Dr. Shaw receives universitywide innovation award

Bud Shaw, M.D., has been called a renaissance man and transformational leader.

One day he writes poetry and hang-glides; the next, he develops software to make life easier for health care providers.

Bud Shaw, M.D., left, has received the 2010 University of Nebraska Innovation, Development and Engagement Award.

For his work on projects such as the health care software, Dr. Shaw, professor of surgery and medical director of the Advanced Clinical Application Project (ACAP), received the 2010 University of Nebraska Innovation, Development and Engagement Award.

Dr. Shaw joined UNMC in 1985 and built one of the world’s best solid organ transplant programs. In 1993, he was one of the founders of HKS Medical Information Systems, a company dedicated to software products that improve patient care, workflow management and operational efficiency.

The company’s first software, Organ Transplant Tracking Record (OTTR), and its companion programs are still the most-used patient tracking software for transplantation in the world. As part of ACAP, Dr. Shaw and his team have developed IntúaCare software for clinicians in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

What do you find rewarding in your work?

I learned transplant surgery from Dr. Tom Starzl, often known as the father of modern transplantation. I helped standardize his procedures and trained other surgeons, so it’s rewarding to see them be successful. It’s also incredibly rewarding to see patients do well after transplants.

Describe a moment when you realized you picked the right career?

It was the first time I looked into a body cavity and saw no liver. I thought no one could survive the operation. Then I saw the patient doing well the next day.

What is your measure of success?

In my current job, it would be the number of happy people using our software. Our software provides a comprehensive view of patient information and helps clinicians reach conclusions, make plans, create documents and generate data more efficiently.

What are three things few people know about you?

• I earned my pilot’s license in 35 days the summer I was 19.
  
• After I stopped seeing patients, it took me two years before I didn’t panic every time the phone rang at night.
  
• My favorite place is the family cottage on a lake in Ohio where we’ve vacationed for years.