Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, Thursday praised UNMC’s growth in research under Jennifer Larsen, MD, and formally welcomed Ken Bayles, PhD, who this month began serving as UNMC’s new vice chancellor for research.
“I’m honored and truly humbled to be (UNMC’s) third vice chancellor for research,” Dr. Bayles said during the all-campus forum on Oct. 6.
Dr. Bayles thanked his predecessor for her mentorship and leadership and then highlighted a few early initiatives, including plans to recruit both an associate vice chancellor for clinical research and an associate vice chancellor for basic science research, as well as form advisory boards for each.
Beyond continuing to grow UNMC’s research, Dr. Bayles said he sees opportunities to market UNMC’s core facilities to external audiences for additional revenue, strengthen the IT infrastructure, enhance the workforce pool and build strong teams.
A working group is being assembled, Dr. Gold noted, to look broadly at the academic and clinical IT programs and needs and then establish priorities to help students, faculty and staff be more successful.
Members of the medical center community can view the forum.
Dr. Gold also said an agreement between the Nebraska Hospital Association and UNMC to provide aggregate de-identified hospital data to researchers is “truly historic.”
“This is a powerful research tool not previously available,” he said, and will enable researchers to study trends on a broader scale, as well as help hospitals and the communities they serve.
Jane Meza, PhD, interim executive director for health security for UNMC, reiterated UNMC’s current COVID-19 safety guidelines, which require masking in clinical areas and recommend, but do not require, them in non-clinical areas. Dr. Meza encouraged individuals on campus to have a mask handy as they may pass through areas that still require them.
She also noted that campus events have returned to standard capacity and no longer require completion of an event safety form. Related to NU’s Executive Memorandum 25 on travel, Dr. Meza said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed its COVID-related travel notices, which will reduce the number of UNMC international travel waivers.
In other matters, Dr. Gold noted:
- The National Academy of Medicine’s National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being, which was announced Oct. 3 to support care providers and safeguard the nation’s health. Dr. Gold, who served as co-chair on one of the steering committees, said much work is ahead, but he is proud of the “call to action.”
- Sarah Gloden Carlson, JD, has been named UNMC’s permanent assistant vice chancellor and director for human resources. She had been filling the role on an interim basis.
- The search for a new director of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center will resume. An earlier search was paused as the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center renewed its National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant, under the leadership of Kenneth Cowan, MD, PhD. Ann Anderson Berry, MD, and Chris Kratochvil, MD, will co-chair the search committee, which will be announced soon.
- The Board of Regents approved the program statement for the Innovation Hub at Catalyst project, which will bring together UNMC’s UNeMed and UNeTech branches and facilitate the growth of research and innovation.
- The recent Invest in Her programming, which has addressed a range of gender equity issues from tenure to flexibility of work hours to salary. “We are laser focused on addressing the challenges and the opportunities associated here,” Dr. Gold said. “It’s high on our priority list.”
- Influenza vaccines, as well as bivalent COVID-19 vaccines, are available and may be received on the same day. Infectious disease experts anticipate a more severe flu season this year based on the experiences in the Southern Hemisphere, Dr. Gold said. COVID-19 cases also are rising in western Europe and elsewhere, “so it’s not over,” he said, encouraging individuals to get the bivalent booster. Officials also are keeping an eye on an Ebola virus disease outbreak in Uganda caused by the Sudan strain, for which there are no proven vaccines or antiviral treatments.
- The limited window of time for faculty and staff to review their retirement plan investment choices and either make changes or allow it to default to a group of pre-selected retirement plans.
- In relation to the upcoming elections and legislative session, UNMC faculty, staff and students may express opinions on issues and — unless they are speaking on behalf of the medical center — must disclose in documents and interviews that they are speaking as an individual and not for the university.
- The Berenberg Invitational charity tournament, recently held at Glen Arbor Golf Club, successfully raised funds for the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center’s work on pancreatic cancer.
In closing, Dr. Gold thanked the UNMC community for its commitment to the mission, kindness and grace: “I am privileged and honored to be part of this great organization.”