Miriam McCann is August Gold U winner

Miriam “Mimi” McCann is the Gold U winner for August.

McCann, the safety/compliance program manager in the UNMC Office of Comparative Medicine, has been at UNMC since 2004, joining the campus from Pfizer in St. Louis after her mother, who worked at Nebraska Medicine for a time as a chaplain, told her: “There’s a lot of research going on here, a lot of talented people. You should talk to the comparative medicine department here.”

McCann did, and 11 years later she reviews approximately 1,200 research proposals annually, providing safety and compliance oversight. She’s become, in the words of nominator Peter Iwen, Ph.D., a team player who demonstrates leadership on regulatory issues.

“I have seen firsthand how she responds to complex regulatory issues that are high priority for the university,” Dr. Iwen said, calling McCann “a person of integrity, with a motivation to do the best job possible to be successful.”

McCann’s duties include providing hazard use reviews and developing safety protocols for the UNMC/University of Nebraska at Omaha Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC).

“I think it’s critical to have people working in this field who are really interested in science and the advancement of medicine, and are also very caring and compassionate about the animals that are helping us,” McCann said. “That’s I think why a lot of people stay in this department, because it’s important work.”

“Mimi has made extremely valuable contributions to the research enterprise at UNMC,” said Steve Dixon, D.V.M., McCann’s supervisor. “The UNMC institutional official, director of comparative medicine, the UNMC/UNO IACUC chair, the IBC and researchers have come to rely extensively on Mimi’s insight and experience in safety and compliance matters.”

McCann called her selection for the Gold U a surprise.

“I work with an amazing group of people here in comparative medicine,” she said, “but also outside of this group, in the greater research community.

“There can sometimes be a disconnect between the researchers and our group, because of a perception that we are more of a regulatory presence,” she said. “But I think it’s important to bridge that gap so that everyone can accomplish their goals — to meet regulatory requirements, treat our animals well, make sure the university and employees are safe, and also to help researchers in accomplishing what they’re trying do. It’s pretty amazing work and we’re proud to be a part of it.”