This profile is part of a series to highlight the researchers who will be honored at a ceremony on Feb. 24 for UNMC's 2021 Scientist Laureate, Distinguished Scientist, New Investigator and Community Service to Research Award recipients.
Distinguished Scientist Award
The Distinguished Scientist Award — which is sponsored by the chancellor — recognizes researchers who have been among the most productive scientists at UNMC during the past five years.
- Name: Russell McCulloh, MD
- Title: Associate professor and chief, UNMC Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, College of Medicine
- Joined UNMC: 2018
- Hometown: Glenaire, Missouri
Research focus: Infections and implementation science
Why is research important in the world today?
Research is the key to empowering communities and individuals to improve their lives. Now more than ever, we are facing challenges to our health and well-being. The new knowledge we create through research is the best way for us to tackle these challenges, from developing new treatments and preventatives to defining new approaches to help individuals and health care providers make the best decisions. Research is a partnership — a compact — with the community, where scientists who have expertise work side by side with individuals and communities to identify and address complex problems together.
My research will make a difference because:
My research helps health care providers, individuals, families and communities make the best decisions possible in the heat of the moment and over time. Day to day, we are all drowning in information; finding ways to use the right information at the right time to take the best action possible helps make that information less overwhelming and more useful. I also work to engage communities in clinical-trials research based on their needs and concerns. My goal is to provide novel solutions to the problems that communities say are important. Clinical trials are a crucial way that scientists and communities partner to generate new knowledge for everyone’s benefit.
The best advice I’ve ever received is:
Your failures are critical to your success. Learn from them.
Three things you may not know about me are:
- I play the French horn in the Nebraska Medical Orchestra.
- I can bake a decent apple pie (homemade crust and all).
- My family and I love to go on day hikes.
Congratulations, Dr. McCulloh! You are so very deserving of this award!
Congrats, Dr. McCulloh!