David F. Mercer, M.D., Ph.D., a transplant surgeon for the University of Nebraska Medical Center and its clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine, was honored by the Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures recently with the organization's first-ever award for scientific achievement.
Dr. Mercer received the Chancellor Emeritus Harold M. Maurer, M.D. and Beverly Maurer Scientific Achievement Award at the coalition's 13th annual Tribute Lunch at Happy Hollow Club.
The award is named after the Maurers, who have been longtime supporters of research. Dr. Maurer served as UNMC chancellor from 1999-2014. Beverly Maurer is an active board member for the Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures.
The award includes a $10,000 stipend for Dr. Mercer, who is associate professor in the UNMC Department of Surgery-Transplant and director of Nebraska Medicine's Intestinal Rehabilitation Program. It was made possible through donations to the coalition as well as a grant from Ellie Batt of Omaha, who made the gift in memory of her late brother, Larry Batt, a longtime advocate of medical research.
Dr. Mercer was honored by the coalition for his work as a surgical innovator and his pioneering work in intestinal rehabilitation. His work centers on intestinal failure, the inability of the small bowel to ingest, digest and absorb the nutrients, water and electrolytes required to maintain nutritional status in adults and growth in children.
He has been leader in performing serial transverse enteroplasty (STEP), a surgical procedure used primarily in the treatment of short bowel syndrome. In STEP, by making cuts in the intestine and creating a zigzag pattern, surgeons lengthen the amount of bowel available to absorb nutrients. The procedure was first performed in 2003 and more than 100 patients have undergone the surgery since then.
The groundbreaking work of Dr. Mercer and his multidisciplinary team in successfully treating children with an extremely short length of bowel was recently published in the Journal of Pediatrics.
James Turpen, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at UNMC, presented the award to Dr. Mercer. He said, "Dr. Mercer's research has been described as transformative to the field … lifesaving and life changing."
Dr. Mercer thanked Alan Langnas, D.O., professor of surgery-transplant at UNMC and chief of the Transplant Center at Nebraska Medicine. He called Dr. Langnas "his mentor" and praised him for being a key figure in the intestinal transplant field.
Dr. Mercer said the field is changing rapidly. He said, "The stuff we thought was impossible 10 years ago is now routine."
We are Nebraska Medicine and UNMC. Our mission is to lead the world in transforming lives to create a healthy future for all individuals and communities through premier educational programs, innovative research and extraordinary patient care.
Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube