A UNMC physician is one of eight Women of Vision who will be honored at the annual YWCA Omaha Tribute to Women luncheon.
Jennifer Larsen, M.D., section chief for diabetes, endocrinology and metabolism in the department of internal medicine, will be honored in the “professions” category. The luncheon will begin at noon on Tuesday, June 10, in the Palace Ballroom at the Holiday Inn Central, 72nd and Grover streets.
Dr. Larsen, who also is the Louise and Morton Degen Professor in the department of internal medicine and is the director of the NHS Diabetes Center, is among the honorees, which are chosen in eight categories. They were selected based on impact in the award category, community service and demonstrated commitment to the elimination of one or more forms of discrimination, said event chair Cyndy Peacock and selection chair Lyn Wallin Ziegenbein.
Dr. Larsen strives to improve the delivery and quality of health care to American Indians and African-American people. She was involved in establishing a UNMC minority health office last year. Dr. Larsen also directs the UNMC Clinical Research Center
Her work goes far beyond academia, with people who participate in studies or need health care as well as other professionals. Dr. Larsen has formed a partnership between UNMC and the Aberdeen Area Tribal Chairman’s Health Board, representing 18 tribes in Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota. The partnership’s goal is to develop research specific to the health needs of Native Americans. She is seeking funding to study whether a traditional Great Plains Indian diet, low in fat and rich in vegetables and fruits, might reduce risk factors for diabetes and various forms of heart disease.
A colleague who is a member of the Rosebud Sicangu_ Lakota Sioux tribe says Dr. Larsen has been “extraordinary” in assuring work is “responsive to the culture of the people and community that she is working with.”
Dr. Larsen was a consultant for an Urban League study to assess barriers to diabetes care in the African-American community. Work to remove those barriers is beginning.
Dr. Larsen was named “Physician Teacher of the Year” by UNMC’s Family Practice Department in 2001, and one of the “Best Doctors in Omaha” by The Consumer’s Resource Council of America each of the last three years.
Other honorees include:
Arts/Humanities
Karen A. White, D.M.A.
Dean, College of Fine Arts
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Business/Entrepreneur
Janet Barnard
Vice President & General Manager
Cox Communications Omaha
Communications
Claudia Martin
Senior Vice President/Media Director
Redstone Communications
Education
Dr. Connie Eichhorn
Principal, Burke High School
Omaha Public Schools
Human Services/Community Advocate
Jamesena Grimes Moore
Vice President, Volunteer and Community Services
United Way of the Midlands
Professional Volunteer
Sunny Lundgren
Young Leader
Adriana Melina Piña