History of the
University of Nebraska Medical Center
The pioneering spirit is
part of UNMC's heritage. In 1880, nearly 30 years after the city of Omaha was
established, trailblazing physicians opened the doors of Nebraska's first
medical college, Nebraska School of Medicine Preparatory. Its charter class of
14 students included three women and Omaha's first black medical student.
The school was reorganized
and renamed the Omaha Medical College in 1881. In 1902, the school became
affiliated with the University of Nebraska. From 1902 to 1914, medical students
took basic science classes in Lincoln for two years and performed clinical work
in Omaha for the remaining two years.
Dental education at the
University of Nebraska can be traced back to 1899 with the formation of the
Lincoln Dental College, a private school. Classes began on Sept. 17 in the old
Nebraska State Bank Building, which was located at 121 S. 14th
Street. In 1902, the Lincoln Dental College occupied its second home, which was
located in the upper stories of The Farmers and Merchants Insurance Building at
15th and O Streets. The Lincoln Dental College moved to its third
home in the Oliver Theater Building at 13th and P Streets in 1913. In
1919, the Nebraska State Legislature changed the Dental College’s name to the
University of Nebraska College of Dentistry.
The Board of Regents of the
University of Nebraska voted to make the School of Pharmacy part of the
professional curriculum in Lincoln in 1908.
The College of Medicine was
recognized early for its educational programs. In 1912, both the American
Medical Association and the American Association of Medical Colleges ranked the
College of Medicine as the highest-quality institution in the region, largely
because of the school's intensive clinical instruction.
Yet, the college needed a
permanent home. In 1909, the Nebraska Legislature purchased the present UNMC
campus site for $20,000. Four years later, the first building on campus, North
Laboratory Building, which was designed to house the entire medical college,
opened for business. By 1917, University Hospital was built on the Omaha campus
to help the college expand its clinical curriculum.
In October 1917, the first
13 women enrolled in the University of Nebraska School of Nursing, under the
leadership of Charlotte Burgess. With the new addition of University Hospital,
clinical hospital work was a major part of the nursing program. In 1923,
Conkling Hall opened as a dormitory and administrative facility for the School
of Nursing.
In 1915, a bill was signed
which changed the School of Pharmacy to the College of Pharmacy. Classes during
the first few years were held in several remodeled rooms in Nebraska Hall. In
1918, the former chemistry laboratory building was renovated into the new
College of Pharmacy home. The college remained in “Pharmacy Hall” for the next
40 years.
As a professor of anatomy
from 1910, Dr. C.M.W. Poynter had become a tradition for a whole generation of
students, greatly influencing their personal and professional lives. His
conservative philosophy and strong leadership were particularly well suited for
his appointment as dean. Dr. Poynter faced such problems as funding since the
stock market crash of 1929 and the passing of many of the senior faculty. Dr.
Poynter resigned at the age of 71, leaving behind a very devoted staff. His
former students established the C. W. M. Poynter Foundation in his honor.
Perhaps he was best remembered as professor of anatomy because of the close
personal contact with his students. However, his record as dean marks Dr.
Poynter as one of the true leaders in the story of the University of Nebraska
College of Medicine.
The training of allied
health professionals began in the early 1930s with classes in medical technology
and radiological technology. By 1943, advanced programs in health care
disciplines leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees were offered through the
university's Graduate College. By the end of World War II, the university had
established programs in all of the health care disciplines.
In 1948, the Nebraska
Psychiatric Unit was established at Douglas County Hospital. In 1955, the
Nebraska Psychiatric Institute was dedicated on the UNMC campus.
In 1959, Meyer Therapy
Center was opened. In 1968, Meyer Therapy Center combined with University
Handicapped Children’s Clinic to become Meyer Children’s Rehabilitation
Institute.
The purpose of the
Institute was to provide interdisciplinary education for personnel in health,
education and vocational fields needed in services for children with handicaps;
to demonstrate exemplary interdisciplinary service programs; and to carry out
basic and clinical research on the prevention and treatment of handicapping
conditions in children. That same year, Munroe Foundation entered a contract
with the Medical Center to provide programs and staff, and it became the Hattie
B. Munroe Pavilion. For several years, the pavilion continued to provide care
for handicapped children who needed services at MCRI and the J.P. Lord School,
but whose homes were too far away for commuting. As the need for such care
declined, the pavilion became the location of several Medical Center programs
that were established to provide specialized services to children with
handicaps.
Dr. Cecil L. Wittson, was
chairman of the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry and director of Nebraska
Psychiatric Institute before being appointed dean in 1964. Wittson had the
ability to awaken interest and generate enthusiasm, involvement and action in
those around him – his faculty, the Legislature and even federal health
agencies, as he sought support for his efforts to build the College of Medicine
into a modern Medical Center that could provide health care and education to the
citizens of Nebraska. His first endeavor was to create a six-year building plan.
Wittson then began recruitment of more full time clinical faculty and
reorganization of the administrative structure of the college and hospital.
After serving as dean for four years, he was then appointed president (the title
changed to chancellor in 1971) until 1972.
In 1968, the structure of
the University of Nebraska changed. This event formally established the
University of Nebraska Medical Center and set the tone of expansion for the
remainder of the century. The catalyst of change and growth was the
administrative reorganization resulting in three major educational institutions:
the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, the University of Nebraska Medical Center
and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Since the reorganization,
the Board of Regents has consolidated all of the university's major health care
programs under UNMC's jurisdiction. In 1972, the College of Pharmacy moved to
Omaha to become part of UNMC. In 1979, the College of Dentistry joined the UNMC
administration, while maintaining its primary facilities and programs on the
East Campus in Lincoln.
