Gail Walling-Yanney, M.D., and Michael Yanney have been awarded the 2016 Perry W. Branch Award for Distinguished Volunteer Service by the University of Nebraska Foundation in recognition of their years of volunteer leadership for the University of Nebraska. They were recognized at the foundation’s annual meeting of trustees on Oct. 21.
The award is named for Perry W. Branch, the first director of the NU Foundation, and serves to commemorate the importance of volunteers to the organization.
“I’ve never seen a couple like Gail and Mike who care more deeply about a place and who really take to heart the belief that to whom much is given, much is expected, and they expect a great deal from themselves,” said Hank Bounds, Ph.D., president of the University of Nebraska.
See a tribute to Gail and Mike Yanney.
The Yanneys served UNMC as campus co-chairs during the Campaign for Nebraska, the University of Nebraska’s most recent comprehensive campaign that raised $1.9 billion in donations, including $593.3 million in gifts for UNMC.
“Gail and Mike are kind, warm, friendly, outgoing people who have a vision,” said UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. “They know where we need to go and have a tremendous capacity for developing passion and energy in others.”
The Yanneys were instrumental in helping secure the support needed for the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, which is scheduled to open in spring 2017.
The Yanneys also are involved in helping generate support for UNMC’s cancer research and patient care programs, particularly opportunities to increase cancer research program funds, as well as initiatives for the Healing Arts Program and women’s cancer programs.
Mike Yanney has been instrumental in fundraising for the new iEXCEL (Interprofessional Experiential Center for Enduring Learning) project at UNMC, which will enable students and health care professionals to learn and practice medical skills before encountering real-life patient care situations. He also has been involved with fundraising for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Nebraska at Omaha. He counsels the University of Nebraska at Kearney on its campus initiatives, as well.
Gail Yanney, an anesthesiologist, is a graduate of UNMC, where she also served as a clinical instructor. After retiring, she served as executive director of the Clarkson Foundation and on the board of directors of Nebraska Medicine.