Dr. Vetro honored as pharmacy’s teacher of the year
The UNMC College of Pharmacy’s students recently honored Joseph Vetro, PhD, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences, with the college’s 2023 Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award.
Skyler Maclean, P4 class president, presented the honor at the college’s fall awards ceremony, noting that Dr. Vetro “impacted countless students with genuine charm and thoughtfulness.”
Dr. Vetro previously won the award in 2016.
Dr. Leuva receives Winn diversity award
Harshraj Leuva, MBBS, assistant professor in the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine’s division of oncology and hematology, has been selected to receive the Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials Career Development Award.
Dr. Leuva said this award will allow him to learn more about clinical trial design development and community engagement to improve the diversity of patients participating in his clinical trials. He is developing a new method to assess tumor response while a patient is receiving therapy.
“Currently, as oncologists, we usually talk in averages when it comes to tumor response assessment,” Dr. Leuva said. “This new method will allow individualized and real-time tumor response assessment.”
He intends to design a community-centric prospective trial that will help validate the utilization of his method.
The award announcement was made by the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, together with Virginia Commonwealth University, the American Association for Cancer Research, Gilead Sciences Inc. and Amgen. Dr. Leuva is one of 65 diverse and community-oriented physicians who will receive training as clinical trialists as part of the Winn CDA’s third cohort.
The broader Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials Award Program aims to train, develop and mentor more than 308 clinical trialists and 308 medical students who are diverse or have demonstrated commitment to clinical trial diversity.
‘Eye-Scream’ event Nov. 13 to celebrate Stanley Truhlsen, MD
The Truhlsen Eye Institute will host its second annual “Eye-Scream Social” Monday, Nov. 13, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the institute on the Omaha campus.
The event, which is open to the campus community, will mark the birthday of the late Stanley Truhlsen, MD, namesake supporter of the institute.
A former chair of the UNMC Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Dr. Truhlsen sought to make the Truhlsen Eye Institute a leader in specialized ophthalmology, with a vision for the Truhlsen Eye Institute to bring a high level of academic excellence in ophthalmology to Omaha and the region.
BHECN forum Nov. 15 to address ARPA funding impact
The use of American Rescue Plan Act dollars to recruit, train and retain behavioral health workers across Nebraska will be the focus of the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska’s Nebraska Behavioral Health Workforce Policy Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 15.
The Nebraska Legislature in 2022 allocated more than $25 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to BHECN to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shortage of behavioral health professionals. The virtual forum will feature comments from Jessie Buche, ARPA director with BHECN, and two Nebraska behavioral health providers who were awarded ARPA funds by BHECN.
The forum also will feature a presentation by Kendra Ratnapradipa, PhD, BHECN associate director for research, who will discuss new BHECN data relating to Nebraska’s behavioral health workforce.
The forum will run from noon to 1 p.m. Register here.
Center for Healthy Living offers seasonal membership special
With the cold weather approaching, it’s time to start walking indoors. The Center for Healthy Living has a limited membership option for $13 per month that includes access to the lockers and the indoor walking track.
For people who start a new limited member in November, the first two weeks will be free. Complete the membership form by Nov. 30 and email it to Misty Harck to access this special. Reach out to Harck with any questions you have about becoming a member.
Food vendors on campus
Mark your calendars with the schedule of food vendors on the UNMC Omaha campus. Vendors will be located on both the east and west sides of campus, serving from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily. This lineup will be updated as changes are made.
The schedule is as follows:
East end of campus (Sorrell Center, Alumni Commons area unless specified otherwise below):
- Mondays – Southern Spoon
- Tuesdays – Zemogs
- Wednesdays – Pulled BBQ Omaha
- Thursdays – Sgt. Peffers
- Fridays – Pim’s Thai Catering & Take Out
West end of campus (Durham Research Center towers)
- Mondays – Zemogs (food trailer located to the east of DRC 1)
- Tuesdays – Streetside (food truck east of Durham Research Center)
- Wednesdays – Schedule to be determined
- Thursdays – Pim’s Thai Catering & Take Out (DRC II, Maurer Commons area)
- Fridays – Let Me Feed You (Maurer Commons area)
Questions? Email Rick Boldt in the UNMC Office of Business and Finance.
Congratulations, Dr. Vetro.