UNMC for the record

Ernest Chivero, Ph.D., receives Rex Montgomery Award for outstanding dissertation

UNMC researcher Ernest Chivero, Ph.D., has received the Rex Montgomery Award for an outstanding dissertation in his field at a ceremony held March 25 at the University of Iowa. The award is based on excellence in doctoral research in the prevention of disease and/or translation of research into clinical practice.
Dr. Chivero is a postdoctoral research fellow from Zimbabwe, in the department of pharmacology and experimental neuroscience and the Nebraska Center for Substance Abuse Research (NCSAR), in the lab of Shilpa Buch, Ph.D. Dr. Buch is the director of NCSAR and a professor in the department of pharmacology and experimental neuroscience.

In his thesis, “Tropism of Human Pegivirus and Host Immunomodulation: Insights into Viral Persistence,” Dr. Chivero studied how an RNA virus can mount a persistent infection and reduce immune activation in people infected with both HPgV and HIV. Immune activation and inflammation continue to affect a large proportion of HIV-positive people despite use of antiretroviral therapy.

Dr. Chivero’s dissertation advisor was Jack Stapleton, M.D., professor of internal medicine and microbiology at the University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine.

Dr. Zhen named to the Physician Board at the American Health Council

Weining (Ken) Zhen, M.D.

Weining (Ken) Zhen, M.D., professor, radiation oncology, has been selected to join the Physician Board at the American Health Council. Dr. Zhen was added to the board for his expertise in radiation oncology and health care in general.

“The American Health Council has made an outstanding choice in selecting Dr. Zhen to serve on its Physician Board,” said Charles Enke, M.D., professor and chair of the UNMC Department of Radiation Oncology. “He is an outstanding oncology clinician, educator and champion of evidence-based medical care. He is the physician that other doctors choose to take care of their own family members.”

Over the past 10 years, Dr. Zhen has been recognized as a leading radiation oncologist by Best Doctors in America. He also has been honored by both UNMC and the University of Iowa for being an outstanding teacher.

Welcome reception May 3 for Dr. David Dzewaltowski
David Dzewaltowski, Ph.D., will be welcomed as the inaugural recipient of the Endowed Community Chair for Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity in Early Childhood at UNMC and the Buffett Early Childhood Institute on May 3. The event at UNMC will include brief remarks by Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., UNMC chancellor; Samuel Meisels, Ed.D., founding executive director of the Buffett Institute; Ali S. Khan, M.D., M.P.H., dean of the College of Public Health at UNMC; and Dr. Dzewaltowski. The event in the atrium of the Maurer Center for Public Health runs from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Program starts about 5:15 p.m.

New Student Senate officers elected
New Student Senate officers have been elected. They include:

• President Carissa Lueck, a College of Nursing doctoral student.
• Vice President Austin Clark, a College of Nursing B.S.N. student.
• At-large senators:
  • Ke Arkfeld;
  • Tanner Clark;
  • Beth Clymer;
  • Tyler Chonis;
  • Jacob Duncan;
  • Tayla Heavican;
  • Sarah Hotovy;
  • Scott Mulder;
  • Joseph Mulhall;
  • Keith Ozanne;
  • Sarah Schmoker;
  • Emma Schultz;
  • Shashank Shrishrimal;
  • Lee Sleightholm;
  • Amanda Smith;
  • Geoff Thiele;
  • Krysten Vance; and
  • Runze Zhao.

Other senators are elected by their respective programs at different times during the school year.

Dr. Maurer joins consulting group assisting AAHC
Harold M. Maurer, M.D., chancellor emeritus for UNMC, is part of a group of 13 consultants — all with extensive experience in leadership positions with academic health centers — that is assisting the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC) on a pioneering program. The Aligned Institution Mission (AIM) is designed to help academic health centers around the world to optimize and measure the alignment of their education, research and patient care missions to help create learning health systems for the 21st century. AAHC has successfully completed the development phase of the program and is now ready to move forward with the pilot phase. The pilot phase will take place at seven sites, including three in the U.S. and one each in Hungary, Malaysia, Brazil and Australia. Following completion of the pilot phase, the AAHC plans a full-scale global launch to all members in 2018.