Dr. Lisco steps away as chair of UNMC anesthesiology

On Nov. 1, Steven Lisco, MD, stepped away from his role as chair of the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology to devote his full administrative effort to the growing roles of Nebraska Medicine chief academic officer position and the UNMC College of Medicine senior associate dean for clinical affairs.

Mohanad Shukry, MD, PhD, the Carol Lydiatt, MD, & Daniel Lydiatt, MD, Endowed Professor and executive vice chair of anesthesiology, will serve as the interim chair of the department while a national search is mounted for Dr. Lisco’s successor.

The transition was announced to UNMC College of Medicine and Nebraska Medicine leaders on Wednesday by Dean Bradley Britigan, MD, and James Linder, MD, CEO of Nebraska Medicine.

Dr. Lisco will remain as an active member of the faculty and continue as the Myrna Newland, MD, Endowed Professor of Anesthesiology.

“Dr. Lisco was the first department chair I recruited after my own arrival here as the new UNMC College of Medicine dean more than a decade ago. It has been gratifying to see the department grow and flourish under his leadership,” Dr. Britigan said in a message to the college.

Dr. Lisco said he is excited to be able to devote more time to his UNMC College of Medicine and Nebraska Medicine leadership roles.

“I’m still highly engaged in the college, highly engaged in Nebraska Medicine,” he said. “Quite frankly, as a tenured professor in the department, I intend to remain academically engaged as well, both from the perspective of education and research with a clinical commitment.

Dr. Lisco also will remain chair of the Medical Group Executive Committee.

Dr. Lisco arrived at UNMC in 2012. During his 11-plus years as chair, he oversaw a department that more than doubled in size, has added five ACGME fellowships and three non-ACGME fellowships and grown to be ranked in the top 30 anesthesiology departments nationally for NIH research funding.

“It’s just an amazing transformation,” he said. “And you could argue that somebody had to have the vision, but if you don’t have the people, you’re never going to achieve that level of success. What made this growth possible was the tremendous level of commitment and engagement that the faculty has had, even when I’d just arrived. Really, all I did was provide an avenue through which they could excel. Anyone would be proud, and the department is set up for even more success. With five divisions and a fully fleshed-out leadership team, it’s structured to continue to succeed well into the next decade.”

Dr. Lisco praised the selection of Dr. Shukry for the interim role.

“He’s well positioned to lead the department in all aspects of the tripartite mission. I have high confidence that we’re going to continue to be successful and continue to grow. And I’m going to be excited to watch that from a different perspective.”

Dr. Britigan agreed.

“I have high confidence that Dr. Shukry will be outstanding in the interim role,” Dr. Britigan said. “He is a strong leader in his own right, and I thank him for his willingness to take on this role.”

Dr. Shukry said Dr. Lisco leaves the department positioned for even more success.

“I’ve watched the department provide needed clinical services and create new programs for Nebraska, for UNMC, and the whole region,” he said. “At the same time, our academic mission is being fulfilled, and we’ve had a huge expansion in our research footprint.

“It takes a skillful leader to have the vision and then the tenacity to actually fulfill that vision and have the people around him believe in that vision and work toward it. Our department and many of our faculty have national reputations. Steve has created a tremendous department, and when the search opens, we expect high-quality candidates, because of the trajectory Steve has set this department on.

“My goal is to support our department leadership and members to continue the great work they do on a daily basis in delivering excellent clinical care, innovating in educating the next generation and performing cutting-edge research and advocacy. At the same time, we will prepare the department for selecting the next chair.”

Dr. Lisco thanked Dr. Britigan for his support.

“A chair can only succeed if they are supported by the dean and the college,” he said. “I was the first chair that Brad recruited when he arrived, and I can honestly say everything Brad promised me personally on the department, he held to, and that’s amazing.”