Two University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing faculty members have been appointed to the Florence Niedfelt Professorship.
Lani Zimmerman, Ph.D., assistant dean and professor of nursing and Ann Berger, Ph.D, associate professor of nursing and advanced practice oncology nurse, have been appointed to the endowed, three-year appointment effective April 1. The professorship honors and rewards outstanding faculty members f or excellence in research, teaching, leadership, mentoring of colleagues and students, innovative leadership in a clinical service project, and involvement and work in organizations outside the college.
Drs. Zimmerman and Berger will receive $25,000 over the next three years to support their research activities.
“Both of these individuals, with their exemplary research programs and national reputations in their fields, have earned the honor of this distinction,” said Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc., dean, UNMC College of Nursing. “The college will continue to benefit from their expertise and hard work. We wish them much success as they pursue their goals.”
The Florence Niedfelt Professorship was named for the late Florence A. Niedfelt, of Grand Island, who bequeathed funds through the University of Nebraska Foundation for furthering the education of nursing students through the professorship and scholarships and for professorships to honor outstanding faculty. The first professorship was awarded to Bevely Hays, Ph.D., in 1998. Drs. Zimmerman and Berger succeed Jan Atwood, Ph.D., UNMC College of Nursing professor.
Niedfelt spent her life helping her husband, John Niedfelt, manage farms and the Platte Valley Construction Co., until his death in 1979. Although not a nurse, she held a lifetime interest in the field of nursing and was active in her church and various community groups.
Dr. Zimmerman said she is pleased to have the opportunity to be selected for the professorship. “My goal is to enhance the emphasis and funding for cardiovascular nursing at UNMC,” she said.
Dr. Zimmerman, also chair of the college’s Adult Health and Illness Department and an acute care nurse practitioner, conducts research on heart bypass patients, with a focus on early recovery and symptom management. She has published numerous articles and presented papers at local, regional, national and international publications, as well as research presentations and research-related activities.
Currently, she has research grants totaling $1.22 million, including funding from the National Institutes of Health, the nation’s steward of medical and behavioral research.
Dr. Zimmerman earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1970, and her master’s degree in nursing in 1975, from Montana State University. In 1983, she earned her doctoral degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In 1975, she accepted a position with UNMC as assistant professor of nursing and in 2000 was promoted to professor.
Dr. Berger said she is very honored to be recognized as a faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in contributing to the mission and vision of the College of Nursing. “I look forward to making sustained and significant contributions to the college’s strategic goals. I hope to contribute particularly in the achievement of the college’s and UNMC’s goals by assuming a leadership role in three areas: within the developing CON research centers, within Eppley/UNMC Cancer Center activities, and as chair of the college’s strategic search committee to recruit research-intensive faculty,” she said.
Dr. Berger conducts research that tests interventions to decrease cancer-related fatigue in women receiving breast cancer chemotherapy. On several NIH grants, she is a consultant on the use of wrist actigraphy, an instrument that measures activity during the day and night. She has published numerous articles, abstracts, chapters in books and papers in local, regional, national and international publications and has presented research presentations around the world.
Currently she has research grants totaling $1.5 million, including funding from the NIH.
Dr. Berger earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1971 at the Creighton University School of Nursing, her master’s degree in nursing in 1984 from UNMC and her doctorate in nursing in 1996 from UNMC. In 1973, she accepted a position as nursing instructor with UNMC. From 1975 to 1981, she worked out of state then returned to earn a master’s degree in nursing at UNMC. She was named her current title of associate professor in 2001.
The search committee for the professorship included nursing faculty: Catherine Todero, Ph.D., Cecelia Barron, Ph.D., Susan Barnason, Ph.D., Carol Ott, Ph.D., and Susan Wilhelm, Ph.D.