Lookin’ at U – Steve Byrne

Each Thursday, we randomly feature a medical center employee. This week, we learn more about:

• Name: Steve Byrne
• Hometown: Papillion
• No. of years at UNMC: 20

Tell us about what you do at UNMC.
I am a budget and financial analyst for the College of Medicine (COM) dean’s business office. My primary duties are entering and balancing the annual budget for COM and filling out the annual report we are required to do for the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Commitment to excellence is one of UNMC’s brand values. Tell us of a time you witnessed a person or group demonstrate a commitment to excellence at UNMC.
The first time I experienced UNMC’s commitment to excellence was before I worked here. It was a little more than 20 years ago. My mother was rushed to the UNMC emergency room with a heart attack. If not for the team in the emergency department, she would not have survived. When she was coherent enough to know where she was, she wanted out of UNMC. She did not need to be at a hospital for “indigent people.” After we had explained what happened and how lucky she was, she changed her mind and was grateful for the UNMC doctors that saved her.

Fast forward 20 years later to October 2015. My mother checked into Nebraska Medicine-Bellevue for back pain. After some tests and visiting with the cardiologist on call, it was decided that she would undergo a heart catheterization. She was moved from Bellevue to Nebraska Medicine-Nebraska Medical Center, where the procedure was performed. The operation exposed heart blockages in three places and resulted in a triple bypass. She has recovered and has been given a longer and better quality of life.

The second time around, she wanted to be at UNMC/Nebraska Medicine. UNMC’s commitment to excellence changed her perception of this institution being a hospital for just “indigent people” to a world-class medical and research hospital with health providers that care about and do their best to save their patients.

What is your favorite spring activity?
In the spring I enjoy jogging and watching my daughter play soccer.

List three things people may not know about you:

• I have held five different positions during my time at UNMC.
• While in Monaco, I visited Casino de Monte-Carlo.
• For three months I had a domestic duck (I believe it was an American Pekin duck) living in my backyard.