UNMC announces new office aimed at health workforce

To better align strategic initiatives that attract, develop, place and retain health professionals for Nebraska and beyond, a new office has been created at UNMC, Interim Chancellor H. Dele Davies, MD, announced today.

The new Office of Health Workforce Initiatives will align and integrate current workforce efforts and serve as a resource for external agencies and communities as they partner with UNMC to maintain and grow their health care workforce.

“While all of our colleges are involved in workforce development as a primary mission, many other academic areas support this central mission to ensure the next generation of health care professionals,” Dr. Davies said. “This new office will serve as the central coordinating unit for the various initiatives aimed at building a sustainable health care workforce for Nebraska and the region.

“This office aligns perfectly with several of the goals of our strategic plan, notably several initiatives within the pillars of extraordinary teaching and learning and extraordinary partnerships.”

University of Nebraska System President Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, expressed enthusiastic support for the office and its purpose.

“A robust health workforce is essential for the long-term viability and strength of Nebraska and its communities,” Dr. Gold said. “I strongly support the creation of the Office of Health Workforce Initiatives at UNMC, and I’m excited to work collaboratively with Interim Chancellor Davies and other partners to ensure that we continue to grow the health workforce throughout the state.”

Dr. Davies also announced today that Kyle Meyer, PhD, dean of the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions, would lead the office, transitioning from his current role as interim assistant vice chancellor for healthcare workforce education and relations to associate vice chancellor for health workforce initiatives.

“With his knowledge of health workforce trends – in addition to his experience in bringing various constituents together into a singular focus – Dr. Meyer is perfect for this position,” Dr. Davies said.

Dr. Davies indicated that Dr. Meyer – who in his assistant vice chancellor role reported to Vice Chancellor for External Relations Chris Kratochvil, MD – would now report directly to Dr. Davies. In addition, Anne Bowen Fischer will become the director of strategic relations and senior associate to the chancellor. Fischer will take on additional duties related to external relations, as Dr. Kratochvil also serves as the vice president for external relations for the University of Nebraska System.

Dr. Davies noted that a recent philanthropic gift served as a catalyst for the creation of the Office of Health Workforce Initiatives.

Pending approval of the University of Nebraska, Dr. Meyer will be the inaugural recipient of the Armstrong Family Distinguished Chair of Rural Healthcare Workforce Strategy.

The Armstrong family of Minden, Nebraska, made a $1 million gift commitment through the University of Nebraska Foundation to create the new chair, which will support broad-based initiatives and programs to grow the rural health care workforce.

Rich Armstrong, former chairman of the Minden Exchange Bank & Trust Co., said the Douglas A. Kristensen Rural Health Education Complex represents a vital step forward in addressing the severe shortage of health care professionals in rural Nebraska.

“My family has deep ties to rural Nebraska, so we understand the critical need for health care access in local communities,” he said. “This new chair represents our commitment to strengthening the health care workforce pipeline and supporting the long-term vitality of rural communities.”

The new chair was created as part of Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future. The campaign is a historic effort to engage 150,000 benefactors to give $3 billion to support the University of Nebraska. A top campaign priority is to create new endowed chairs and professorships to recruit and retain preeminent educators and researchers in every field.

Dr. Meyer will continue to serve as dean of the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions until his successor is named.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to help develop this important office at UNMC,” Dr. Meyer said. “There are so many talented individuals involved in a host of vital health workforce development activities. Developing an infrastructure to support this work and creating more effective communication and networking methods can only serve to multiply the impact of our collective efforts.”

To ensure the uninterrupted operations of the college, Dr. Davies and Dr. Meyer announced that two allied health faculty will assume additional responsibilities. Tammy Webster, PhD, will become the executive associate dean of the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions until a permanent dean of the college is appointed. Similarly, Amber Donnelly, PhD, will add oversight of academic affairs in the college to her portfolio, becoming the associate dean for academic and student affairs.

In addition to being a lynchpin for convening and aligning health care workforce activities, the Office of Health Workforce Initiatives will maintain a focus on rural health initiatives, including the Kearney expansion. The office also will house the preceptor excellence and recognition program and pathway programs such as RHOP, KHOP and UHOP.

Several other UNMC units with a workforce development function will be heavily involved with the new office while maintaining their reporting structure within their current offices and colleges. These include the AHEC and uBEATS programs; High School Alliance; the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska; the Health Professions Tracking Service and others.

Marley Doyle, MD, director of BHCEN, said that the new office will ensure that UNMC is both robust and efficient in its efforts to increase the health workforce across the state.

“UNMC has long been a leader in health workforce development, and the launch of this new office marks an important advancement,” Dr. Doyle said. “At BHECN, we see how thoughtful investments in workforce infrastructure can expand access to care across Nebraska. This initiative opens new doors for our students and trainees — future professionals who will benefit from enhanced support, coordination and innovation. It reflects UNMC’s deep commitment to improving the lives of Nebraskans through education and service.”

Dr. Meyer noted that throughout Nebraska, there remains a dearth of health care professionals in specific fields. Sixty-six of Nebraska’s 93 counties are designated as medically underserved, and there is an uneven distribution of health professionals in Nebraska, with 83% residing in metro areas, while only 65% of Nebraska’s population does so. The result is that 35% of the state’s population relies on 17% of the total health care workforce for care.

Although many health professions are expected to see varying growth rates by 2030, need and demand also will be affected by an imminent retirement boom of health professionals over the next five to 10 years. This will coincide with an expected decline of 9% by 2030 in the number of primary care physicians.

The new office, Dr. Meyer said, will increase awareness about health profession careers; facilitate early preparation for admission to health profession education programs; connect UNMC programs and graduates to Nebraska communities; engage Nebraska health systems, communities and alumni as essential partners in building and retaining a high-quality health care workforce; and measure and analyze outcomes associated with these initiatives. 

“We continue to make good progress, but there’s much to be done,” Dr. Davies said. “It will take alignment amongst the UNMC programs and a full statewide network of partners. Together, we can ensure that wherever in Nebraska someone chooses to live, they will have access to high-quality health care relatively close to home.”