Dr. Liu to receive one of Omaha’s 40 Under 40 Awards

Howard Liu, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and director of Faculty Development Programs, has been chosen as one of the 2014 recipients of the Midlands Business Journal’s 13th annual 40 Under 40 Awards.

The award honors 40 Greater Omaha, Council Bluffs and Sarpy County entrepreneurs, executives and professional men and women under the age of 40 at a breakfast on Nov. 14.

“This award provides me an excellent opportunity for UNMC to engage with the community. My work focuses on faculty leadership development as well as the perception of mental health in the community, so I’m looking forward to meeting other leaders who may be able to serve as mentors, role models and contacts for our students and faculty. I’m a firm believer that we need leadership in all walks of life,” Dr. Liu said.

The 36-year-old board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist is a prominent UNMC media commentator on mental health issues. Dr. Liu is known for expertise in innovative integration of media and education, including development of interactive online training opportunities for interprofessional audiences.

Dr. Liu was the clerkship director of the UNMC Department of Psychiatry, training third-year medical students in mental health diagnosis and treatment, and is now director of the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN), that addresses the shortage of trained behavioral health providers in rural and underserved areas.

A leader in medical education, Dr. Liu is a graduate of the UNMC Technology in Educational Scholarship Program. Nationally, he has won awards for innovative teaching and he co-chairs the Training and Education Committee for the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He also received an Outstanding Teacher Award from UNMC’s Faculty Senate earlier this year.

To interest medical students in a career in psychiatry, Dr. Liu held a small mentorship dinner in his home four years ago. The program has become an annual event and in February 2014, more than 90 students, trainees and professionals from psychiatry, psychology and psychiatric nursing attended the dinner at Joslyn Castle hosted by the Psychiatry Interest Group and the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska.