A national leader on medical public policy and advocacy and a UNMC physician-scientist who helped lead the establishment of the medical center’s Pediatric Cancer Research Group (PCRG) will headline the third annual Bob and Helen Bartee and Family Advocacy of Science Lectureship and Award for Scientists.
The Oct. 27 ceremony will be held at noon in the Sorrell Center, Room 2014 and via Zoom.
The lecture and award are centered on improving lives and health through engagement and advocacy – passions embodied by Bob Bartee throughout his 43-year career at UNMC. The Bartee lectureship invites a recognized expert to UNMC to provide a lecture and engage with UNMC faculty and students on topics related to making science relevant, creating ways for scientists to engage with the community and build science literacy and trust in scientific rigor and results.
Danielle Turnipseed, JD, Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) chief public policy officer, is set to deliver her keynote “Advocacy: Unleash your Superpower,” while Don Coulter, MD, Edna Ittner Chair of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and director of the PCRG, will receive the award.
“Helen and I are so pleased that Danielle has consented to speak to and engage with our UNMC community and our broader community of citizen advocates,” Bartee said. “We also are honored and grateful that Dr. Coulter has been selected to receive this year’s faculty award for excellence in advocacy and outreach. He is an exemplary representative of the purpose of the award.”
Turnipseed has decades of experience in public policy and legislative advocacy – and how these efforts can affect the health of people everywhere.
She said she is looking forward to interacting with the people of UNMC.
“The people have the power to bring about change. With that in mind, there will be plenty of people in attendance at the lecture who do not know the power they possess. I can’t wait to help them unleash their power for advocacy,” she said.
“Power is a function of expertise and experience. It stands without question that credible, reliable experts with patient and community experiences are right in your midst at UNMC. It’s all about leveraging their expertise and experience. And that begs the question, ‘How should we go about empowering people to be most effective?’”
That’s what her talk will be about.
“Advocacy as an action word,” she said. “There are so many ways people can rise to the moment.”
The lecture is paired with an award to be given to a UNMC scientist who exemplifies and lives out a commitment to community engagement.
Award winner Dr. Coulter credits the establishment of the PCRG directly to engagement and advocacy. And, to the encouragement he’d received from Bartee, UNMC’s longtime vice chancellor for external relations.
“Being selected for the Bartee Family Award for Promotion of Science Literacy Advocacy is an incredible honor and a testament to the outstanding mentorship I received from Bob Bartee,” Dr. Coulter said. “His patience and guidance helped make possible my work in the state legislature, which led to the formation of the Pediatric Cancer Research Group.
“Since 2014, the PCRG has grown to more than 170 active members across multiple University of Nebraska campuses and has leveraged state resources to secure millions of dollars in NIH research funding. I am grateful to Bob, the leadership of the UNMC Department of Pediatrics and the Child Health Research Institute, and especially to the patients and families who continue to inspire and guide our work.”