College of Medicine

- Admissions Overview
- - MD Program
    UNMC's rigorous academics, diverse clinical experiences and supportive environment put you on the path to becoming a skilled, compassionate physician.
  - How to Apply
    UNMC prepares medical degree students to meet the needs of patients through clinical practice, biomedical science and research, problem-solving and compassion.
  - Contact Us
    Review contact information for the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs in the College of Medicine at UNMC.
  - Verification and State Licensure
    Review opportunities for state licensure following completion of the MD program in the College of Medicine at UNMC.
- - MD-MBA Program
    A combined MD-MBA degree equips you with the tools you need to become highly skilled in both management and medicine.
  - MD-MPH Program
    Pursue your passion for public health and medicine with a combined MD-MPH and help solve complex health problems.
  - MD-PhD Program
    Do you have a passion for caring for patients and for research? Consider the dual MD-PhD degree.
- Education Overview
- - Curriculum
    Our curriculum produces physicians whose foundation in basic, clinical, and health systems sciences prepare them to promote health and reduce patient suffering.
  - Graduation Requirements
    Review requirements for students pursuing an MD at the UNMC College of Medicine to graduate and receive their degree.
  - Objectives
    The objectives of UNMC's medical degree program are to prepare you for success in primary care or specialty fields.
  - Service Learning
    Active participation in community service provides critical opportunities to apply skills and knowledge gained in medical school and develop a sense of empathy.
- - Enhanced Medical Education
    Enhanced Medical Education Tracks offer medical students an opportunity to perform an in-depth study of an interdisciplinary field of medicine.
  - MD Honor’s Thesis Program
    The MD honors thesis encourages students to engage in scientific research during medical education and become eligible to graduate with honors.
- Research Overview
- Internal Grants
  The College of Medicine has a variety of research-related grant and award opportunities available to UNMC faculty.
- Comparative Effectiveness Research
  The Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) program identifies knowledge gaps in the effectiveness of clinical care and improves CER in these areas.
- Great Plains IDeA-CTR
  The Great Plains IDeA-CTR is a collaborative effort between nine regional institutions that provides training, resources. and funding to regional researchers.
- Research and Development Committee
  The Research and Development Committee handles funding opportunities for faculty, including the Bridge Funding program, and student research opportunities.
- Student Opportunities
  The College of Medicine provides a variety of research opportunities for both current and prospective UNMC students.
- Residencies & Fellowships Overview
- Graduate Medical Education Programs
  UNMC's dozens of programs--including nearly 20 in internal medicine--allow residents and fellows a variety of specialties.
- House Officer Resources
  Find information for residents and fellows, including salaries, benefits and nearby housing.
- House Officer Wellness
  Wellness resources for residents and fellows include an assistance program and a private wellness lounge.
- Research
  We aim to facilitate house officers’ involvement in research in the areas of patient safety, quality improvement, healthcare disparities and education research.
- Salary and Benefits
  Paid vacation and professional leave, health insurance and meal allowances are just a few of the benefits residents receive in addition to their yearly salary.
- Contact Us
  Reach out to the Graduate Medical Education office for information about benefits, contracts, orientation or graduation.
Departments

Critical Care

The Critical Care Division in the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology educates the next generation of critical care leaders in a supportive and nurturing environment. Through UNMC's clinical partners, the division delivers state-of-the-art care to critically ill patients from across the region.

Research includes large outcomes studies, multi-center randomized controlled trials, and translational research. Research mentorship for fellows and junior faculty is provided by senior faculty, including the department chair and the vice chair for research, both of whom are members of the Critical Care Division.

Our faculty members work through UNMC's clinical partners to provide collaborative, comprehensive care for a wide variety of patients – including from cardiothoracic, vascular, cardiology, ECMO, surgical oncology, obstetric, otolaryngology and other services.

Many members of our division serve in national leadership positions, as well as in leadership within UNMC's primary clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine.

Our division has a long history of providing critical care and leadership within the internationally known Nebraska Biocontainment Unit. Through the biocontainment unit, physicians in our division provided direct care for Ebola patients in 2014 and for COVID patients in 2020.

Critical Care fellows during rounds

Critical Care Anesthesiology Fellowship

The Critical Care Anesthesiology Fellowship provides training and mentorship to future critical care anesthesiologists to allow them to excel clinically and become leaders in education and research. Get details about the program and meet our current fellows.

Leadership

Daniel W. Johnson, MD, FCCM

Division Chief, Critical Care Anesthesiology, UNMC Department of Anesthesiology
Associate Fellowship Director, Critical Care
Professor
Medical Director, Cardiovascular ICU, Nebraska Medicine
Associate Medical Director, Nebraska Biocontainment Unit

Faculty

Amanda Arnzen, MD

Assistant Professor, UNMC Department of Anesthesiology
Critical Care Anesthesiologist, Nebraska Medicine

Stephen C. Brannan, MD

Assistant Professor, UNMC Department of Anesthesiology
Director of Perioperative Echocardiography
Critical Care Anesthesiologist, Nebraska Medicine
Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist

Lucas E. Deschenes, MD

Assistant Professor, UNMC Department of Anesthesiology
Critical Care Anesthesiologist, Nebraska Medicine
Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist

Erin Etoll, MD

Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology
Committee Chair, Clinical Competency Committee for the CCA Fellowship
Critical Care Anesthesiologist, Nebraska Medicine

Zahid Iqbal, MD

Assistant Professor, UNMC Department of Anesthesiology
Medical Director, Perioperative Evaluation and Care Clinic, Nebraska Medicine
Critical Care Anesthesiologist

Michelle-Anne Iverson, DO

Assistant Professor, UNMC Department of Anesthesiology
Critical Care Anesthesiologist, Nebraska Medicine

Steven J Lisco, MD, FCCM, FCCP

Myrna Newland, MD, Endowed Professor of Anesthesiology
Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, UNMC College of Medicine
Chief Academic Officer, Nebraska Medicine

Send Email

Joseph Pawlowski, MD

Associate Director, Residency Program for Performance and Wellbeing, UNMC Department of Anesthesiology
Assistant Professor
Section Head, Neuro Anesthesiology, Nebraska Medicine
Critical Care Anesthesiologist

Sean Rajnic, MD

Assistant Professor, UNMC Department of Anesthesiology
Critical Care Anesthesiologist, Nebraska Medicine

Jim N. Sullivan, MD

Professor, UNMC Department of Anesthesiology
Medical Director, Werner ICU, Nebraska Medicine

Dennis Thiel, MD

Assistant Professor, UNMC Department of Anesthesiology
Critical Care Anesthesiologist, Nebraska Medicine
Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist

Shaun Thompson, MD

Director, Critical Care Anesthesiology Fellowship Program, UNMC Department of Anesthesiology
Director, Media
Associate Professor
Medical Director, ECMO, Nebraska Medicine
Critical Care Anesthesiologist

Levi J. Zehr, MD

Assistant Professor, UNMC Department of Anesthesiology
Critical Care Anesthesiologist, Nebraska Medicine