Time out with T.O. – The doctor’s doctor

What others are saying

"From the moment I met Dr. Hinrichs, I trusted and respected him. Steve is smart, knowledgeable and very professional. He is an effective leader who methodically solves complex challenges. It was a pleasure working with him."
-Dave Heineman, former Nebraska governor (2005 to 2015)


"Steve is one of those quiet but powerful leaders -- a rare combination in our dynamic field. His incredible knowledge base in both laboratory medicine and in public health informatics -- coupled with his innate ability to bring people from diverse backgrounds to work together - was influential in establishing electronic laboratory reporting for public health laboratories and now the nation. He is a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Public Health Laboratories, our highest acknowledgment in recognition of his groundbreaking contributions to our field.

"I remember when APHL was first attempting to raise outside funds. As a member of the APHL board, he pushed us to always do more. Our modest first goal was a mere $100,000. He pushed us to aim higher, which we did....we dubbed it the 'Hinrichs' Half-Million Challenge.' We ended that year surpassing the Hinrichs's goal and now always aim higher."
-Scott Becker, executive director, Association of Public Health Laboratories

"Dr. Hinrichs will be greatly missed as he steps down from his leadership position as the chair of our pathology/microbiology department, a department that is a critical bridge across all mission sets of our medical center. His expertise, deep knowledge and 'can-do spirit' are all truly remarkable as demonstrated during his long and highly successful career and particularly during the past 15 months, as we have and continue to battle through the challenges created by the COVID pandemic. Midnight calls, emergency testing, new partnerships and so much more. By building a strong department and sustaining a culture of dedication, tenacity and true excellence, I am confident that we will continue to see growth in the educational, research and clinical programs. We all extend our most sincere thanks and wish Steve and his family the very best."
-Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, chancellor, UNMC and UNO

"During the past year, Dr. Hinrichs has been the right leader at the right time. The laboratory provided tremendous response to COVID testing, supporting efforts at the state, county and hospital level. Throughout his tenure as chair, Steve has fostered a 'can-do' entrepreneurial spirt in growing the department by recruiting strong staff, physicians and researchers. The new chair is inheriting a well running and well respected department that supports the success of UNMC and Nebraska Medicine."
-James Linder, MD, CEO, Nebraska Medicine

"I have been extremely fortunate to work with Dr. Hinrichs for the past 10 years. Through his leadership and example, he has created a culture of service and exceptionalism within the Department of Pathology and Microbiology. He has a unique way of solving complex problems with a calm demeanor, great intelligence and the admirable ability to see the big picture. He always makes himself available, his business acumen is tremendous and he is a great communicator. He's been an amazing mentor and role model to me throughout my career. I consider him one of the greatest people I have ever met. I will miss his integrity, honesty and sense of humor and wish him all the best in his retirement."

-Kirk Hansen, director, Regional Pathology Services, Department of Pathology & Microbiology

"Steve is first and foremost a problem solver who also is entrepreneurial, financially astute, and blessed with the ability to see the big picture. He is able to quickly identify long-term solutions to problems, while recognizing and planning for the inevitable potential negative consequences of any approach. He remains calm and effective in times of high stress and is not afraid to make a difficult decision. His vision and dedication has been critical in our ability to provide the best care possible to our patients with COVID-19 and for the success of many of our clinical and research programs, the latter both within and outside his department."
-Bradley Britigan, MD, dean, UNMC College of Medicine


"I have always appreciated working with Steve because of his unique ability to ask questions. His queries are in an effort to further understand issues and those questions simply create a very comfortable dialogue. Together we have worked through many educational, research and clinical issues that a department of the size and scope of pathology presents on a daily basis, and I have always come away feeling supported by the joint decision we came to. You don't solve as many issues together as we have solved without being able to call each other friends. I have a unique appreciation for everything my friend Steve has done for UNMC, Nebraska Medicine, the College of Medicine, and Pathology and Microbiology."
-Mike McGlade, senior associate dean for business and finance. UNMC College of Medicine

"Dr. Hinrichs is retiring after a spectacular career at UNMC. We recruited Steve and his wife Deb from UC Davis about 30 years ago as part of a center we were developing on infectious diseases. He already had a national reputation as a pathologist and as a research molecular biologist. He was instrumental in bringing the state laboratory to UNMC from Lincoln, expanding its capabilities, efficiencies and reliability as well as saving the state of Nebraska significant money in its operation.

"Steve always has had great vision as a faculty member and for the past 13 years as chair for what could be developed, building on the State Lab to expand our interactions with CDC and DOD, which led to his developing our center as one of the regional bioterrorism preparedness laboratories. This evolved into national prominence over the anthrax scare after 9/11, and in the development of our containment facility that reached international prominence with the Ebola outbreak.

"Steve has been innovative in his approach to solving clinical as well as research challenges. He also has been instrumental in building the department's clinical fellowship programs, including a fellowship in clinical microbiology, and in recruiting outstanding researchers to UNMC. Steve leaves a tremendous legacy for the department, UNMC and Nebraska Medicine. I wish him the very best in whatever he decides to pursue, especially spending more time with his grandchildren."
-Sam Cohen, MD, PhD, professor, Department of Pathology and Microbiology (department chair from 1992 to 2007)

"Steve Hinrichs is a key figure in the development of UNMC's reputation for world-class research, clinical care and outreach. For example, when the State Health Lab was transferred to UNMC - the first instance of this occurring in the country - he built the facility into a national center for education and diagnosis of hazardous material during the post 9/11, Ebola outbreak and during this COVID pandemic. He and his team pioneered new laboratory techniques and processes for identification, testing and data analysis. He fostered collaboration with other related disciplines on campus and with Nebraska Medicine. He has built trusting relationships with university and external partnership colleagues as well as elected officials and their staffs."
-Bob Bartee, vice chancellor for external relations, UNMC and UNO

"Dr. Hinrichs and I began work together following his appointment in 1991 as the director of the microbiology and virology laboratory section at the Nebraska Medicine hospital laboratory, where our mutual interest in microbiology became known. Our collaborations became enhanced further when he became the director of the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory in 1997. Over the ensuing years, Dr. Hinrichs has provided me encouragement and support as I continued my educational activities which allowed me to become the campus biosafety officer, the responsible official for the campus Select Agent Program, and ultimately certification to become the director of the Nebraska Public Health laboratory.

"On a personal note, Steve and I were both born and reared in small farming communities in North Dakota and we both attended undergraduate educations at 'rival' colleges in the state, Steve at the University of North Dakota and me at North Dakota State University. With this rivalry, we have had fun 'jousting' with each other over the years as we supported our respective schools. Additionally, our interactions together frequently became a means for us to decompress from our daily activities by going off on a tangent about our historical interests in North Dakota and his attraction to the mountains of Montana. I found these times to be special, and I will miss these interactions!"
-Pete Iwen, PhD, professor, department of pathology and microbiology, and director, Nebraska Public Health Laboratory