UNMC for the record

Women’s Center for Advancement honors UNMC’s Shireen Rajaram, Ph.D.
Shireen Rajaram, Ph.D., associate professor in health promotion, UNMC College of Public Health, is among 10 women who will be honored June 12 at the Omaha Marriott-Capital District as part of the 31st annual Tribute to Women Lunch for the Women’s Center for Advancement. Honorees were chosen on the basis of their impact and achievements and for demonstrating a lifelong commitment to helping women and their children stay safe and grow strong. Dr. Rajaram has conducted extensive research into sex trafficking in Nebraska. For more information or to purchase tickets to the event, click here.

Joe Pecha retiring from facilities
After joining UNMC in the facilities department in 1967, Joe Pecha will retire today. Pecha’s first job was in the labor pool within the grounds crew, where he would occasionally drive an ambulance to Kearney to pick up premature babies to bring to UNMC. Pecha also worked at the ticket booth at the original, single level parking lot outside of the medical sciences building, where Parking Lot 2 is located.

Pecha later joined the facilities accounting department. Colleagues say he has been an integral part of the facilities department for the past 51 years.

“His contributions will always be valued and remembered. His hard work and commitment to the department is a true inspiration for all of us,” said colleague Theresa Pikschus. “His contributions were vital to our success and continuity. Joe will be greatly missed, but we wish him the best in the next steps of his journey.”

College of Nursing personnel recognized by Midwest Nursing Research Society
Members of the UNMC College of Nursing received several awards and recognition from this year’s Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS) conference in mid-April.

• Lisa Krabbenhoft, a doctoral student, received the MNRS Sally Lusk Dissertation Research Grant Award for her dissertation, “Self-Management Intervention for Urinary Catheter Users.”
• Fabiana Brito Silva, Ph.D., postdoctoral research associate, received the Meritorious Abstract Award from the Society of Behavioral Medicine for her student/postdoc-authored submission, “Obesity and racial disparities: Exploring spatial distribution based on Socioeconomic Deprivation.”
• Dilorom (Delia) Djalilova, a Ph.D. student, received first place for the Ph.D. student posters, “Yoga and Inflammation: A Systematic Review.” (Djalilova also recently has been accepted into a pre-doctoral fellowship in the Graduate Partnerships Program at the National Institute of Nursing Research.)
• Pallav Deka, Ph.D., received the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Health Promoting Behaviors Across the Lifespan.
• Windy Williams Alonso, Ph.D., a postdoctoral trainee, received the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Acute & Critical Care Across the Life Span Research Interest Group for her dissertation titled, “Identifying Disparities: A Rural-Urban Comparison in Mechanical Circulatory Support.”
• Ann Berger, Ph.D., professor and Dorothy Hodges Olson Endowed Chair in the College of Nursing, received the MNRS Distinguished Researcher Award from the Symptom Science Research Interest Group. Her research focus areas include the symptoms of cancer-related fatigue, sleep-wake disturbance, cognitive impairment, and other related symptoms such as pain and distress.