UNMC for the record

Below is a list of achievements, activities and happenings involving UNMC staff, faculty and students.

Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) has awarded the UNMC Department of Ophthalmology a $110,000 grant to conduct research to discover causes of and cures for eye diseases such as macular degeneration and glaucoma. RPB is the world’s leading voluntary organization in support of eye research.

David Crouse, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, received a rousing standing ovation from a capacity crowd in one of the Sorrell Center’s 220-seat amphitheaters during a retirement tea in his honor on Tuesday. The crowd also watched this video about Dr. Crouse, who retires next week after 35 years at UNMC.

A paper by nursing doctoral student Carol Geary, has been accepted for publication in Advances in Nursing Science, and selected as an Editor’s Pick. Her paper, the result of coursework, is related to the “Transitions and Complexity Science” theories. The long term goal of her research is to develop interventions that will improve outcomes when patients transfer from hospitals to nursing homes.

Renaisa Anthony, M.D., M.P.H., interim director of the College of Public Health’s Center for Reducing Health Disparities, was selected as one of the TEDx Omaha speakers. Dr. Anthony also will give a keynote speech at the annual Hispanic Heritage Month seminar.

Peter Kador, Ph.D., professor of pharmaceutical science in the College of Pharmacy, has been awarded the International Society for Eye Research’s 2012 Ernst H. Bárány Prize for outstanding contributions in research that increases the understanding of ocular pharmacology. Specifically, the award recognizes work related to or applicable to glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, or related retinal diseases. Dr. Kador is the sixth recipient of the Bárány Prize.

Fourth-year medical student Jillian Fickenscher is one of five scholars selected as 2012 Pisacano Scholars. The scholarships, valued up to $28,000 each, are awarded to students at U.S. medical schools who demonstrate a strong commitment to the specialty of family medicine. Approximately 2,100 applicants from more than 120 medical schools competed for the scholarships. Fickenscher is the first UNMC student selected as a Pisacano Scholar since the start of the program in 1993.

Fourth-year medical student Alisha Mauler recently was elected to the American Association of Family Physicians Foundation Board of Trustees. Mauler will be the inaugural student member of the board.