Thirty-one UNMC College of Medicine 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.
The 31 college of medicine professors were part of 50 newly recognized faculty members and their corresponding benefactors who were honored during the event, which also recognized more than 150 faculty and benefactors, including more than 75 from the college of medicine, who previously had joined the Circle of Distinction.
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.”
“My congratulations to those members of the college who joined the Circle of Distinction this year,” said Bradley Britigan, MD, dean of the UNMC College of Medicine. “The sheer number of Circle members reinforces the excellence of our faculty. We are so fortunate for the generosity of our friends and colleagues, whose support of these endowments makes such recognition possible.”
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.”