UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., and other medical center leaders will gather today for an annual meeting to discuss and set the future direction of the medical center.
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John Adams, Ph.D. |
Below, John Adams, Ph.D., special adviser to the chancellor who has planned the annual meeting for several years, discusses what today’s event means to UNMC.
What’s the main thing employees should know about today’s meeting and the planning process of which it is a part?
UNMC strives to achieve its vision of becoming a world class academic medical center by implementing its rolling three-year plan that identifies key goals in education, research, community partnerships, diversity, economic development and employee satisfaction and wellness.
How have these planning efforts affected the campus over the years?
UNMC has grown and prospered as a direct result of accomplishing its strategic goals. More employees, more externally funded research, more faculty and students and more buildings all have their origins in ideas generated by this planning process. And while the planning is essential, our success is due to the persistence of our people in pursuing opportunities and overcoming obstacles.
What are the big issues that will be discussed this year?
However it develops, health care reform means change. Likewise advances in genetics, biomedical informatics and information technology are creating new possibilities in basic research and clinical care. The two major themes for this year’s meeting are advancing clinical research and developing new approaches to primary care education, research and care design. Additional major ideas to be addressed include:
- Health workforce training;
- Mobile learning;
- Moving health care to the home;
- Educational aspects of electronic medical records; and
- Creating a more cosmopolitan UNMC at home while expanding our global education, research and care presence.