I am happy to report that the UNMC College of Medicine has been notified by our college’s accrediting body, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), that our "warning" status has been lifted, and that the college is fully accredited through 2022. This was the result of the review by the LCME board of the results of the site visit that occurred in April of this year.
Successfully addressing the areas of non-compliance was no small task and involved the efforts of several task forces and a multitude of faculty, staff and students. To all the people who were part of this initiative, I want to extend my deepest gratitude. This was a learning situation for our college, and I have no doubt that we have emerged as a stronger college.
As you will read in this newsletter I am also pleased to report that major progress has been made in finalizing the governance structure for Nebraska Medicine and the search for its permanent CEO is moving forward. This has been a huge undertaking over the past 18 months. It is hoped that final legal documents for Nebraska Medicine can be completed sometime early next year.
I also would like to welcome Dr. Richard Azizkhan, the new CEO at our partner Children’s Hospital & Medical Center and his wife Gerilyn to Omaha. Dr. Azizkhan assumed the CEO role Oct. 19. Prior to coming to Omaha, Dr. Azizkhan served for many years as the chair of pediatric surgery at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
I look forward to working with him in the months and years ahead. I also would like to congratulate longtime Children’s CEO Gary Perkins on his accomplishments during his three decades at the helm. He has been a great partner and friend, and we wish him well in his upcoming retirement.
I also would like you to be aware that our search for a chair for our newest department – Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) – is proceeding quite nicely. Four excellent finalists have been interviewed for the position. We hope to have a selection made by January – in partnership with the leadership of Madonna – with whom we have partnered in the creation of this new department.
The establishment of a PM&R Department will fill a critical gap in the health care continuum for all Nebraskans. With the state’s aging population, the greater need for high quality rehabilitative services for stroke and other age-associated conditions will continue to grow, especially since Nebraska is already underserved in PM&R services.
The new Madonna rehab and long-term care hospital at Village Pointe in Omaha is scheduled to open in 2016 and will serve as the primary training site for a proposed UNMC-supported residency program in PM&R.
Finally, I’m pleased to announce that the committee to begin the search for a new chair in the department of emergency medicine has been established and had its initial meeting. Dr. Craig Walker, chair of radiology, will chair the committee. After heading emergency medicine for 17 years, Dr. Robert Muelleman announced in September that he would be stepping down as soon as his successor was available. Dr. Muelleman accomplished much during his tenure, and I want to personally thank him for all his hard work. He will leave some big shoes to fill.