James Gigantelli, M.D., professor of ophthalmology and assistant dean of government relations for UNMC, has been elected a new member of the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). An ACS Fellow since 1999, Dr. Gigantelli served on the ACS Board of Governors from 2005-2011 and on the Governors' Committee on Socioeconomic Issues from 2008-2011. Founded in 1913, the ACS is a scientific and educational association of surgeons committed to improving the quality of care for patients undergoing surgery by setting high standards for surgical education and practice. The ACS currently has approximately 78,000 members, making it the largest organization of surgeons in the world.
Rowen Zetterman, M.D., director, faculty mentorship program – academic affairs, was honored recently by the Nebraska Medical Association with the Distinguished Service to Medicine Award. Dr. Zetterman has been a longtime member of the NMA and served as the organization’s president in 2006-07.
Rod Markin, M.D., Ph.D., chief technology officer, was a presenter on Sept. 25 at the annual meeting of the Association of Academic Health Centers in Boston. His speech was titled, “Home is Where Your iPad Is: How Mobile Computing is Changing the Landscape of Healthcare Delivery, Teaching and Research.”
Melissa Campbell, administrative assistant, surgical oncology, is one of nine non-traditional women students to receive scholarship support from the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Women’s Club. Campbell, 52, has been taking classes towards a bachelor of general studies degree with an emphasis in health care administration. Campbell’s mother earned her bachelor’s degree at age 63, so Campbell aspires to follow in her mother’s footsteps.
Several UNMC faculty, including Howard Liu, M.D., psychiatry, Araw Nasir, M.B.B.S., general pediatrics, and Joseph Evans, Ph.D., psychology at Munroe-Meyer Institute, participated in a panel discussion as part of the Pediatric Behavioral Health Consultation to Primary Care collaborative. The purpose of the collaborative was to examine a successful model of pediatric behavioral health consultation for primary care and identify local resources available to establish a statewide model in Nebraska.
Dawn Venema, Ph.D., assistant professor of physical therapy education, won the "Achievement in Education Award" from the Nebraska Physical Therapy Association.
The Nebraska Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, in coordination with the Nebraska Regional Cystic Fibrosis Care Center, held the Breath of Hope event on Oct. 3 at the Stockyards Exchange Building in South Omaha. The event honors select individuals from Nebraska who’ve made a positive impact in the fight against cystic fibrosis. Among this year’s honorees was Laura Romero, a medical social worker for The Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska’s Regional Cystic Fibrosis Care Center. The foundation provided $200,000 in funding to UNMC in 2012.