Roxanna Jokela has been named director of the University of Nebraska Medical Center alumni relations.
Jokela, who has served as interim director since October, will take over as full-time director on April 13. At that time, Jokela also will step away from her duties as director of the Rural Health Education Network (RHEN) at UNMC.
“As alumni director, I look forward to working closely with UNMC graduates from all corners of the state and nation," Jokela said.
She will take over as alumni director 16 years and one day after she joined UNMC to lead the RHEN program.
During her time as RHEN director, she oversaw the development of several innovative initiatives and programs that have garnered national prominence for UNMC.
In 2001, Jokela also took on the position of deputy director for the AHEC (Area Health Education Centers) Program. Through her work with Mike Sitorius, M.D., UNMC chairman of family medicine, the medical center’s AHEC and RHEN programs have become leaders in meeting the rural workforce needs.
Among other developments Jokela helped initiate were the Rural Health Opportunities Program (RHOP), eighth grade science meets and other health career promotion programs.
RHOP was established to draw more students to UNMC from rural areas. Program participants are granted admission into UNMC programs right out of high school pending their successful completion of undergraduate course work at certain state colleges.
Jokela serves on the congress and the board of trustees for the National Rural Health Association and she is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
As alumni director, Jokela said she looks forward to taking a more unified approach to dealing with medical center alumni from the various colleges and schools.
“It will be beneficial to all parties to see how we can bring our various alumni groups under a more cohesive umbrella,” Jokela said. “Although we must promote each alumni chapter’s identity, all of our alumni are UNMC alumni and it’s important that we build and maintain collaboration among our various alumni organizations and members.”
“Roxanna has performed superbly as interim director and has demonstrated the vision and passion to take our alumni activities to the next level,” said Bob Bartee, UNMC vice chancellor for external affairs. “She clearly emerged from a national search as the leading candidate among an outstanding field of candidates.”
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 their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves 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 now exceeds $82 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 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.
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