Dr. Mahapatra to lead Midwest AFMR

UNMC’s Sidharth Mahapatra, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of pediatrics, was recently named chair-elect of the American Federation of Medical Research’s Midwest Regional Council.

The AFMR fosters research in the field of medicine. Dr. Mahapatra joined the organization in 2015 and became a member of the national council’s executive board in 2018.

His vision for the Midwest AFMR starts with augmenting involvement by key schools in the region, he said.

“Given my professional connection with Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, UNMC and Creighton University, I want to raise membership in AFMR activities,” he said.

Dr. Mahapatra is well positioned to do so. He serves on the executive board for the Nebraska chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and as a member of the research section of the AAP. He also serves as the interim director for research for the UNMC Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, as a program leader for the Child Health Research Institute, and serves regularly as a judge at the Annual Midwest Student Biomedical Research Forum at Creighton University.

“I interact on a regular basis with young and established scientists on all three campuses,” he said. “So I hope to engage faculty at each institution as members of AFMR by pursuing institutional membership, which allows for 10 physicians to join free-of-charge.

“I’d also like to see our faculty involved at the Midwest AFMR Annual Conference, as both poster and platform presenters,” he said. “I hope to draw from the rich pool of established and young scientists to deliver career-related and research-related talks at the annual meeting to help guide and mentor younger scientists. I myself formed strong alliances through this medium. Finally, I hope to inspire future leaders of AFMR from the pool of new members that draw from these institutions.”

A stronger membership pool of researchers will not only augment the science being presented at the annual Midwest conference, it will help regional leaders transition into leadership roles at the national level, Dr. Mahapatra said.

“I hope to ensure the future longevity of our research organization through building strong networks of physician collaborators that can forward the ultimate vision of AFMR — to develop and mentor tomorrow’s leaders in medical research.”

College of Medicine Dean Bradley Britigan, MD, who once held the AFMR Midwest chair himself, said he was excited to see what Dr. Mahapatra would accomplish.

“The AFMR is an important organization, and Dr. Mahapatra’s many connections in the region’s medical community will help him make a strong impact on medical research, not only in Omaha but throughout the Midwest region,” he said.