With the holidays behind us and the new year beginning, it’s a good time to reflect on some of the things we plan to accomplish in 2017.
In August, we will be launching the first year of our new four-year medical education curriculum. Under the oversight of Drs. Kelly Caverzagie and Jay Moore, countless individuals have spent enormous hours in modernizing our approach to medical education. This includes incorporating new content and state-of-the-art approaches to delivering course material that reflects a new understanding of how people learn and retain information.
The opportunities to transform medical education as we currently know it will be directly linked to the changes that are now ongoing south of the Sorrell Center. Parking Lot 4 has been removed and earth movers are preparing the site for the Global Center for Advanced Interprofessional Learning, which will house UNMC's iEXCEL℠ (Interprofessional Experiential Center for Enduring Learning).
This state-of-the-art simulation center will transform the way health professionals learn new skills and knowledge. Through its use of real-life virtual reality scenarios and 3-D content creation, the building will make UNMC a global leader in the field of education technology.
The building also will be the site of the National Center for Health Security and Biopreparedness that will be funded through a $19.8 million award by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This center will be the focal point for educating institutions across the U.S. and the world as well as advancing the approach to providing care for individuals exposed to or with active disease caused by highly infectious diseases such as Ebola.
A groundbreaking ceremony is being scheduled for this spring, and the building will be substantially completed by fall of 2018, so that it can host a national technology conference. It’s one more example of how we are looking to lead the world.
In May, we will see the official opening of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, with patient care beginning there in early June. Much effort continues in the planning of these activities, as well as the move of the research laboratories into this wonderful new space. Recruitment activities to further expand our clinical, education and research programs in cancer will not end with the opening of the building, but will continue for many years to come.
I also am expecting to expand our partnership with Children’s Hospital & Medical Center. The 2007 Joint Operating Agreement between UNMC and Children’s that created Children’s Specialty Physicians elevated the longstanding partnership between the two institutions to a new level that has been mutually beneficial to the growth of pediatric services at Children’s and UNMC's academic mission in pediatrics.
UNMC pediatricians and pediatric specialists now provide much of the clinical care at Children’s. In turn, Children’s has been very generous in its support, allowing for the establishment and/or growth of UNMC academic programs in pediatrics. The relationship has worked quite well for both institutions, and it has made for a much stronger pediatric health care infrastructure for our community. Multiple new pediatric fellowship training programs have been created. The number of faculty in pediatrics alone has more than doubled since 2007.
But, one area that has lagged somewhat behind is the research component. That is about to change. Thanks to the leadership of Dr. John Sparks, professor and chair of the department of pediatrics, and Dr. Richard Azizkhan, president and CEO of Children’s, we are working toward finalizing the creation of a joint UNMC/Children’s pediatric research institute.
We are working through the governance and structure of this institute, and once we get it finalized, it will need to be approved by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. I’m confident this will result in a number of new recruitments and the establishment of a strong interdisciplinary research program. We will keep you apprised as this project comes together. I think it’s a great example of how collaboration works to the betterment of all.
I also should note that our clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine, and Children's signed a memorandum of understanding to explore mechanisms through which they could work collaboratively to make the delivery of care to children more efficient and reduce cost to the community while creating a seamless experience for children and families. Finalizing these discussions in which the College of Medicine is playing an active role is another goal for the coming year. There should be more to report in the next few months.
This year also will be an important year for the development of our two newest departments – physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) and dermatology. The opening last fall of the Madonna Rehabilitation Institute in Omaha was an important step for our PM&R Department. Madonna continues to be a great partner and we now have the facility the PM&R program needs to flourish. Dr. Sam Bierner, director of the PM&R program, has already recruited four new physicians to the program and continues his recruitment efforts. The application for establishment of a PM&R residency program to the ACGME is expected to be submitted in a few months.
For dermatology, we are making progress in the search for a founding department chair. Dr. Jim O’Dell, one of our outstanding clinical investigators, educators and clinicians, is leading the search committee. We expect to have a chair named and hopefully on site by the end of 2017. This will set the stage for aggressive recruitment of faculty in a manner that is analogous to what is occurring now in PM&R. I have already been contacted by a number of our alumni who have expressed an interest in joining this new department.
Another area of expected growth is in cardiovascular disease. It’s noteworthy that Nebraska Medicine performed more than 40 heart transplants in 2016, a record number for the program and putting it among national leaders in volume.
Dr. Vince Pompili arrived a few months ago to assume his role as new chief of the cardiology division. Dr. Pompili comes from Ohio State University, and he expects to take this program to a new level. It will take time, but the ultimate goal is to work in partnership with the leadership of the disciplines involved in cardiovascular care and research to create an interdisciplinary heart and vascular institute. This parallels similar efforts ongoing in the neurosciences, including neurology and experimental neuroscience for which there also are great expectations of success this year.
Let me close by first apologizing for not being able to comment on many of the other important projects and activities that will be occurring in the coming year.
Finally, as you are likely aware we also will be facing some challenges related to declines in the level of support from the state of Nebraska over the next few years due to projections of state budget shortfalls. The best solution for us is not to rely on simply trying to cut expenses to meet this challenge, but to rather develop successful new and existing programs and revenue streams that can offset the loss of state funds.
I am confident that and more can be accomplished with the talented faculty and staff who comprise our college, in spite of the disappointing news from Lincoln.
My best wishes to all of you for 2017. Thank you for all you do. It’s a team effort. We couldn’t do it without you.