Five to be honored at commencement ceremony

Five individuals will receive recognition for extraordinary service to UNMC and health care in the state of Nebraska during UNMC’s commencement ceremony Saturday at the Ralston Arena.


Mike Johanns	Ben Nelson

Former U.S. senators and former Nebraska governors Ben Nelson and Mike Johanns will be among five individuals honored for their extraordinary service.

Both Sens. Nelson and Johanns will receive the UNMC Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Award for their longtime support of UNMC and commitment to patient care, education and research in Nebraska.

Shuttle service

Ralston Arena is offering a free shuttle from Hillcrest Landing, 7559 Main St., Ralston, to the arena from 8 a.m.-noon.

Marty Fattig will be honored with the J.G. Elliott Award for nearly four decades of service to rural Nebraska and for his unceasing dedication to the improvement of health care in Nebraska.
Fattig is administrator and chief executive officer at Nemaha County Hospital in Auburn, Neb. There, he’s led remodels and additions, the implementation of an electronic health record, the effort to create a culture of patient safety and quality and the development and implementation of a patient care program called “Personalized Patient Centered Care.”

Marty Fattig

He has been a strong partner with UNMC in the establishment of the Rural Health Education Network, and in recent years, to bringing the Rural Health Opportunities Program to Peru State College.

The J.G. Elliott Award is given annually in the memory of Jack Elliott, a former Scottsbluff resident who served on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents for 20 years.

Janet Gilsdorf, M.D., and Thomas Novotny, M.D., alumni of the UNMC College of Medicine, each will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science degree for high distinction in science, service research, education and mentorship.


Thomas Novotny, M.D.	Janet Gilsdorf, M.D.

Dr. Gilsdorf, the Robert P. Kelch Research Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Michigan Medical School, and professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, is a world expert on Haemophilus influenzae infections, the organisms responsible for numerous infections in children, including ear, sinus and invasive infections.

Dr. Novotny is a national expert in public health. During a 23-year career in the U.S. Public Health Service, he served as a family physician in Northern California; as a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Epidemic Intelligence Service officer in Denver; as an epidemiologist in the Office on Smoking and Health, as CDC liaison and assistant dean for public health practice at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health; and as CDC liaison to the World Bank. He is a former assistant surgeon general.

1 comment

Catherine Mello says:

May 8, 2015 at 9:00 am

All outstanding individuals! Thanks to these very deserving honorees for everything they have done to support UNMC and to advance health care in our state and beyond. Again, very well-deserved!

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A legacy of leadership

Both Ben Nelson and Mike Johanns made a positive impact on UNMC.

Sen. Nelson served two six-year terms representing Nebraska before retiring from the U.S. Senate in 2013. In the Senate, he initiated and shepherded through the appropriations process tens of millions of dollars for dozens of initiatives at UNMC, including $5 million for bioterrorism research after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

He also was a key negotiator and supporter of stimulus funds through the American Recovery Act of 2009, including more than $20 million for UNMC for the Eppley Cancer Institute. He also helped lead the effort to establish the National Strategic Research Institute at the University of Nebraska.

He previously served as governor of Nebraska. As governor, he pledged to bridge the gap between rural and urban areas to move forward as “One Nebraska.” In 1994, he became the first governor to be elected to a second term in two decades.

As governor, he proposed and supported increases in the state budget that allowed UNMC to grow and initiate new programs, including the establishment of the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory, a cooperative partnership between UNMC and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Sen. Johanns served as U.S. senator from Nebraska before retiring from a 32-year career in public service in 2015. As senator, he secured funding for the medical center’s Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, which in 2014 treated Ebola patients to worldwide acclaim.

He previously served as a two-term governor of Nebraska, presiding over a balanced state budget while reforming the state’s mental health and child protection systems.

As governor, he worked with UNMC and helped secure the passage of legislation that monies from a settlement with tobacco companies be used to fund biomedical research. This funding stream is available today and has been a significant catalyst for private and federal funding for research.

Sen. Johanns resigned his governorship early to serve the nation as U.S. secretary of agriculture.

Five to be honored at commencement ceremony

Shuttle service

1 comment

A legacy of leadership

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