Cancer Campus tops 2012 UNMC headlines

Announcements of a major project and a new role for the chancellor along with the impending arrival of health care reform create an air of change and transformation at UNMC.

Below we look back at the highlights from 2012 on campus.









See images from the past year at UNMC.
January

UNMC unveils plans for a Cancer Center Campus as part of University of Nebraska’s “Building a Healthier Nebraska” initiative.

February

Tony Hollingsworth, Ph.D., professor and director of pancreatic cancer research at the Eppley Institute, is named UNMC’s sixth Scientist Laureate.

March

The University of Nebraska bids farewell to Lotus Notes and switches to the Microsoft Outlook Email system.

UNMC’s primary care, research and rural medicine education programs rise in the 2013 U.S.News & World Report rankings of the nation’s top graduate schools.

April

Gov. Dave Heineman approves state support for the Building a Healthier Nebraska initiative, which includes $50 million to construct a research tower on the Cancer Center Campus.

The UNMC Walks to the Olmpics Challenge launches. More than 500 employees participated in the challenge and they combined to walk the distance between Omaha and London — the site of the Summer Games — 49 times.

Four UNMC fourth-year medical students conduct formal, one-month rotations in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in Shanghai.

June

The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the Affordable Care Act as constitutional and paves the way for Health Care Reform in the U.S.

August

The One Chart electronic medical record launches at The Nebraska Medical Center.

UNMC hosts a pair of international forums with visitors from China and other countries.

September

UNMC sets another enrollment record.

Harold M. Maurer, M.D., announces he will step away from his duties as UNMC Chancellor in 2013 to lead fundraising for the Cancer Center Campus.

October

The Omaha City Council approves $35 million in funds and Douglas County pledges $5 million to support the Cancer Center Campus at UNMC.

The University of Nebraska enters into a long-term partnership with the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) at Offutt Air Force Base to create a University-Affiliated Research Center (UARC) that will include UNMC researchers.

UNMC announces that energy-saving actions on campus have yielded impressive results.

November

UNMC and other state groups announce the formation of the Nebraska Science Festival.

UNMC announces a plan to form a joint family medicine department with Chinese school.

December

Nobel Prize winner Stanley Prusiner speaks at UNMC about head injuries in soldiers, football players and others.