MMI’s Nelson named NOTA practitioner of the year
The Munroe-Meyer Institute’s Abbie Nelson, an occupational therapist who works with Omaha Public Schools as part of the district’s partnership with MMI, recently was honored by the Nebraska Occupational Therapy Association as its practitioner of the year.
Nelson, who served as a Camp Munroe volunteer as a teenager, has been an OT for 11 years.
“Abbie’s dedication and drive is truly inspiring,” said Michelle Westengaard, director of the MMI Department of Occupational Therapy. “As a school-based occupational therapist, she consistently goes above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of her students.”
At OPS, Nelson serves students from age 3 up to 21, meaning that in her more than seven years with the district, she has had the opportunity to follow her clients as they grow and achieve milestones. Based at JP Lord, Oak Valley Elementary and CRCC North, Nelson serves about 73 students total.
“I have a really great team that I work alongside,” Nelson said. “We know that this work is a marathon, not a sprint, as our students work on making progress.”
UNMC alum remembered for development of modern-day insulins
John Galloway, MD, an endocrinologist whose major contributions to the study and treatment of diabetes transformed the lives of diabetics, died April 4, 2025, in Duxbury, Massachusetts. He was 96.
A 1956 graduate of the UNMC College of Medicine, Dr. Galloway joined Eli Lilly and Co. in 1962 and retired in 1993 as clinical research fellow and principal physician in charge of diabetes-related research at the Lilly Laboratory for Clinical Research, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
An Omaha native, Dr. Galloway was the lead physician in the creation and development of human insulin, which replaced the less desirable animal product. His research team then developed and formulated commercial insulins. These greatly improved the source, supply and availability of insulin needed to treat diabetics.
-Karen Burbach, UNMC strategic communications
Summer textbooks available later this month
The UNMC Bookstore will offer summer textbooks for sale starting April 28. The bookstore is open Mondays 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday 8 a.m.-4 p.m.