UNMC for the record, March 22, 2024

Nursing professor re-elected to statewide board

Lynne Buchanan, PhD, adult gerontology specialty track coordinator and tenured UNMC College of Nursing associate professor, has been re-elected vice president of the Nebraska Nurses Association Board of Directors. Dr. Buchanan will serve a two-year term in the role.

First elected to the position in 2022 and re-elected last year, Dr. Buchanan said she pursued the role because of the work NNA does throughout the state. The NNA aims to promote legislation to support nursing in collaboration with the guidance of the American Nurses’ Association of which it is affiliated. It also represents the needs of all nurses in Nebraska, including RNs, APRNs, administrators and researchers.

As a result, Dr. Buchanan and her fellow board members will work collaboratively with the board president and state executive director to not only support nursing but focus on advancements of the profession. One of Dr. Buchanan’s primary focuses is on the work environment of the nurse and how artificial intelligence technologies impact nursing workloads. A goal, she said, is to have AI’s use in the workplace discussed as a topic at the annual NNA convention and show its abilities to a wide audience.

Buffett Institute funding available for graduate research

Doctoral students within the University of Nebraska System can apply for the next round of Graduate Scholars funding from the Buffett Early Childhood Institute. Applications are due March 31. The one-year fellowship, worth up to $25,000, supports research that touches on the development, education and well-being of young children, prenatal to 8 years old.

Learn more about the program and eligibility requirements

Past scholars have used the funding to examine a wide range of topics related to early childhood, including health disparities, the early math skills of preschoolers, neuroscience research on primates and the stress and anxiety felt by mothers of premature babies.

UNMC retirements

UNMC Human Resources has announced eight retirements, including two employees who joined UNMC in 1987.

Samuel Pirruccello, MD, professor in the pathology, microbiology and immunology division in the UNMC College of Medicine, started on July 1, 1987, and will retire April 1. Mary Blackburn, IACUC administrator, started March 9, 1987, and retired March 16.

The other retirees are:

  • Timothy Greiner, MD, professor in the pathology, microbiology and immunology division, will retire April 13. Start date Sept. 27, 1993.
  • Scott Hensman, continuing education in the UNMC College of Medicine, retired March 2. Start date Feb. 28, 1995.
  • Nancy Meier, DNP, assistant professor in the UNMC College of Nursing-Western Nebraska Division, retired March 1. Start date Aug. 17, 1998.
  • Feng Xie, MD, professor in the cardiovascular medicine division, will retire April 1. Start date Jan. 4, 1999.
  • Karol Penner, surgery department in the UNMC College of Medicine, retired March 2. Start date March 17, 2003.
  • Teresa Breazile, dental administration, retired Feb. 23. Start date Feb. 8, 2011.

Food vendors on campus

Food vendors are available weekdays on the UNMC Omaha campus. Vendors are located on both the east and west sides of campus, serving from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily.

The schedule for next week is:

East end of campus (Sorrell Center, Alumni Commons area unless specified otherwise below):

  • Mondays – Let Me Feed You
  • Tuesdays – Zemogs
  • Thursdays – Let Me Feed You
  • Fridays – Pim’s Thai Catering & Take Out

West end of campus (Durham Research Center towers)

  • Mondays – Zemogs (food trailer located to the east of Durham Research Center)
  • Wednesdays – Let Me Feed You (Durham Research Center’s Maurer Commons area)
  • Thursdays – Pim’s Thai Catering & Take Out (Durham Research Center’s Maurer Commons area)
  • Fridays – Let Me Feed You (Durham Research Center’s Maurer Commons area)

Questions? Email Rick Boldt in the UNMC Office of Business and Finance.