Newsroom

The University of Nebraska health care plan is self-supported, and it needs a check-up if it wants to remain well. On Monday, UNMC employees heard some of the possibilities that lie ahead for the plan.

David Lechner, vice president for business and finance at the University of Nebraska, explained that health-care plan expenses have gone from $38 million in 1994 to $58 million in 2001. Meantime, revenues have fallen below expenses each year since 1996, lowering NU’s health-care trust fund from $28 million in 1996 to $13 million in 2001.

Jun 13, 2002

Dr. Shepherd’s pediatric clinic emphasizes care for the entire family

His practice specializes in pediatric care, but Dell Shepherd, M.D., shows the medical students who rotate through his North Platte office that the type of medicine he practices cares for the entire family.

For his longtime service and dedication to the volunteer faculty program, he is the recipient of the March 2002 Volunteer Faculty of the Month Award.

Jun 12, 2002

Dr. Rath retires, returns to school

Retirement for general surgeon Hans Rath, M.D., meant a chance to go back to school. For two years, Dr. Rath has volunteered as an assistant in the gross anatomy laboratory in the UNMC College of Medicine. In addition to his regularly scheduled lab hours, Dr. Rath attended all 65 medical school lectures to gain as much knowledge as possible for answering students’ questions.

For his dedication to volunteering, he is the recipient of the College of Medicine’s April Volunteer Faculty of the Month Award.

Jun 12, 2002

Legislature plans special session July 30

Gov. Mike Johanns has set July 30 as the date for a special session of the Legislature to respond to the shortfall in the state budget. For the first 11 months of the current budget year, state revenue collections were $136 million below projections.

Gov. Johanns will set the agenda for the special session after June revenues are known and after the Economic Forecasting Advisory Board meets during the week of July 15 to revise its revenue projections for 2002-03.

Jun 12, 2002

UNMC chancellor: Campus intends to give raises as planned

UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., said today that UNMC plans to implement the scheduled salary increases to employees beginning July 1.

Jun 12, 2002

Brain death expert: accepted fact but no global consensus in diagnostic criteria

Declaring a person brain dead is a necessary step to withdraw life support and allow for organ donation. But, Eelco F.M. Wijdicks, M.D., Ph.D., (pronounced ale-coe vadix) has found that the simple criteria for determining brain death has been widely expanded around the world.

On Thursday, the Mayo Clinic neurologist — considered by many to be the foremost expert on brain death — shared the results of his yearlong, global survey on brain death criteria with the UNMC community.

Jun 11, 2002

36 hours of surgery brings new hope to 10 NHS transplant patients

More than 30 hours of surgery resulted in 13 organ transplants for 10 patients at NHS. The transplant surgeries began around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28 and continued until late Thursday afternoon, May 30.

When they were over, the surgical teams had transplanted six livers, one pancreas, one small bowel and four kidneys into nine adult and one pediatric patients. All 10 people are recovering at NHS.

Jun 10, 2002

Faculty Senate announces new officers, senators

The UNMC Faculty Senate officers for the 2002-2003 term are:

Lynne A. Farr, Ph.D., president (College of Nursing)
Paul M. Paulman, M.D., vice president/president elect (College of Medicine)
Joel R. Bessmer, M.D., secretary/treasurer (College of Medicine)
Nancy N. Woelfl, Ph.D., director of the McGoogan Library, agreed to continue serving as the Senate’s parliamentarian.

See story for a list of newly and re-elected senators, as well as those who have finished their term.

Jun 10, 2002

Information session today on health insurance guidelines

An employee informational session regarding the university’s health insurance plan has been scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Monday, June 10, at Cooper Auditorium in the College of Nursing.

Jun 10, 2002

Nebraska contingent to attend biotechnology convention in Toronto

A contingent of Nebraskans will travel to Toronto this weekend to attend the largest biotechnology convention in the world in an effort to raise awareness for Omaha’s biotechnology programs.

The group, which includes representatives from the academic, business and governmental sectors, will be attending the BIO 2002 International Biotechnology Convention and Exhibition being held June 10 to12 in Toronto. More than 14,000 people from around the world attended last year’s convention.

Jun 7, 2002