On April 19, the UNMC community is invited to join Robert Binhammer, Ph.D., in celebration of his 90th birthday.
The UNMC Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy Department will host the noon to 4 p.m. celebration in the Linder Reading Room inside the Sorrell Center.
Since joining UNMC in 1979, Dr. Binhammer has introduced thousands of students to the rigors of medical school and has played a major role in the instruction of medical students in gross anatomy, neuroanatomy, living anatomy and problem-based learning.
He retired in 2012, but, as professor emeritus, he has continued to volunteer weekdays in the gross anatomy and neuroanatomy labs, as well as lead his annual holiday sing-along.
Dr. Binhammer has received numerous teaching awards, and has long been referred to, by students, as “The Hammer” for his demanding teaching style.
Students would later acknowledge that he had their best interests in mind as he challenged them to think deeply about the material they were covering. And, he emphasized problem-solving, not memorization – adding humor to his explanations, including his infamous gait lectures when he would stand on the Wittson Hall Amphitheater table wearing his white “badminton shorts.”
“There’s a lot of hootin’ and hollerin’,” Dr. Binhammer once said, “but it’s an unbelievably effective way to teach the image of normal gait and how we walk and what muscles are active in what phase and what happens if you lose some of those.”
Dr. Binhammer’s outstanding teaching skills were recognized as recently as last year, when he was awarded the Valor in Education Service Award from the Office of Academic Affairs.
“Professional students must master an extraordinary amount of information in order to be competent and safe,” he said at the time. “It is a privilege to serve them as they approach this difficult hurdle.”
All faculty, staff, students and alumni are invited to attend the birthday celebration. For those unable to attend, cards may be sent to:
Dr. Robert Binhammer
Wittson Hall 2008
986395 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha NE 68198-6395
Congratulations Dr. Binhammer. You are one of the finest men I have ever known!! I so enjoyed working for you when you first came to UNMC!!