As we head into fall, I’d like to take a few minutes to reflect on what was an incredibly busy month of September.
First, we recognized the latest group of faculty appointed to endowed professorships and chairs as part of the Circle of Distinction program that also recognized the principal benefactors who provide the financial support for these endowments. It was a wonderful event that emphasized both the academic excellence of our faculty and the tremendous support that we receive from alumni and friends of the college.
A week after the Circle of Distinction event, we honored Dr. Mike Sorrell at an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Sorrell Center, the building named in his honor.
Dr. Sorrell is a legendary figure in UNMC history. As chair of the internal medicine department during the 1980s, he helped orchestrate the transformation of UNMC into a true academic medical center focused on all three aspects of the "three-legged stool" – education, research and patient care.
He expanded the faculty by moving from primarily part-time positions to almost exclusively full-time positions. He also was one of the visionary people who helped create our bone marrow and liver transplant programs.
Over the years, these programs have grown and made the medical center a destination for transplant patients around the world. Dr. Sorrell has never been one to seek the limelight, so it was fantastic to see him receive this well-deserved recognition.
At that same event, new members of the Holyoke Society were recognized. The Holyoke Society was originally created to recognize individuals who had contributed $100,000 or more toward the creation of the Sorrell Center. Membership has subsequently been expanded to include all individuals who have contributed that amount of money in support of the college.
Finally, the last weekend of September, we had the pleasure of hosting our alumni. It was wonderful to meet the accomplished group of physicians who have graduated from UNMC over the years and hear about their experiences. The class of 1968 was initiated into the half-century club at the annual dinner.
Also, I would like to congratulate four individuals who were recognized by the College of Medicine Alumni Association for their accomplishments:
–Dr. Lyn Klassen, a graduate of the University of Kansas College of Medicine and the Robert L. Grissom Professor of Internal Medicine at UNMC, was named an honorary alumnus;
–Dr. Joseph Anderson (class of 1969), professor of radiology at UNMC, was recognized with the Dedication to Student Excellence Award;
–Dr. Sasha Shillcutt (class of 2003), associate professor of anesthesiology at UNMC, received the Early Career Achievement Award; and
–Dr. Dennis Ross (class of 1973), a nephrologist in Wichita, Kan., was the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Congratulations to each of the awardees and my thanks to the support and partnership of the College of Medicine Alumni Association and its president – Dr. Brett Kettelhut (class of 1982).
I’d also like to salute three long-term department chairs – Drs. Mike Sitorius (family medicine), Irv Zucker (cellular and integrative physiology) and John Sparks (pediatrics) – who will be stepping down in the next few months.
They epitomize what a department chair should be. They grew their departments and turned them into some of our top enterprises. I’m pleased that all three of them will continue to remain on the faculty after the successor arrives.
Two of these department chair positions have already been filled.
Dr. Merry Lindsey, who is currently professor and director of the Mississippi Center for Heart Research at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, will replace Dr. Zucker on Feb. 1.
Dr. Anna Spagnoli, professor and chair of the department of pediatrics at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, will succeed Dr. Sparks early next year. We’re hopeful that we will be able to have the family medicine chair position filled by the start of the 2019-2020 academic year. That search committee is being led by Dr. Tom Tape, professor of internal medicine and director of the division of general internal medicine.
Also on the pediatrics front, we are thrilled to welcome Dr. Donald Durden, an internationally renowned pediatric oncologist and researcher who is coming from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and the Moores UCSD Cancer Center. Dr. Durden specializes in the treatment of children with brain tumors and the development of leading-edge therapeutics.
The recruitment of outstanding people like Drs. Spagnoli and Durden wouldn’t be possible without our great pediatrics partner – Children’s Hospital & Medical Center. Under the leadership of Dr. Rich Azizkhan, Children’s is expanding rapidly. They have embraced the concept that working together with UNMC, we can become one of the top pediatric centers in the country. I’m confident this partnership will continue to grow.
On a sad note, I want to note the passing and salute Dr. Bruce Buehler who died on Sept. 19 at the age of 75. Dr. Buehler was an icon in pediatrics medicine. He served 16 years as chair of the UNMC Department of Pediatrics and 24 years as director of the Munroe-Meyer Institute. He was beloved by all who were fortunate enough to know him. I can assure you that he will never be forgotten. My condolences to his family and friends.