Last week, UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, reflected on both the challenges of the past year and the opportunities that lie ahead during his Annual Faculty Meeting address, "Creating the Future: What the Pandemic Has Taught Us."
One of the biggest things we learned, the chancellor said, is something that we already knew but that the pandemic continually brought to the forefront: Wellbeing is of utmost importance, and we are all in this together.
Remember, you are not alone.
"Nobody is alone," Dr. Gold said. "All of us are in the same roller coaster of emotional trauma."
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Asking for help is courageous, the chancellor said, and support is widely available. If you see something, say something. And if you are not sure if it is appropriate to say something? You can ask for help in that instance, as well.
"Pick up the phone" to ask for a second opinion on if you should report or offer support, Dr. Gold said. "You never know when you might save someone’s life."
The pandemic, Dr. Gold said, is not behind us. "We’re just in a different phase of it," he said.
He began his address by thanking faculty (assembled via Zoom) for their work, along that of UNMC’s students and staff. "There is no better team than the one in Nebraska," the chancellor said.
He noted that Einstein said in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity, and he pointed to UNMC’s increased enrollment, increased research funding and fiscal stability, "in spite of all things pandemic."
Dr. Gold also lauded UNMC’s increased economic-impact footprint, which has grown significantly in the past three years.
Project NExT, which would contribute to that footprint, is in the site and concept design stages, with the first formal dollars appropriated by the Department of Defense (DOD). Dr. Gold pointed out that the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act urged the Secretary of Defense to include sufficient funding for an all-hazards medical surge capability.
Dr. Gold also announced the opportunities identified by the University of Nebraska Climate Survey.
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And he touched upon progress in expanding programs for a healthier rural Nebraska, a Pancreatic Cancer Center of Excellence, a hub on Saddle Creek and more.
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Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) remains a focus point. "This is a journey," Dr. Gold said. "It’s a long journey. It’s full of new opportunities, ongoing challenges, full of achievements."
Another of the largest lessons learned during the pandemic, he said, is that the role of our university, and specifically its academic health center, has never been greater. We found out how much UNMC means to the state of Nebraska and beyond.
Dr. Gold closed by thanking each of us for our role in contributing to this greater mission. He told a story of President Kennedy touring NASA and encountering a man sweeping up. The president asked what his job was.
"Mr. President," he responded, "I’m helping put a man on the moon."