Joe Evans, Ph.D., receives IDEA Award

UNMC’s Joe Evans, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the Munroe-Meyer Institute and the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska, is a recipient of the University of Nebraska’s Innovation, Development and Engagement Award (IDEA) for 2018.

University of Nebraska President Hank Bounds, Ph.D., Tuesday announced the 2018 winners of the university’s most prestigious awards for teaching, research and engagement.

“The University of Nebraska is one of the most important drivers of our state’s economic competitiveness and quality of life. Our faculty, who are among the nation’s leaders in what they do, deserve a great deal of the credit,” Dr. Bounds said. “These faculty carry out our missions of teaching, research and service on a daily basis. I’m honored to serve among such dedicated and talented colleagues and to lift up their work to the university community and all Nebraskans.”

UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., praised Dr. Evans for his work in expanding behavioral health care throughout the state of Nebraska.

“Part of UNMC’s mission is improving the health of the people of Nebraska,” Dr. Gold said. “In the face of a nationwide shortage of behavioral health professionals, Dr. Evans has developed innovative and effective methods to try to address behavioral health provider shortages in many areas of our state. He has indeed enriched the broader community with his efforts.”

A program innovator, Dr. Evans developed the pediatric integrated behavioral health in primary care model at UNMC that has been extended to 42 integrated care programs in Nebraska and numerous other states. Children, adolescents and families from more than 225 cities, towns and villages have been provided behavioral health services thanks to the program Dr. Evans developed.

Dr. Evans was also instrumental in establishing the Nebraska Internship Consortium in Professional Psychology, the UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute doctoral program in applied behavior analysis, and the MMI Autism Care for Toddlers program. He has been the recipient of more than $19 million in federal and state grants and contracts.

Dr. Evans is committed to improving access to behavioral health for underserved rural and inner-city residents and has been widely recognized for his work in improving the quantity and quality of the behavioral health workforce.

“Dr. Evans’ impact on MMI has been enormous,” said MMI Director Karoly Mirnics, M.D., Ph.D. “But his impact on the people we serve has been even greater. His work both at MMI and BHECN has widened UNMC’s positive impact on behavioral health care needs across the entire state, and the approaches he created serve as a national model of delivering behavioral health care for rural communities.”