If you happen to see Harold M. Maurer, M.D., UNMC chancellor emeritus, walking the halls in a white coat, there’s a good reason — he’s decided to resume his career as a pediatric hematologist/oncologist.
Dr. Maurer, who served as UNMC chancellor from 1998-2014, recently completed an 11-month stint doing fundraising at the University of Nebraska Foundation.
On Jan. 1, he began a sabbatical in which he plans to retool his skills as a pediatric hematologist/oncologist.
In January he began his retooling journey by working alongside his pediatric hematology/oncology colleagues as they went about their daily clinical and academic activities. Additionally, during the month of February, he continued his training alongside pediatric hematologist/oncologists at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla. and took a four-day review course in Dallas.
More about Dr. Maurer
Prior to becoming an administrator, Dr. Maurer was a key figure in pediatric oncology while working at the Medical College of Virginia.
During the 1970s, the work of the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study Group (IRSG) headed by Dr. Maurer was credited with developing a repetitive-course, multi-agent chemotherapy treatment for advanced rhabdomyosarcoma, a fast-growing, highly malignant tumor that accounts for more than half of the soft tissue cancers in children.
The work of the IRSG is credited with raising the cure rate of children afflicted with the disease from 20 percent to 75 percent. In 2008, the IRSG’s work with rhabdomyosarcoma was listed as one of 28 milestones in pediatric oncology over the past 60 years by the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Bulletin electronic newsletter.
In April, he will return to Omaha and continue his retooling in pediatric hematology/oncology. Eventually, he is interested in concentrating on the care of hematology patients primarily at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center. He will continue to maintain an office in the UNMC College of Medicine on the fourth floor of the Sorrell Center while he is on sabbatical.
“I’ve run into several people who have expressed surprise that I’m still around,” Dr. Maurer said. “I just want people to know what I’m doing and how excited I am to begin seeing patients again.”
Dr. Maurer said he is board certified in hematology/oncology. He said his biggest learning has been to get up-to-speed on new drugs and diagnostic tests being used on patients.
“Dr. Maurer will be a great addition to our team,” said Bruce Gordon, M.D., UNMC professor of pediatrics hematology/oncology and division chief for pediatrics hematology/oncology for Nebraska Medicine and Children’s Hospital & Medical Center. “He’s an outstanding clinician with a wealth of experience. That’s a great combination.”
In 2003, Dr. Maurer was honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Children’s Oncology Group.
Dr. Maurer’s wife, Beverly, has continued her community involvement and was recently elected to a three-year term on the Nebraska Wesleyan University Board of Governors.