Phil Smith, M.D., retired medical director of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, was honored at a recent ceremony for his foresight in establishing the unit and his steady leadership throughout its most active time — when three patients who had become sick with Ebola were treated in Nebraska in 2014.
UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., and Nebraska Medicine CEO Jim Linder, M.D., praised Dr. Smith for his leadership and steadfastness in ensuring that biocontainment unit personnel were prepared for a crisis such as they faced in 2014 — and credited the unit’s success with propelling UNMC/Nebraska Medicine into its current global leadership position in biopreparedness and infectious disease research and treatment.
See a photo album from the event.
Dr. Smith’s former med center and BCU colleagues — Angela Hewlett, M.D., Chris Kratochvil, M.D., Kate Boulter and Shelly Schwedhelm — shared memories of his calmness and resolve during the Ebola treatment period. They cited his humble, authentic nature, his ability to disarm tension with wit, and his own preparedness and intellect that brought the team together and instilled confidence.
In a video message, the unit’s first Ebola patient, Rick Sacra, M.D., thanked Dr. Smith, who retired from the med center in 2016. Dr. Sacra recorded the segment from his former clinic in Liberia, where he received IV fluids before being flown to Nebraska.
“September of 2014 was my toughest time in life, my walk through the valley of the shadow of death, if you will,” Dr. Sacra said. “Dr. Phil Smith, you were my guide; my calm, unflappable guide through that valley.”
Boulter, Jeff Peters, and Frank Freihaut — all original members of the Biocontainment Unit team when it became active in 2004 — helped to unveil a plaque that honors Dr. Smith’s BCU leadership. It will be placed at the entrance of the Biocontainment Unit.