Howard Liu, M.D., named interim chair of psychiatry

Howard Liu, M.D., has been named the interim chair of the UNMC Department of Psychiatry.

He replaces Steve Wengel, M.D., who was named assistant vice chancellor for campus wellness for UNMC and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Dr. Liu, who has been at UNMC for eight years, is a nationally recognized educator, behavioral health workforce expert and practicing child psychiatrist. During his time at UNMC, he has served as the assistant vice chancellor for faculty development, and he will continue as the director of the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska.

Although his focus has been on working to address the shortage of behavioral health providers in the state of Nebraska — an emphasis he will continue to address in his new role and which was recently highlighted in a national publication — Dr. Liu sees other opportunities for the department, as well.

“The strength of the department right now is education,” he said. “We have increased the number of medical students choosing psychiatry to twice the national average. So the pipeline is really healthy, and I see us training the workforce for Nebraska in the future.

“We also have strengths in community engagement, and there’s a lot of telehealth to highly under-served rural and urban communities,” he said.

He pointed to research as an area for growth.

“We have a young but talented research group,” he said. “I’m going to bring together departmental members and research leaders from around campus to help us think about what our vision’s going to be for the next three to five years.”

Dr. Liu said Nebraska Medicine has approved a new substance abuse/addiction intensive outpatient program for FY 2018 that could lead to clinical growth for the department, as well.

Dr. Liu said his first agenda item is to meet with faculty members, campus and clinical leaders and community partners to learn about their vision for the department, especially in terms of increasing the department’s statewide footprint.

Dean of the UNMC College of Medicine Brad Britigan, M.D., said he was appreciative of Dr. Liu’s willingness to take on this very important role.

“His highly successful leadership of BHECN and UNMC’S faculty development program have provided him with the knowledge and experience to lead the department,” Dr. Britigan said. “I look forward to working closely with Dr. Liu in what I believe will be a number of exciting opportunities for departmental growth and development.”

In challenging economic times, Dr. Liu said, the department’s mission is more important than ever.

“Whenever there is uncertainty in the economy, you can see increases in depression, anxiety and addiction,” Dr. Liu said. “The department remains committed to serving Nebraskans across the state via telehealth, live visits and training new providers to address Nebraska’s behavioral health provider shortage. The department of psychiatry — like all of UNMC and the university system itself — will remain a valuable resource for the people we serve.”