Beatrice, Nebraska City, Lincoln, Bellevue, La Vista, and south Omaha on June 29-30 itinerary
University of Nebraska Medical Center Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., and 10 of UNMC’s top leaders, will visit six sites in Nebraska on June 29-30. This is the group’s eighth consecutive trip in Nebraska.
The team will travel to Beatrice, Nebraska City, Lincoln, Bellevue, La Vista, and south Omaha, to meet with organizations and community members. The leaders will talk about recent successes in its education, research and patient care mission, including four new facilities that soon will open. Health care reform and its impact also will be addressed.
Receptions will be hosted by various local organizations.
With an academic, research and clinical presence in more than 100 Nebraska communities, Dr. Maurer often refers to UNMC’s “500-mile campus.”
“The trip is my favorite trip of the year. It’s a chance to visit with the people of the state and talk about what UNMC is doing to improve the health of Nebraska,” Dr. Maurer said. “We are committed to making sure the world-class resources we have here are available no matter where in Nebraska one lives. Everything we do is done on behalf of Nebraskans.”
In research funding last year, UNMC reached a milestone when research support topped $100 million for the first time.
Other successes/milestones:
- Last July, the medical center formed a health care reform study group as an objective resource for elected officials, business and community entities in Nebraska in communicating the potential impact of health care reform proposals.
- Four new buildings will open in the next year – all of which are being built entirely by private donations.
- In July, UNMC will open the Home Instead Center for Successful Aging – the only geriatric center in the state that will offer comprehensive care for older adults aimed at helping seniors age better and live healthier lives.
- The UNMC College of Nursing will open two new facilities this year that will produce more nurses to address the looming nursing shortage. A new nursing division — the UNMC College of Nursing Northern Division — will open in August on the Northeast Community College campus in Norfolk. The UNMC College of Nursing in Omaha will open the Center for Nursing Science in October.
- Next year, the UNMC College of Public Health will move into the new Harold M. and Beverly Maurer Center for Public Health. Established in January 2007, the college provides health science education, research and outreach to improve the health of the population of Nebraska
- This year, the UNMC College of Pharmacy raised its standing nationally among its peers. It achieved a ranking of fourth nationally among 110 pharmacy schools in funding per researcher from the National Institutes of Health.
- In an effort to meet the demand for family physicians in rural Nebraska, UNMC and the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) established the Kearney Health Opportunities Program (KHOP). The program targets rural high school seniors interested in practicing family medicine in small Nebraska communities. Five high school seniors a year will be accepted into the program this fall. After completing their undergraduate studies at UNK, students will automatically be accepted into medical school at UNMC, provided they maintain an acceptable grade point average. The students will receive a tuition waiver for their time at UNK.
Joining Dr. Maurer on the trip will be:
Bob Bartee, vice chancellor for external affairs;
Kenneth Cowan, M.D., Ph.D., director, Eppley Cancer Center
Courtney Fletcher, Pharm.D., dean, UNMC College of Pharmacy;
Mike Leibowitz, Ph.D., director, Munroe-Meyer Institute
Rod Markin, M.D., Ph.D., interim dean, College of Medicine;
Kyle Meyer, Ph.D., associate dean, School of Allied Health Professions;
Rubens Pamies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs;
Alice Schumaker, Ph.D., associate dean of academic affairs, College of Public Health;
Joan Sivers, D.D.S., assistant dean, clinics, College of Dentistry;
Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc., dean, College of Nursing.
As the state’s only academic health science center, UNMC is on the leading edge of health care. Breakthroughs are possible because hard-working researchers, educators and clinicians are resolved to work together to fuel discovery. In 2009, UNMC’s extramural research support topped $100 million for the first time, resulting in the creation of 3,600 jobs in Nebraska. UNMC’s academic excellence is shown through its award-winning programs, and 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 and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading health care centers. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 550 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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