UNMC faculty honored with university awards

University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken announced Thursday the 2013 winners of the university’s most prestigious awards for teaching, research and engagement.

UNMC educators were recognized in each category.

Awards will be presented in April. UNMC’s winners are:

Outstanding Teaching and Instructional Creativity Award (OTICA):

Thomas Porter, M.D.

Ed Vandenberg, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology at UNMC. A UNMC faculty member since 1998, Dr. Vandenberg has earned a reputation for his commitment to working across disciplines to improve curricula, particularly in the area of geriatrics. He has improved instruction for medical students as they transition from medical school to residency. Dr. Vandenberg is known for incorporating humor into his lectures – his lecture on falls among the elderly, which he delivers in full knight’s armor, is famous among students.

Dr. Vandenberg shares the award with Peter Wolcott, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Outstanding Research and Creative Activity (ORCA) Award:

Thomas Porter, M.D., Hubbard Chair of Cardiology and professor of internal medicine at UNMC. Dr. Porter is a true “triple threat” – a renowned cardiologist, teacher and researcher whose innovations have led to new technologies with strong commercialization potential. Dr. Porter has developed a number of innovative approaches to cardiac ultrasound, to the extent that it is no longer considered just a diagnostic test but a means to deliver therapeutic interventions. He is now among the nation’s leaders in cardiac ultrasound. As a top clinical cardiologist, Dr. Porter is regularly referred patients from across the region.

Susan Swindells, M.B.B.S.

Dr. Porter shares the award with Kenneth Price, Ph.D., Hillegass University Professor of American Literature and co-director of the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Innovation, Development and Engagement Award (IDEA):

Susan Swindells, M.B.B.S., professor of internal medicine and Watanabe Chair for HIV/AIDS Research and Care at UNMC. Dr. Swindells, who directs UNMC’s HIV clinic, is a recognized leader in HIV research who has also built a reputation for her commitment to helping underserved populations, improving AIDS education and training, and providing compassionate care. Dr. Swindells created an HIV care focus track in the medical school and developed a pediatric clinic to serve the growing number of children affected by HIV/AIDS. On the scientific side, Dr. Swindells has developed strategies to improve health care for patients worldwide.