Whether in a home or work environment, it is common to lose sight of opportunities and accomplishments and only see the current challenges or limitations.
What brings this to mind: Over the last month, I have had the pleasure of interacting with many individuals who are visiting UNMC and the College of Medicine for the first time or are returning after a considerable period away.
The last weekend of September, many of our graduates were on campus for class reunions, hosted by the Alumni Association and under the leadership of Catherine Mello. A portion of the events included tours of campus, an overview of the current and future programs and activities, and an opportunity to interact with our students.
We also are now hosting on campus visits of candidates for open chair positions in two of our clinical departments, with those of two other departments soon to follow.
Uniformly these visitors to our campus have raved about the wonderful and expanding facilities, vision to achieve excellence, friendly and mission-committed staff, accomplished and creative faculty, and eager and talented students that they encounter at UNMC.
The two projects that garner the most attention, not surprisingly, are the regional medical school campus opening at Kearney and the first phase of the new hospital project, deemed Project Health. However, there also is awe at the resources and potential available at the Davis Global Center. The willingness to commit to such bold visions, which will impact our region for decades to come, clearly resonates and engenders envy.
There is no doubt, based on past accomplishments, that these programs, and many others, will be successful. Perhaps coincidentally, but maybe not, we recently celebrated the 10-year anniversary of UNMC and Nebraska Medicine’s provision of care to patient with Ebola in 2014. It was great to see Dr. Phil Smith, the visionary for the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, at that event and receiving the well-deserved recognition of his colleagues. Without Dr. Smith’s vision a decade before to create the biocontainment facility and program, there would have been no UNMC response to Ebola.
The willingness of Nebraskans to accept hard challenges and then work until they are overcome is part of our culture and heritage, something that we sometimes take too much for granted. It is not present everywhere.
The exceptional faculty who comprise the UNMC College of Medicine are in part responsible for this culture. With the help of the NU Foundation a number of those individuals were honored on Oct. 1 for their recent appointments to endowed professorships and chairs at the UNMC Circle of Distinction event. Congratulations to the recipients and thanks so much to the donors, many of whom were present, who made these endowed positions possible.
The Circle of Distinction honorees were joined by faculty currently holding endowed positions for a photo at the end of the program. Given the faculty vision, talent, camaraderie, commitment and work ethic reflected in that photo, it is clear that the college’s future is bright.
Sometimes it takes fresh eyes to see just how bright the lights are shining.