The University of Nebraska Board of Regents today approved the appointment of Kyle Meyer, Ph.D., as founding dean of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Allied Health Professions. Dr. Meyer was nominated for the position by UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D.
Dr. Meyer has led UNMC’s allied health programs since 2006, serving as associate dean and then later as senior associate dean. The allied health programs were part of the UNMC College of Medicine.
When UNMC’s School of Allied Health Professions became an independent college on July 1, Dr. Meyer was the clear choice to serve as founding dean, Dr. Gold said.
“Dr. Meyer is highly deserving of this honor,” Dr. Gold said. “The role of the founding dean is not only a great honor, but it also is a great responsibility. Our community expects even more of the same from our new College of Allied Health Professions, as its successes continue to contribute to our mission to lead the world in transforming lives to create a healthy future.”
“I am immensely grateful to the chancellor and so many wonderful colleagues at the university who have supported the allied health programs over many years,” Dr. Meyer said. “It is my great privilege to lead our talented faculty, staff and students into a new era of allied health education, research and service.”
A 1979 graduate of UNMC, the Lincoln native became the first pediatric physical therapist to serve the then new Children's Hospital in Omaha in 1983. Over the ensuing eight years, his work led to the development of the hospital's first physical therapy department.
Dr. Meyer joined the UNMC faculty in 1991 as director of clinical education for the division of physical therapy education. In this role, he chaired the American Physical Therapy Association’s Clinical Instructor Education Board and helped write curriculum for a national clinical instructor training program.
Dr. Meyer led the growth of UNMC’s allied health programs and the school’s ascension to college status. In recent years, the now college:
- Achieved the second highest enrollment among UNMC colleges behind only the College of Nursing.
- Has increased its research funding by 64 percent from 2009 to 2014.
- Has added six new endowed faculty positions since 2010.
- Has added a full-scale, health professions program at the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus with the first class enrolled for this fall.
UNMC allied health faculty also are frequent holders of national posts and contributors to leading research in areas such as curriculum design, rural medicine, hospital safety, and chronic disease management.
Previously under the auspices of the College of Medicine, the former school became UNMC's sixth college, joining medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy and public health. UNMC also offers graduate studies as part of the university-wide Graduate College.
Allied health professionals comprise as much as 60 percent of the health care workforce. UNMC offers educational programs in cardiovascular interventional technology, clinical laboratory science, clinical perfusion, computed tomography, cytotechnology, diagnostic medical sonography, magnetic resonance imaging, medical nutrition, nuclear medicine, physical therapy, physician assistant, radiation therapy and radiography.
We are Nebraska Medicine and UNMC. Our mission is to lead the world in transforming lives to create a healthy future for all individuals and communities through premier educational programs, innovative research and extraordinary patient care.
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