This profile is part of a series to highlight the researchers who will be honored at a ceremony for UNMC’s 2015 Scientist Laureate, Research Leadership, Distinguished Scientist and New Investigator Award recipients.
The Research Leadership Award
The Research Leadership Award is intended to honor scientists previously recognized as Distinguished Scientists who have a longstanding research funding history and also serve as research leaders and mentors on campus.
- Name: James O’Dell
- Title: Bruce Professor and Vice Chairmen of Internal Medicine; Chief Division of Rheumatology; Program Director of Internal Medicine Residency; Director of RAIN
- Joined UNMC: 1984
- Hometown: Omaha
Research focus:
Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
Correction
Luis Marky, Ph. D., is a recipient of this year’s Research Leadership Award. In Tuesday’s edition of UNMC Today, Dr. Marky was incorrectly identified as a Distinguished Scientist recipient. Dr. Marky’s corrected profile can be seen here.
Describe your research briefly in layman’s terms.
Our network has specialized in investigator initiated clinical research, rather than pharmaceutical initiated research in RA. We have pioneered the use of combinations of medications to more successfully and importantly more economically treat RA.
How does your research contribute to science and/or health care?
Patients with RA have much better controlled disease with much less costly therapies because of our research. Patients are living longer and much more productive lives. The combination we pioneered, triple therapy, is the number one used combination world-wide for the treatment of RA.
Ceremony to be livestreamed
For information on the awards ceremony honoring this year’s research awardees, which will be held Thursday, see the sidebar at right. The ceremony will be livestreamed here between 4 and 5 p.m. Thursday.
What is the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you, professional or personal?
Ask important questions persistently.
List three things few people know about you.
- I love to build things out of wood – small toys to large treehouses.
- All my children are entrepreneurs.
- I decorate the house for all the major holidays.
Congrats to Dr. O'Dell. He is truly one of our research superstars!
What an awesome mentor Dr. O'Dell has been for so many students, residents, and faculty!