Bridget Wychulis, first-year medical student
I’m really excited that the first-and second-year medical students will be in the same building. I think is really important because you learn so much from your colleagues and your peers and it’s just another support network that really adds to the experience. It’s such a generous donation to provide us with this great new center. The thing I would most like to say besides ‘thank you’ is hopefully this building will provide us as students with the opportunities to be as great as a physician as Dr. Sorrell is.”
Karen and Jim Linder, M.D., principal benefactors
Dr. Linder, UNMC associate vice chancellor for research and president and CEO of UNeMed: “This building makes UNMC a stronger educational institution. The Sorrell Center will ensure future health professionals are as well-trained as possible, and that faculty have the resources to do a great job of teaching. Our initial vision to create an educational hub at UNMC has been fully realized. It was an easy decision for Karen and I to invest in this building. We recognize the need for a continued stream of well-trained health professionals to meet the needs of Nebraska. Having a state-of-the-art education building to train our successors was a logical thing to do.”
Jim Reilly, M.D., president of the UNMC College of Medicine Alumni Association
“I think the alumni feel a kindred spirit with the current medical students. We all remember the time we spent in medical school -- people are interested in continuing to help with education. When I look at UNMC, specifically when I look at the College of Medicine, I am overwhelmed with the support the
alumni have put behind this project and see an entire building that has been supported and paid for through contributions without any state money. I find it amazing.”
Gerald “Jay” Moore, M.D., senior associate dean for academic affairs, UNMC College of Medicine
“We wanted a central place for education of the medical student -- to give them a sense of ownership and pride in their medical education. We also wanted to make sure that the student was number one and that their learning needs were being met. During planning phases, emphasis was placed on providing a location for student/faculty interaction – with the ability for one-on-one and group discussions with faculty members that would educationally benefit the student. We look at this as an opportunity for interaction between students, between students and faculty, and between students in the College of Medicine and other colleges on campus.”
Devin Nickol, M.D., UNMC core director, Integrated Clinical Experience (ICE) for first year medical students
“Developing clinical skills takes practice. Whether it’s taking a history or performing a physical exam, or doing an invasive procedure, there’s always a learning curve. Ideally, students learn by practicing these skills in a low stakes sort of environment before they see patients. The Sorrell Center has a lot of resources available to help with this sort of approach, from advanced audio visual recording capabilities to simulated exam rooms, simulated hospital rooms, simulated patients. These resources can be used to give students a chance to practice these skills early on. I don’t know of any other facility in the country that would have an advantage in terms of the technology and resources that will be available.
Richard D. Holland, principal benefactor
“First off, I am a great admirer of Dr. Sorrell. I have lived at least 10 years longer because of Dr. Sorrell. I’m glad I’m able to do something. I was aware that the present facilities were out of date, ancient. Any school of any kind has to look to the future. A school that is just sitting there and looking at the past or trying to fit in to the past is doomed. The leaders of UNMC … just to be around them for 15 minutes in some discussion of some particular aspect in medicine, is revealing in the sense of how energetic they are and how thoughtful they are about how to fix it, how to improve it, and how to do more. And you can’t get any better than that.”
Andy Davis, trustee for the Criss Foundation
“The unique part of the Criss Foundation is that when the Crisses founded Mutual of Omaha, Dr. Criss was a medical student at the time. Because of that background, the Crisses had a lifelong interest in medical research and education. When you combine that background with their passion for the city of Omaha – which was their home for over 50 years – it really makes UNMC a perfect match for the Criss Foundation, and I know they would be very proud of this affiliation today with the Sorrell Center. The best way for students and faculty members to honor Dr. and Mrs. Criss is to carry on the tradition of service that was so important to them. Never stop serving the medical profession, never stop serving your community, and never stop serving other people. It was that spirit of service that was so important to Dr. and Mrs. Criss.”
Glenn Fosdick, president and CEO, The Nebraska Medical Center, principal benefactor
Glenn Fosdick, president and CEO, The Nebraska Medical Center: “We have an obligation to the community and the state we live in. It’s an investment in the community, in the state, and in ourselves and our future to be a part of this refinement and expansion of the college. The timing is perfect. It’s allowed
the college to implement some very modern and very leading approaches in the Sorrell Center. Secondly, it comes at the time when the need for physicians is incredibly important. As the baby boom population approaches retirement, the number of physicians available to practice will diminish. This is a perfect
time to extend the capacity of the college.”
Dorothy and Stanley M. Truhlsen, M.D., principal benefactors
Dr. Truhlsen: “The University of Nebraska Medical Center is a medical facility that is vibrant, growing and becoming a world class institution. Among the many advancements that Dr. Maurer has envisioned and accomplished is this wonderful addition to our campus for medical education. UNMC is an institution that I admire and feel fortunate to be associated with and pleased to be part of. Dorothy and I are happy that we can make a contribution to this marvelous state of the art teaching addition to our campus.”
Rod Markin, M.D., Ph.D., president of UNMC Physicians
“Everyone here is invested in the teaching mission of the institution. This contribution, which was not made by UNMC Physicians group, but by individuals – right now over 500 of them – is really a testament of their ownership. Hal Maurer is an incredible guy. He came here in 1993, and he has had all of these great ideas, and he’s actually had the courage to do all of these projects, that I think most everyone else looked at and said, you can’t do that …. His kind of approach is take no prisoners. We’ll figure it out and we’ll get it done.”
