The UNMC Alumni Association held its 2024 Alumni Reunion Weekend in Omaha at the end of September, where alumni from the colleges of nursing, medicine and pharmacy participated, with class years spanning 1964-2014. More than 250 alumni and 500 total guests attended the various activities offered throughout the weekend.
Activities included:
- Walking tours of iEXCEL, the Wigton Heritage Center, the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center and its Chihuly Sanctuary, the McGoogan Health Sciences Library, campus artwork, the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit and more.
- The welcome-back lunch featuring Lt. Col. Elizabeth Schnaubelt, MD, director of the Center for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills (C-STARS) Omaha, speaking about UNMC’s role in advancing the readiness skills of U.S. Air Force medical personnel.
- Class dinners.
Nursing alumni had the opportunity to look at class pictures and browse the history museum in the nursing building, and members of the class of 1974 shared memories from their time in school for the “In Your Words” exhibit in the museum. College of Nursing faculty members Marcia Shade, PhD, class of 2016, and Breanna Hetland, PhD, presented on “Beyond the Bedside: UNMC Nursing Faculty Leading the Way in Healthcare Technology.”
The day concluded with a Dean’s Reception where Lepaine Sharp-McHenry, DNP, provided a state of the college update, highlighting the work of the college, including enrollment and new partnerships, as well as a recap of her first year at UNMC. The 2024 College of Nursing Alumni Awards were presented and members of the 50-year class of 1974 were inducted into the honorary Half Century Club.
Awardees were:
- Ann Berger, PhD, PhD ’96, MSN ’84, Distinguished Alumnus Award
- Trudie Owens, MSN ’13, BSN ’01, Dorothy Patach Spirit of Service Award
- Dilorom Sass, PhD, PhD ’20, MSN ’22, BSN ’13, Nursing Excellence Award
- Nancy Bergstrom, PhD, Honorary Alumnus Award
Photos from the event can be found here.