During the 1960s and
1970s, the Legislature approved plans to upgrade the UNMC campus. This brought
construction of the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases,
Wittson Hall, McGoogan Library of Medicine, Eppley Science Hall, new buildings
for the College of Nursing and Pharmacy, the University of Nebraska Clinic, and
several additions to University Hospital.
In 1972, the Nebraska
Legislature approved a change of status from the School of Nursing to the
College of Nursing, which was under the direction of Rena Boyle, Ph.D. That same
year, the Board of Regents authorized the extension of the UNMC nursing program
to Lincoln. Rosalee C. Yeaworth, Ph.D., assumed leadership of the College of
Nursing in 1979, and under her supervision, the College expanded to the state
borders with the addition of nursing divisions in Scottsbluff and Kearney.
Outreach of the College of Nursing to rural and underserved individuals was
increased through the development of two nurse-managed centers, the Family
Health Care Center and the Mobile Nursing Center.
At its October 1972
meeting, the Board of Regents of the University established the School of Allied
Health Professions as a formal entity of the College of Medicine.
In 1986, the Hattie B.
Munroe Center for Human Genetics was dedicated. The following year, the Hattie
B. Munroe Habilitation Technology Center opened. In 1989, Meyer Children’s
Rehabilitation Institute name was changed to Meyer Rehabilitation Institute. In
1997, the Meyer Rehabilitation Institute and the Hattie B. Munroe Pavilion
combined names to become Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation.
In 1998, UNMC hosted the dedication ceremony for the newest building addition to
Munroe-Meyer Institute.
The University Geriatric
Center opened in 1989. The center houses 30 inpatient beds, 14 of which are gero-psychiatric;
a sleep lab; pain center; and continuing education.
The six-story Outpatient
Care Center, which opened in 1993, reflected the national trend toward
outpatient care. The center expanded UNMC's outpatient care capacity and
training opportunities in outpatient medicine. Totally funded by University
Hospital and University Medical Associates, the facility houses 10 outpatient
clinics, six new operating rooms and two helicopter pads. In 1999, the facility
was renamed and dedicated as the Durham Outpatient Center, in honor of Omaha
philanthropists Charles and Margre Durham. Their generous donations have helped
to fund research into arthritis, minimally invasive surgery and prostate cancer.
In the mid-1990s, the
College of Nursing pioneered new distance learning technology methods including
teleconferencing, desktop video conferencing, and asynchronous and synchronous
Internet courses. The College also received major research funding from federal
and private foundations and attained national recognition for the nursing
education programs.
In 1996, Conkling Hall, a
73-year-old building, was demolished to make room for the Lied Transplant
Center.
In 1997, the University
of Nebraska Medical Center merged its hospital and clinical operations with
Clarkson Regional Health Services to form the Nebraska Health System, a private,
nonprofit health-care organization. The goal of this merger was to provide
patients with access to the highest quality, cost effective patient care, to
continue commitment to community outreach and to provide expanded opportunities
for UNMC to educate health professionals and conduct world-class research. In
2000, the collective agreement between UNMC and NHS was extended for another 40
years.
The Clinical Research
Facility in the Cruzan Center for Dental Research at the College of Dentistry
was completed in the spring of 1998. The facility is the central unit for
coordinating clinical and applied dental research and provides responsive,
confidential and reliable technical consultation in a clinical research through
a multidisciplinary approach.
In the past few years,
the alumni associations for the different colleges’ within UNMC have been more
supportive of student activities. Activities that the alumni associations have
either supported or initiated include the College of Medicine White Coat
Ceremony and Parents Day, the College of Pharmacy White Coat Ceremony and
professionalism seminars offered for all of the disciplines.
In 1999, The Lied
Transplant Center was completed and dedicated. The Lied Transplant Center links
transplant research and transplant-related care. It introduced cooperative care,
an innovative patient care delivery system that includes a designated family
member or friend to help tend to the patient’s needs during treatment and
recovery. The concept also focuses on patient satisfaction and improved quality
of care, while providing care in a lower cost setting.
Many exciting things
occurred in 2000. UNMC Eppley Cancer Center earned Clinic Cancer Center
designation from the National Cancer Institute. UNMC acquired Robotic Surgical
Equipment. A U.S. News & World Report survey ranked six UNMC programs
among the best in country. Those programs included the College of Medicine rural
health medicine and primary care programs, the School of Allied Health
Professions’ physician assistant and the physical therapy programs, the College
of Pharmacy’s doctor of pharmacy program, and the College of Nursing’s master’s
degree program.
Also in 2000, Chancellor
Harold M. Maurer, M.D., who was appointed in 1998, announced plans for a
Research Center of Excellence (featured on the cover). Construction of the $77
million, 284,000-square foot Research Center of Excellence will begin in the
spring of 2001 with completion set for 2003. The research center will be located
on the present site of the University Geriatric Center, which was to be
demolished early in 2001. The research center will include 116 research
laboratories, a 225-seat auditorium and 15 classrooms or conference rooms. It
will enable UNMC to enhance its research in a number of areas including cancer,
cardiovascular diseases, developmental biology, genetics and molecular genetics,
neurobiology and organ transplantation biology.
Throughout the years, the
University of Nebraska Medical Center has made great strides in health care,
from the first bone marrow transplant being performed in 1983 to a team of UNMC
health professionals performing a medical first in 1997 -- the infusion of
billions of donor liver cells into a defective liver with the hope that the
donor cells will correct a life-threatening liver deficiency that would
otherwise require a liver transplant.
Today, UNMC continues to
educate and graduate health care professionals who will lead us into the future,
as well as perform research that is vital to the well being of its patients.
Compiled by:
Lenal Bottoms, Alumni Affairs
Acknowledgements:
Sandy Benson, Biomedical Communications
William O’Neill, Public Affairs
Centennial Trilogy of the University
of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine
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