A veteran faculty member of 24 years, Debra Romberger, M.D., has been selected to serve as interim chair of the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine.
The appointment, which is effective July 1, was announced last week by Bradley Britigan, M.D., dean of the College of Medicine.
“Dr. Romberger is an outstanding clinician, teacher and investigator who brings a wealth of experience and leadership to the department,” Dr. Britigan said. “I am very grateful to Deb for her willingness to take on this highly important leadership position at a time of many challenges in academic medicine.”
For the past nine years, Lynell Klassen, M.D., has served as chair of the department. He announced eight months ago his plans to step down from the position and return to a faculty position in the rheumatology division, continuing his clinical, research and teaching activities.
“I would like to express the college’s and my gratitude to Dr. Klassen for the tremendous job that he has done during his term as chair of the department,” Dr. Britigan said. “Under his leadership the department has seen major growth and development in a number of important areas. We wish him continued success in the next phase of his career.”
This will mark Dr. Romberger’s second stint as interim chair of internal medicine. She previously served in this capacity for 20 months prior to Dr. Klassen becoming chair in 2005.
With more than 180 physicians and scientists, internal medicine is the largest department within the UNMC College of Medicine. The department is organized by disease specialty into 10 divisions.
“I am grateful to be a part of the internal medicine department with its talented faculty, trainees, and staff,” Dr. Romberger said. “Under Dr. Klassen’s leadership, the department has grown in its recognition around the country. It is my goal to help us continue to move forward as a dynamic department through the various changes in academic medicine and health care in general.”
Dr. Romberger is professor in the division of pulmonary, critical care, sleep and allergy medicine. Since 2000, she has served as vice chair of research for internal medicine. For the past eight years, she also has held the post of associate chief of staff for research for the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System.
She grew up in a farming community near Abilene, Kan., and earned her undergraduate degree from Kansas State University and her medical degree from the University of Kansas Medical Center. She did fellowships in internal medicine and pulmonary/critical care at KUMC before coming to UNMC in 1988 for a two-year pulmonary research fellowship.
She joined the UNMC faculty in 1990 as assistant professor and was elevated to associate professor in 1998 and professor in 2005.
A prodigious researcher, Dr. Romberger has received funding for 35 research grants. In addition, she has been involved in producing nearly 130 articles for science journals and 17 book chapters and reviews. Her research focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of environment-induced inflammatory airway disease.
Last month, she received the Spirit of Community Service Award at the UNMC annual faculty meeting. She currently volunteers at the TB clinic for One World Health Clinic in Omaha and serves on the board for the Josie Harper Hospice House. She is a past board member of Ted E. Bear Hollow, Omaha’s grief center for children and teens.
A search committee for the internal medicine chair was announced in February with Carl Smith, M.D., chair of the UNMC Department of OB/GYN and president of UNMC Physicians, the physician practice plan, heading the committee.