Four Munroe-Meyer Institute faculty members were recognized in October as part of the UNMC Circle of Distinction.
The Circle of Distinction event, held Oct. 1, recognized the recipients of endowed chairs, professorships and fellowships – the highest academic awards the university can bestow on a faculty member – as well as the benefactors who supported them.
New MMI members included:
- Craig Baker, MD, who holds the Friedland Family Distinguished Professorship of the Munroe-Meyer Institute, a gift of the Friedland Family Foundation
- Elizabeth Conover, who holds the Friedland Family Professorship of Genetic Counseling, a gift of the Friedland Family Foundation
- Susan Fager, PhD, who holds the Nebraska Scottish Rite Professorship, a gift of the Scottish Rite Foundation of Nebraska
- Amy Nordness, PhD, who holds the Robert and Myrna Krohn Family Professorship of the Munroe-Meyer Institute, a gift of Myrna L. Krohn
The four MMI professors were part of 50 faculty members and their corresponding benefactors who were honored during the event, which also recognized more than 150 faculty and benefactors who previously had joined the Circle of Distinction – including MMI faculty members Jennifer Blackford, PhD, Jessica Gormley, PhD, Allice Shillingsburg, PhD, Melonie Welsh and MMI Director Karoly Mirnics, MD, PhD.
See the event program with a list of faculty recognitions and benefactors.
Endowed positions are critical to UNMC’s ability to recruit and retain the highest-quality faculty, said Interim Chancellor H. Dele Davies, MD. “The greatest institutions have the best minds — the most creative researchers, the most engaged educators. And, as we recognize today, UNMC has successfully attracted and retained leading stars in academic medicine … stars who will ensure we attract the best and brightest students.”
Dr. Mirnics congratulated the new MMI members of the circle.
“These are, indeed, our stars,” he said. “And as MMI continues in its mission to improve the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and with the help of our generous benefactors, their work not only will impact their own fields but will inspire and guide their colleagues as we work together to create innovative practices and transformative outcomes in Nebraska and the world beyond.”
Lori Byrne, executive vice president of advancement and campaign director for the University of Nebraska Foundation, praised all the donors and UNMC faculty who were honored.
“Faculty are one of the reasons donors want to invest in the University of Nebraska,” she said. “These generous benefactors allow UNMC to recruit and retain faculty who are the best of the best and who will teach the next generation of Nebraska’s health care providers and conduct critical research that changes lives and saves lives.”