The launching of the Nebraska Medicine name in October represented an historic event for our medical center.
After months of calling it the “clinical enterprise,” we finally have an identity – a powerful name that reflects our deep Nebraska roots and our mission to improve the human condition.
The College of Medicine obviously has strong ties to Nebraska Medicine. Our physician faculty encompass a large percentage of the care providers for Nebraska Medicine. Our education and research components add significant value and resources to its clinical mission. In turn, those missions are strongly supported by patient participation as well as revenues generated by the clinical programs. Synergism abounds!
To demonstrate the strong connection between UNMC and Nebraska Medicine, it was significant that UNMC elected to share Nebraska Medicine’s new logo. It provides tangible evidence that the two organizations are closely aligned.
Change is never easy. For about 170 College of Medicine employees, it means that they will be leaving UNMC to join Nebraska Medicine because more than 80 percent of their current job activities involve clinical care. We thank these employees for their dedicated service to the College of Medicine and know they will continue to be important assets to our organization as part of Nebraska Medicine.
In turn seven Nebraska Medicine employees will move to UNMC, reflecting that most of their activity revolves around clinical research. UNMC and Nebraska Medicine Human Resources are working hard to make these employment transitions as seamless as possible. However, there are several issues that are resulting in layers of complexity that are delaying the complete roll out of the process.
Although we’re confident that these will be resolved soon, my apologies for those who have had to endure this drawn out process.
I just returned from an 11-day trip to China. I can tell you that the Chinese were very impressed with Nebraska Medicine and UNMC, as well as the new logo. In fact, we didn’t have enough lapel pins to meet all their requests.
For me, being in China was a reminder of the strength of UNMC’s international reputation. Over the 11 days, we went to six cities (Shanghai twice), and it was exciting to see the warm welcome we received. It was a busy trip, but I thought it was quite successful. Some of our accomplishments included:
- Advancing our program to bring family medicine to China that included two symposia, one each in Shanghai and Xian;
- Developing a memorandum of understanding to begin a doctorate program in physical therapy in Shanghai;
- Signing a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Scholarship Council that strengthens and expands aspects of our student exchange program;
- Solidifying and expanding our clinical and research programs in cancer through the Sino-U.S. Center for Lymphoma and Leukemia in Tianjin; and
- Meeting with officials at the Chinese organization that is similar to the CDC in the U.S. to discuss our medical center’s expertise in treating the Ebola virus.
Our family medicine team included Drs. Mike Sitorius, Marilyn Sitorius, Jeff Harrison, Kim Jarzynka, and Kent Zhao, as well as Jayme Nekuda from UNMC HR. From the School of Allied Health Professions, we had four physical therapists – Joe Norman, Joseph Siu, Betsy Becker and Kathleen Volkman – and Karen Honeycutt in clinical laboratory science.
Special thanks go to Drs. Jialin Zheng and Kai Fu and their outstanding staff for all their hard work in creating so many opportunities for us in China, as well as the ongoing support of Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance Don Leuenberger, who led the delegation, and members of his staff.
Finally, I want to recognize once again the efforts of all the workers in our Biocontainment Unit. As you know, our second Ebola patient was successfully treated and returned to his home in Rhode Island.
Not only have they been providing outstanding care, but they have spent countless hours serving as resources for information for individuals throughout the world on the “Nebraska model” for Ebola care and prevention. This has included the recent launch of an educational program in partnership with Apple via their iTunesU platform.
The Nebraska model of caring for Ebola patients has become the benchmark in the U.S. The unit’s commitment is a perfect example of what makes our medical center such a special place.