Three years out of high school, Daniel Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., chose
to follow his heart. It led him to cardiovascular medicine.
Now, 17 years later and at the end of his three-year internal medicine
residency at UNMC, Dr. Anderson has been named the House Officer of the
Year in the College of Medicine. He was chosen from among 380 house officers,
or residents, at UNMC. Tina Willis, M.D., also was nominated for the award.
Dr. Anderson was chosen for his qualities as physician/scholar and teacher
who stands out as an inspiration to students and a source of pride for
colleagues, teachers and members of the community. His award is based upon
voting by students, house officers and faculty from the College of Medicine,
as well as supporting material submitted by the nominees colleagues. Dr.
Anderson received a certificate, $200 savings bond and his name on a plaque
in the McGoogan library on the UNMC campus.
Im honored with the award, Dr. Anderson said. With my peers and
faculty voting, its an award that means a lot. I never expected it. Obviously,
there are many outstanding residents working here.
Dr. Anderson, though, isnt about awards, or about making money. Hes
about being true to himself and family through his choices. Making choices
for the right reasons is something that was engrained in him by his parents,
Don, an electrician and farmer, and Sandy, a registered nurse.
You always have a choice, Dr. Anderson said. Its about being true
to your heart Instead of saying I could have made all this money or
done this or that, I look at the past 17 years as my opportunity to learn
many things.
A 1981 graduate of Gothenburg High School in central Nebraska, Dr. Anderson
didnt choose to further his education immediately. For three years, he
helped farm and worked on an assembly line at a shock-absorber plant.
His interest in medicine was piqued through his mothers work as a nurse
and a freak bee-sting incident involving his sister, Barb Anderson.
During that incident, immediately after Barb was stung on the tongue,
she complained only of the usual pain and tenderness. The stinger was removed,
however, and minutes later Barb struggled for breath as Dr. Anderson drove
more than 100 mph on the seven-mile trip to the Gothenburg hospital. Medication
was successful in restoring normal breathing.
My view of medicine was different because of what my moms experiences
and my sisters incident, Dr. Anderson said.
Working at the assembly plant, Dr. Anderson soon was promoted to a
troubleshooter position, where he would assess defective shock absorbers,
find the assembly problems and fix them. He enjoyed the problem-solving,
but itched to do it in a different setting.
So he enrolled at then-Kearney State College, thinking he might become
an electrical engineer, a scientist or physician. He enjoyed all of his
courses at Kearney State College, but it was science and physiology that
he truly enjoyed. Dr. Anderson was later accepted into medical school
at UNMC.
During a second-year pathology course at UNMC, he persistently asked
professor Bruce M. McManus, M.D., Ph.D., specific research questions regarding
the heart and coronary artery disease. Dr. McManus, who was teaching cardiovascular
pathology, finally told Dr. Anderson that he should join the lab and work
to find the answers to his questions.
Dr. Anderson did just that, and between his second and third years of
medical school (1991-1996), he performed his doctoral research at UNMC
and the University of British Columbia, where Dr. McManus moved. Dr. Andersons
research centered on cardiovascular pathology, and specifically, the effects
virus infections have on the heart and the immune system.
The problem-solving aspect is an exciting appeal of research, Dr.
Anderson said. From answers, come new questions.
It was also in Canada that Dr. Anderson met and married his wife, Kari.
The couple have two children, 18-month-old Ashdyn and 4-month-old Jordan.
Kari Anderson, M.D. (UNMC class of 2000), is scheduled to complete her
UNMC pediatrics residency in 2004. At that time, Dr. Daniel Anderson probably
will seek a cardiology fellowship. For now, he will work as the chief resident
at the Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital in Omaha.
Dr. Anderson would like to combine his research, clinical and teaching
talents as academic cardiologist. Whatever he becomes, hes sure to follow
his heart.
Life is a learning experience, he said. I just keep asking myself,
whats good for my family, whats exciting, and whats my passion? I
then make the choice to pursue something. You dont live twice.