In this capacity, she helps the psychiatry department provide outreach to 10 area nursing homes. Before this, Adolf served as an inpatient psychiatric staff nurse and as manager of the geriatric rehabilitation unit at what was then called University Hospital.