Tammy Kielian, Ph.D., pathology and microbiology, was honored with the Emerging Inventor Award at UNeMed’s annual Innovation Awards ceremony. Dr. Kielian received a research grant of $25,000 for winning the award. Her research interests span the fields of neuroimmunology, infectious diseases and neuroscience with a unifying theme of innate immunity. Numerous other College of Medicine faculty were honored at the event for getting patents issued or technology licensed.
Paul Fey, Ph.D., professor in the department of pathology and microbiology and medical director of clinical microbiology, is now a certified Diplomate of the American Board of Medical Microbiology (ABMM). Certification by the ABMM is recognized by federal and state governmental agencies as a significant component toward meeting licensure requirements for high-complexity laboratory directors and is recognized under the final rule of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA).
Vince Furlong, internal medicine-gastroenterology, retired on Sept. 14 after 15 years of service. For his entire UNMC career, Furlong worked with The American Journal of Gastroenterology, serving as assistant editor from 1997-2003 and as editor since 2003. He was recognized for his outstanding work with the journal at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology held Oct. 19-24 in Las Vegas.
Mike Feilmeier, M.D., ophthalmology and visual sciences, will be recognized on Dec. 14 by the Midlands Business Journal, a weekly Omaha newspaper. He was selected as one of Omaha’s 40 outstanding people under the age of 40.
James McClay, M.D., emergency medicine, recently presented a poster related to Health Level 7 (HL7) and emergency medicine at the American College of Emergency Physicians conference in Denver. Dr. McClay is a co-chair of the HL7 Emergency Care Workgroup. Founded in 1987, HL7 and its 2,300 members are dedicated to providing a comprehensive framework for the exchange, integration, sharing, and retrieval of electronic health information that supports clinical practice and the management, delivery and evaluation of health services.
Julie Vose, M.D., chief of oncology/hematology, served as chair of Cancer Bites, an expert panel pulled together to educate the public about the prevalence of blood cancers, which include more than 70 different types. The Cancer Bites campaign was initiated during the Halloween season to take advantage of the public’s obsession around the mystique of vampires. The campaign was the idea of a North Carolina man who was successfully treated by Dr. Vose for Hodgkin’s disease. Read more.
William Thorell, M.D., neurosurgery, recently received the Champion of Rehabilitation Award from the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln. Dr. Thorell was recognized for understanding the vital role of rehabilitation in helping people achieve the greatest level of independence following a brain injury, stroke, or other type of disabling injury or illness. Watch a video tribute for Dr. Thorell and the Champion of Rehabilitation Award.
A 2003 graduate of the UNMC College of Medicine, Natasha Burgert, M.D., was featured in the Oct. 8 edition of the New York Times. The story, Texting the Teenage Patient, detailed how physicians are using social media to connect with their teenage patients. A pediatrician, Dr. Burgert resides in Kansas City, Mo., along with her husband, Kevin Burgert, M.D., who also is a 2003 graduate of the UNMC College of Medicine, and their two children. Dr. Natasha Burgert is the daughter of Don Mohlman, the HDR project manager for UNMC’s Cancer Center Campus.
Five librarians from the McGoogan Library of Medicine conducted free informational sessions on how to search for health information and how to evaluate health information sites. From Sept. 18 to Oct. 5, the librarians went to libraries in 21 Nebraska communities and racked up more than 4,700 miles. The librarians included Teri Hartman, Marie Reidelbach, Roxanne Cox, Marty Magee and Tom Gensichen. More libraries are on the visit list with a big push for travel again beginning next April. The project ends July 31.
The 2012 Cattlemen’s Ball of Nebraska in McCool Junction raised more than $1.4 million – the second highest total in the ball’s 15-year history of providing support to the Eppley Cancer Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. This marks the third straight year the Cattlemen’s Ball has topped the $1 million mark. The all-time high was $1.49 million raised at the 2011 ball in West Point. In 2010, the ball held in Kearney raised $1,003,000. As in past years, 90 percent of the proceeds go toward cancer research at the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center with the remaining 10 percent going toward local organizations. This year’s breakdown was $1,244,270 to the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center and $141,030 distributed locally to 21 different organizations. In addition, $5,000 was raised for scholarships at the UNMC College of Nursing.
The Douglas County board voted 6-1 last month to approve an interlocal agreement that will provide $5 million over the next 10 years to help fund the UNMC Cancer Center Project. The county commissioners voting in favor of the agreement were Mike Boyle, Pam Tusa, Chris Rodgers, P.J. Morgan, Marc Kraft and Mary Ann Borgeson.
About 200 students attended a Health Care Reform conference at UNMC on Oct. 6. Atul Grover, M.D., Ph.D., chief public policy officer for the Association of American Medical Colleges, gave the keynote address. The event was sponsored by UNMC, the University of Nebraska College of Law, and the School of Medicine and the School of Law at Creighton University.
Attendees at the Health Care Reform Conference included (left-right): Rowen Zetterman, M.D., dean of the Creighton University School of Medicine; Jen Jacobsen, Creighton University law student; Sara Houston, University of Nebraska law student; Atul Grover, M.D., Ph.D., chief public policy officer for the Association of American Medical Colleges; Nick Ingraham, Creighton University medical student; Faisal Ahmed, UNMC medical student and student regent; and Bradley Britigan, M.D., dean of the UNMC College of Medicine. Ahmed, Houston, Ingraham and Jacobsen were the primary organizers of the event.