UNMC for the record, Aug. 11, 2023

Dr. Marcelin to lead internal medicine Office of Equity and Inclusive Excellence

Jasmine Marcelin, MD, has been selected as the inaugural vice chair of equity and inclusive excellence for the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine. Debra Romberger, MD, professor and chair of internal medicine, said she was excited and grateful for Dr. Marcelin’s enthusiasm and willingness to take on the new role. 

“Dr. Marcelin has been a leader in the justice, equity, diversity and inclusion space at UNMC since she started here,” Dr. Romberger said. “She created a task force for our residency program and will now expand her attention more broadly across our department.” 

The new role comes with the formation of a new office of equity and inclusive excellence within the department.  

Dr. Marcelin, associate professor in the division of infectious diseases, is an associate program director for the department’s residency program and created its Developing an Inclusive and Varied Environment for Residents, Students and Educators (DIVERSE) task force in 2020.  

“Many of the DIVERSE task force’s initiatives have directly or indirectly had a positive impact on the whole department,” Dr. Marcelin said. “However, internal medicine has 12 divisions and many faculty, staff and trainees, all of whom will benefit from centering equity and inclusive excellence as the department’s North Star.”  

She still will work on the DIVERSE task force and on advancing the residency program’s mission, but Dr. Marcelin, in her new role, will enhance and expand opportunities within the department with a focus on four main pillars: people, culture, leadership and education, and patient care and community engagement. 

Nursing’s Dr. Hetland wins innovation award

Breanna Hetland, PhD, UNMC College of Nursing assistant professor, recently claimed a top spot in a national invention competition. Dr. Hetland earned the Judges Award in the Digital Tools category at the Equalize 2023 Pitch Competition on June 29. The win netted her a plaque and $2,500.

Dr. Hetland submitted a mobile app called Remote ICU for the contest. The software solution enables and promotes more robust patient and family engagement during acute hospitalizations. Dr. Hetland’s innovation is the basis of her newly established startup company, The Family Room.

Her presentation at the pitch competition was the culmination of a six-month mentoring program through Equalize. Equalize is designed to increase the number of female academic inventors who develop startup companies to commercialize their inventions.

“This award means so much to me because it represents the need for and value of nurses’ ideas and influence in healthcare tech innovation and entrepreneurship,” she said.

The competition was divided into four categories: therapeutics, medical technology, physical sciences and digital tools. Two awards – People’s Choice Award and the Judges Award – were given for each sector.

Retirements announced

UNMC Human Resources announced six new or newly scheduled retirements last week.

The longest-tenured retiree, Vicki Hamm of the UNMC Office of Graduate Medical Education, started her UNMC career on June 16, 1975. With an official retirement date of Aug. 2, Hamm’s university career lasted 48 years.

The second longest-tenured retiree, Debra McGinness of business and finance, retired from mail services on July 28. She began her UNMC career on Oct. 10, 1994, a more than 28-year career with the university.

Other retirees include:

• Charlotte Stalnaker, Eppley Institute, retired July 15 (start date May 21, 1997)
• Alison Freifeld, MD, UNMC College of Medicine, retired July 1 (start date Jan. 10, 2000)
• Susan Anson, pathology/microbiology, will retired Oct. 3 (start date Nov. 20, 2000)
• Mary Poole-Balsano, business and finance, will retire Aug. 16 (start date Nov. 20, 2006)