Public Health Week poster presentations are winners
Studies on air quality in research labs and daycare centers, HPV vaccinations of refugee children and awareness of colorectal cancer and screening in Omaha’s Latino community were among the winning student research projects in the College of Public Health this week.
The Student Research Conference poster competition, part of the annual celebration of Public Health Week, is getting harder to judge each year, said Dean Ali S. Khan, M.D., M.P.H. “The quality of these projects keep going up. And soon, we’ll outgrow our space.”
Out of the 24 posters submitted, the 21 that were accepted crammed the third floor commons area. Tricia LeVan, Ph.D., associate professor, epidemiology, and chair of the research committee, said that this event is becoming more popular every year. Fourteen faculty members and alumni judged the event.
The following students were awarded $100 for their top projects:
MPH students:
- Rima Albalushi;
- Anthony Blake;
- Gaurav Kumar;
- DaiTrang Lee; and
- Richard Sleightholm.
Ph.D. students:
- Karl Bisselou;
- Roger Gonzales;
- Minh Nguyen;
- Gwenndolyn Porter; and
- Zijian Qin.
Aging Interprofessional Group hosts health fair
On March 24, members of the Aging Interprofessional Group (AIG), student leaders representing the UNMC Colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy, Public Health, and Allied Health Professions, hosted a health fair at Hillcrest Grand Lodge in Papillion. Students performed screenings for:
- blood pressure;
- pulse;
- height/weight/BMI;
- hearing;
- vision;
- fall risk;
- medication review;
- neuropathy anfd foot checks;
- vaccination information;
- nutrition trivia;
- fracture risk;
- blood sugar testing; and
- depression.
Geriatricians Elizabeth Harlow, M.D., and Karina Bishop, M.D., along with physical therapist Dawn Venema, Ph.D., provided clinical oversight and interacted with participants who had further questions.
Ballet performers to visit Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center
On Thursday, April 19, members of Ballet Nebraska’s production “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will perform in costume at noon at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. Staff, students and patients are invited to attend this free event, held in the main ground floor lobby area. Following the performance will be a question-and-answer session with Ballet Nebraska founder Erika Overturff and an opportunity to take photos with the performers. For more information on the ballet and the production, click here.
College of Nursing will present research project at UCARE event
UNMC College of Nursing Lincoln Division students and faculty will present their research project “Feasibility of Enrolling Heart Failure Patients in a Mobile Health Self-Management Study” at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Undergraduate Research event sponsored by UCARE at the Capitol breakfast and poster session on Tuesday at 7:45 a.m. in the Nebraska State Capitol Building, Room 1023. The event is an opportunity for students and faculty to highlight the critical role undergraduate students play in the research activities at UNL. State senators and their staff are invited to the event, which will be held from 7:45- 9 a.m. The poster will be on public display in the Nebraska State Capitol lower level rotunda for two weeks. The poster also will be featured at the Undergraduate Poster Session at the UNL Spring Research Fair on Wednesday. The project evaluated the feasibility of an eight-week self-management intervention using mobile health technology for tailored strategies with real time virtual visits, daily messages and self-monitoring activities. Those involved were nursing students, Claire Bredthauer and Bryanna Goldsmith, and faculty Myra Schmaderer Ph.D. and Lani Zimmerman Ph.D.
Retirements announced
The UNMC Department of Human Resources has released a list of 32 retirements spanning the period between Dec. 2 and March 10.
The list includes six people with 40 or more years of service — Eugene Boilesen, College of Public Health; James Temme, College of Allied Health Professions; Kathy Sova, College of Medicine; Terry O’Callaghan, ITS telecommunications; Jackie Whittington, College of Medicine; and Karen Foster, Library of Medicine.
Another six people have 30 or more years of service – Rose Kratochvil, Munroe-Meyer Institute; James Turpen, Ph.D., College of Medicine; Mary Jane Zeini, payroll; Kevin Corley, M.D., College of Medicine; Sandra Houser, Munroe-Meyer Institute; and Robert Dietrich, facilities management and planning-architecture and engineering.
Here’s the complete list of retirements in order of longevity:
- Eugene Boilesen, College of Public Health research design and analysis, retired Jan. 1 (start date April 16, 1974)
- James Temme, medical imaging and therapeutic sciences, retired Jan. 3 (start date July 1, 1974)
- Kathy Sova, internal medicine-general medicine, retired Feb. 2 (start date Dec. 20, 1974)
- Terry O’Callaghan, ITS telecommunications, retired Jan. 1 (start date July 5, 1977)
- Jackie Whittington, internal medicine-geriatrics, retired March 1 (start date May 2, 1977)
- Karen Foster, Library of Medicine, retired Jan. 5 (start date Feb. 10, 1978)
- Rose Kratochvil, MMI speech pathology, retired Jan. 5 (start date Feb. 6, 1981)
- James Turpen, Ph.D., genetics, cell biology and anatomy, retired Jan. 1 (start date July 1, 1983)
- Mary Jane Zeini, payroll, retired Feb. 3 (start date Feb. 13, 1984)
- Kevin Corley, M.D., pediatrics-endocrinology, retired Jan. 3 (start date Feb. 1, 1986)
- Sandra Houser, MMI developmental medicine, retired March 10 (start date Feb. 2, 1987)
- Robert Dietrich, facilities management and planning-architecture and engineering, retired Jan. 6 (start date Oct. 26, 1987)
- Walter Murphy, Eppley Institute administration, retired Dec. 8 (start date March 1, 1988)
- Joella Miller, College of Nursing-Kearney Division, retired March 1 (start date Aug. 24, 1989)
- Bonnie Morehead, psychiatry, retired Jan. 4 (start date July 19, 1990)
- Julia Houfek, Ph.D., College of Nursing-Omaha Division, retired Jan. 6 (start date Aug. 20, 1990)
- Kim Eicher, IT development and operations, retired March 2 (start date June 15, 1992)
- Wayne Schneider, facilities management and planning-operations, retired Feb. 27 (start date Oct. 16, 1992)
- Mary Ray, College of Allied Health Professions-health services administration division, retired March 3 (start date July 5, 1994)
- Donna McCullough, IT academic technologies, retired Jan. 1 (start date May 7, 1996)
- Dennis McNeilly, Psy.D., psychiatry, retired Dec. 27 (start date July 1, 1999)
- Eileen Andersen, information technology, retired Jan. 1 (start date Jan. 8, 2002)
- Sharon Welna, IT information security, retired Jan. 3 (start date March 4, 2002)
- Antonia Correa, College of Public Health health disparities, retired Jan. 3 (start date March 18, 2002)
- Martha Magee, Library of Medicine, retired March 7 (start date June 17, 2002)
- Pamela Kucirek, security office, retired March 3 (start date Sept. 16, 2004)
- Elaine Litton, internal medicine-infectious diseases, retired Jan. 6 (start date Oct. 12, 2004)
- Veronica Johnson, College of Dentistry, Lincoln clinic administration, retired Dec. 2 (start date Aug. 14, 2006)
- Michael Dakin, facilities management and planning-operations, retired Dec. 8 (start date March 31, 2008)
- Duane Rief, facilities management and planning-operations, retired Dec. 8 (start date April 3, 2008)
- Annette Seuss, facilities management and planning-administration, retired Dec. 30 (start date Oct. 13, 2008)
- Suzanne Schwindt, College of Dentistry-University Dental Associates, retired Jan. 26 (start date Feb. 1, 2013)
Stork’s Nest plans spring book sale
The Stork’s Nest will host a “Books Are Fun” book sale April 25-29 in the Durham Outpatient Center’s West Atrium.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 25; 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 26-28; and 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 29.
The proceeds will be used to purchase items for the Stork’s Nest, an incentive program designed to increase the number of women and teens who access early and regular prenatal care and well baby care. The Stork’s Nest mission is to help give babies a healthier start in life. The program also strives to encourage self-esteem and parenting skills by assisting parents to “purchase” products by redeeming points earned through healthy behaviors such as smoking cessation, breastfeeding and completion of educational programs.
A national program, the Stork’s Nest is sponsored locally by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and the March of Dimes in conjunction with Nebraska Medicine and UNMC. The program serves Nebraska Medicine patients who meet guidelines and are pregnant or parenting a child younger than two years of age. To date, the program has reached more than 1,500 families.
The Stork’s Nest is located on the fourth floor of the Durham Outpatient Center, Fontenelle Clinic at 50th and Ames and the Community Health Care Center. Hours vary for each location. For more information about the Stork’s Nest, click here or contact Kina Watson-DeBerry at 402-210-8868.