Dr. Hewlett named to new Orr Chair in Health Security

With the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, the National Quarantine Unit, the Center for Health Security and the Davis Global Center, UNMC/Nebraska Medicine already is positioned as a national and global force in the area of health security.

Now, the medical center’s health security efforts have been strengthened even further with the appointment of Angela Hewlett, MD, to the newly created George W. Orr, MD, and Linda Orr Chair in Health Security.

Dr. Hewlett, medical director of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit and associate professor of infectious diseases, has been one of the medical center’s key leaders as it combats COVID-19. She also was on the front lines of the medical center’s response to Ebola in 2014.

“Dr. Hewlett is an accomplished leader, and the support of Dr. and Mrs. Orr will allow Dr. Hewlett and her colleagues not only greater flexibility in response to the current pandemic, but also as we look ahead to prepare to cope with infectious disease health challenges in the future,” said Bradley Britigan, MD, dean of the UNMC College of Medicine.

Dr. Hewlett said the new chair will allow her to explore new and innovative projects to bridge all of the med center’s health security entities, with a goal of enhancing preparedness for highly hazardous infectious diseases. She thanked the Orrs for their support of the medical center’s efforts.

“This chair is a great opportunity to provide support for programs within all of those entities, and then also work on a global scale with some of our international partners, as well,” Dr. Hewlett said. “This will help us not only support health security programs within UNMC and Nebraska Medicine, but also to reach out to enhance preparedness through the United States and the world.”

Dr. Britigan added his thanks to Dr. Hewlett’s.

“Endowed chairs such as this provide support for the academic and research priorities of their holder,” he said. “In giving the chance to move forward with innovative ideas or areas in need of expansion, they are integral to the future of the College of Medicine,” he said. “We thank the Orrs for their support of UNMC’s health security efforts.”

Dr. Hewlett said it was too soon to discuss specific projects the chair might support but pointed to innovative research projects or health security training programs.

“The COVID-19 pandemic shone a light on the fact that we really need to enhance our preparedness, both the United States and the world,” Dr. Hewlett said. “We could use the funding to host training sessions, host meetings for local, national and international health care workers and researchers who are doing work in this field — this support from Dr. and Mrs. Orr will allow us to do things we’ve been considering for a while.

“The real goal is to enhance preparedness not only here at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine, but elsewhere, as well,” she said. “We are in a unique position to be leaders in that field with the specialized facilities we already have here on campus, including the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, the National Quarantine Unit, the Center for Health Security and the Davis Global Center.”

Although Dr. Hewlett said she was “humbled” and “floored” to be selected as the inaugural Orr Chair, she said that the gift was not about her personally.

“This is about the things we’ve accomplished as a team at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine,” she said. “This is a huge affirmation of the work, not only of the division of infectious diseases, but all of our health care workers throughout our system. These are people who have been working hard throughout the last year to combat COVID-19, but they also are people seeking ways we can increase our preparedness for the next pandemic.”

“This gift,” she said, “will have a strong and positive impact on their efforts.”