UNMC graduate receives Jacobson Innovation Award
A 1974 graduate of the UNMC College of Medicine, Joseph Vacanti, M.D., received the 21st Jacobson Innovation Award from the American College of Surgeons at a June 5 dinner in Chicago. Dr. Vacanti was recognized for his groundbreaking work in the field of tissue engineering over the past 30 years and for starting the first pediatric liver transplant program in the country. The award honors living surgeons who have been innovative in the development of a new technique in any field of surgery. An Omaha native, Dr. Vacanti is the John Homans Professor of Surgery for Harvard Medical School. He returned to Omaha this year to deliver the John S. Latta Lecture at UNMC on March 24.
Dr. Swindells joins national panel on antiretroviral guidelines
Susan Swindells, M.B.B.S., professor, UNMC Division of Infectious Diseases, and Terry K. Watanabe Chairwoman for HIV/AIDS Research and Care, was invited to join the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents. This is a working group of the Office of AIDS Research Council. Her four-year term began in April.
Dr. Vose quoted in U.S. News & World Report on cancer drug study
Julie Vose, M.D., Neumann M. and Mildred E. Harris Professorial Chair and chief of the oncology/hematology division in the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine, as well as the associate director of clinical research and co-chair of the lymphoma program at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, is quoted in a June 2 U.S. News and World Report story, "New Drug Shows Potential for Blood Cancer." The story concerns a study on elotuzumab, which, U.S. News reports, "reduced the risk of cancer progression and death by 30 percent when doctors combined it with the standard two-drug therapy for multiple myeloma." Dr. Vose is quoted in her capacity as president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Vose is the third UNMC physician to serve as ASCO president. The others have been James Armitage, M.D., and Margaret Tempero, M.D. (now at the University of California, San Francisco). To read the full report, click here.
In her role as president of ASCO, Dr. Vose submitted a letter to the editor that ran in the June 19 edition of The New York Times. In her letter, she stressed the importance of cancer patients participating in clinical trials.
Students, faculty showcase e-learning efforts
Several College of Medicine faculty and students participated in the e-learning program and were highlighted at a showcase in early May.
The faculty who participated in the program included:
Charity Evans, M.D.
Oveys Mansuri, M.D.
Paul Paulman, M.D.
Sarah Richards, M.D.
The students who participated in the program included:
Tyler Chonis
Michaela Klesitz
Jackson Wagoner
Caitlin Fee
Tate Johnson
Cory Rohlfsen
Alex Walker
The faculty who mentored the students on their projects included:
Geoffrey Talmon, M.D.
David McMillan, Ph.D.
Kaleb Michaud, Ph.D.
Myron Toews, Ph.D.
Amy Cannella, M.D.
David O’Dell, M.D.
Jim Medder, M.D.
Paul Paulman, M.D.
Matthew DeVries, M.D.
Here’s a video on the e-learning project as well as another story.
Nate Breske, a 2004 physical therapy graduate of the UNMC School of Allied Health Professions, has been named the head athletic trainer for the Chicago Bears. Breske comes to the Bears from the San Francisco 49ers, where he has served as assistant athletic trainer since 2008. Prior to joining the 49ers, Breske did a summer internship with the New England Patriots and founded Physical Therapy Specialists in Watertown, S.D. He was an all-state football player at Webster (S.D.) High School and a starting quarterback at Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D.