The start of a new academic year represents a changing of guard where we celebrate past accomplishments while also handing the baton to a new group of leaders.
We are thrilled to congratulate and recognize new chiefs in three divisions, Dr. Nicole Shonka in medical oncology, Dr. Matt Lunning in hematology and Dr. Bryant England in rheumatology. These outstanding leaders will build upon the remarkable accomplishments of two giants in their respective fields, Dr. Julie Vose and Dr. Jim O’Dell. Please join us for a celebration on Oct. 1 from 4 to 6 p.m., at the Wigton Heritage Center.
This issue of the newsletter highlights the outstanding accomplishments in all facets of our department’s tripartite mission.
For research excellence, Dr. Ted Mikuls was named UNMC’s 21st Scientist Laureate. Furthermore, Dr. Saraswathi Viswanathan and Dr. Ruxana Sadikot were recognized as 2026 Distinguished Scientists.
With regards to teaching excellence, Dr. Allison Ashford and Dr. Geoffrey Thiele are the 2026 recipients of the Hirschmann Prize for Teaching Excellence, selected by the UNMC College of Medicine’s graduating class.
Examples of clinical excellence include our division of hematology being featured at the event, “Trailblazing a Decade of CAR T-cell Therapy: 10 Years of Innovation at Nebraska Medicine and UNMC.” Dr. Kelsey Klute from the division of medical oncology was interviewed by local media for her work involving a promising new therapy that has the potential to improve outcomes for people with advanced pancreatic cancer. In addition, the C-STARS unit and faculty in our division of infectious diseases were recognized for supporting the hantavirus response.
I hope you join me in recognizing the latest achievements in our department. I also hope that you are enjoying the excitement of the new academic year and settling back to a “regular” routine, whatever that may mean for you.