Drs. Vandenberg, Porter and Swindells win university-wide recognition
Three College of Medicine faculty earned prestigious university-wide awards this spring. The recipients and their awards were:
Outstanding Teaching and Instructional Creativity Award (OTICA):
Ed Vandenberg, M.D., internal medicine-geriatrics and gerontology. 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.
Outstanding Research and Creative Activity (ORCA) Award:
Thomas Porter, M.D., Hubbard Chair of Cardiology and professor of internal medicine. 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.
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. 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.
Other awards of note
Four College of Medicine faculty members were recognized with teaching awards. The honorees and their awards were:
Outstanding Faculty Mentors of Graduate Students:
Wallace Thoreson, Ph.D., ophthalmology and visual sciences; and
Irving Zucker, Ph.D., cellular/integrative physiology.
Outstanding Teacher:
William Lyons, M.D., internal medicine-geriatrics and gerontology.
Class of 1962 Basic Science Outstanding Teacher Award:
Carol Lomneth, Ph.D., genetics, cell biology and anatomy.