The lower level of the Dr. Edwin G. & Dorothy Balbach Davis Global Center, which houses the Global Center for Health Security, will open Oct. 1, meeting UNMC’s commitment to the federal government.
Within that space, UNMC personnel will train government health care workers to treat highly infectious diseases, as well as maintain the national quarantine facility, UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., said Friday during an All-Campus Forum.
The remainder of the building will be completed in December, he said, allowing for the installation and testing of advance simulation clinical settings and virtual immerse reality technology. A formal grand opening for the building, which houses both iEXCEL and the UNMC Global Center for Health Security, is expected in early spring of 2020.
Completion of the facility will enable UNMC to better connect with its rural campuses and rural hospital partners through virtual reality, interactive digital iWalls and other visualization technology. “Tumor boards of the future may be in augmented and virtual reality, instead of more traditional formats,” he said.
In other topics, Dr. Gold said:
- UNMC’s enrollment has topped 4,000 — largely from expanding existing programs, namely nursing programs in Kearney and Lincoln, and allied health in Kearney. In addition, UNMC has launched a new master’s program in genetic counseling — the state’s first and only accredited program. Even so, workforce issues remain, Dr. Gold said. “When I travel across the state and ask what UNMC can do to help communities they say ‘workforce, workforce, workforce.'” Unfortunately, he said, there is no magic wand to eliminate the shortages. “It’s a resource-driven opportunity to expand our programs,” he said, noting challenges exist because of limited numbers of both dedicated faculty and clinical training sites for health profession learners.
- The northwest corner of 42nd and Leavenworth streets — a new southern entrance to UNMC and Nebraska Medicine — featuring 18 Kaneko columns, will open this week and provide “a wonderful place to sit and think, entertain friends and take a walk,” Dr. Gold said.
- Campus leaders are updating the UNMC facility master plan and looking at all UNMC campuses from an education, research and clinical perspective. The Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, he said, has been a successful model in how to integrate the education, clinical and research community.
- The search for a new University of Nebraska president has yielded a high level of interest and a diverse applicant pool, Dr. Gold said. The NU Board of Regents — by the end of the year — would like to have a single candidate identified, who could undergo the required 30-day public review period before a final decision is made.
- The search for the next director of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center also is near completion, with finalist candidates making final visits.
- The University of Nebraska continually evaluates the university’s health insurance/benefits plans. Multiple questions were answered. Questions and concerns should be shared with human resources.