Scott Koepsell, MD, PhD, is the inaugural holder of the Dr. James L. and Patricia A. Wisecarver Professorship.
The professorship was created by James Wisecarver, MD, PhD, and his wife, Patricia, in order to support work in the UNMC Department of Pathology and Microbiology, where Dr. Wisecarver served as director of the HLA lab, the department’s residency program and the forensics lab, as well as medical director of clinical laboratories at Nebraska Medicine, during a UNMC career that began in 1990.
Dr. Koepsell, who first met Dr. Wisecarver as a resident from 2007-2011, remembers him as a mentor who continued to support him when he joined the faculty in 2012.
“Not just to me, but to numerous trainees,” he said.
He called it “incredibly humbling” to be holding a professorship under Dr. Wisecarver’s name.
“He did a million things for the department, oversaw a lot of development, provided a lot of great and steady leadership, and he also served as the president for the American Society for Clinical Pathology. It is humbling to say the least, and I just hope I can do the best I can to bring honor to that name, because it certainly deserves it.”
He also spoke affectionally of Patricia Wisecarver.
“She was a tremendous source of support for him and made him effective at his job,” he said. “They were a team. He was always a calm and steady leader, and I think a lot of that has to do with the great support he had from his wife. I can’t say enough about them.”
Dr. Wisecarver said Dr. Koepsell is “the perfect person” to be the inaugural holder of the professorship.
“He is an amazing young physician and scientist, one of these triple threat guys – a great teacher, an excellent researcher and very good in clinical medicine. You don’t find that combination a lot,” Dr. Wisecarver said.
The professorship will allow Dr. Koepsell to direct supporting funds to activities of his choice, Dr. Wisecarver said – supplies, new programming, an innovative teaching effort or other uses.
“Being a lab medical director, many times having funds like this at my discretion would have been useful,” Dr. Wisecarver said.
Dr. Koepsell said any support would go toward projects to help the next generation of pathologists and lab leaders.
“That’s what he did for me, and so many others as well,” Dr. Koepsell said. “He developed quite a few pathologists who are serving in the region and the community, so my goal as the Wisecarver Professor is to educate and mentor the next generation.”
Apart from Dr. Koepsell’s professional skills, Dr. Wisecarver praised him as a strong leader and colleague.
“He’s compassionate, thoughtful about his coworkers, students and especially his patients,” he said. “He is a splendid human being, and I’m pleased that he is our inaugural professor.”
Joseph Khoury, MD, chair of the department of pathology, said he was immensely grateful to Dr. and Mrs. Wisecarver.
“Dr. Wisecarver was not only a tireless teacher but a role model to many pathologists,” Dr. Khoury said. Honoring his legacy by endowing the professorship to Dr. Koepsell reflects our highest regards to Scott, who exemplifies every day the core tenets that guided Dr. Wisecarver’s career as an outstanding educator, clinician and researcher.”