iEXCEL announces inaugural innovation award recipients

In celebration of the opening of the Dr. Edwin G. & Dorothy Balbach Davis Global Center, iEXCEL will host a ceremony to recognize the novel accomplishments of UNMC and Nebraska Medicine faculty and staff.

Davis Global Center Dedication held today

The UNMC community is invited online at 10 a.m. today for the formal dedication of the Dr. Edwin G. & Dorothy Balbach Davis Global Center, a visionary facility designed to transform health care education, training and research.

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The iEXCEL Innovation Awards Ceremony will be broadcast live from the Davis Global Center Thursday, Oct. 15, beginning at 4 p.m. CST.

The ceremony will recognize individuals who have helped create and implement new ideas for teaching, research and scholarship using simulation technologies and the capabilities of the Davis Global Center. Visit the Davis Global Center website to register for the virtual event.

“We are pleased to recognize the achievements of our inaugural award recipients,” said Pam Boyers, PhD, associate vice chancellor, iEXCEL. “Each has embraced the possibilities of simulation and visualization and, in working with our staff, created thoughtful, strategic and outcome-based projects that benefit students, colleagues and ultimately patients.”

In addition to the honorees, each category has honorable mention candidates that will be recognized during the ceremony. Individuals were nominated and selected by the iEXCEL simulation staff who work in managing all of the projects and trainings taking place inside the center.

Award recipients are:

iEXCEL Impact Award (COVID-19 Response)

Christie Barnes, MD, Kristy Carlson, PhD, Jayme Dowdall, MD, and Samuel Pate, MD (Department of Otolaryngology team award). The team developed and facilitated nasopharyngeal swab training for more than 300 staff members from Nebraska Medicine, created an evidence-based instructional video on nasopharyngeal swabbing and hosted a live event from the Davis Global Center that served 4,405 individuals.

Honorable mention recipients are: David Holt, perfusion, and Kalen Knight and Nicole Lenaghan, Nebraska Medicine nursing.

iEXCEL Nebraska Medicine Partnership Award

Justin Siebler, MD, associate professor and chief of orthopaedic trauma. Dr. Siebler is working on a visualization project incorporating a tibial nail orthopedic suite. In addition, he designed a cadaver lab and redesigned his curriculum to implement daily use of simulation.

Honorable mention recipients are: Tiffany Tanner, MD, general surgery, and Shaun Horak, DMSc, physician assistant education.

iEXCEL Clinical Award

Yiannis Chatzizisis, MD, PhD, professor, internal medicine. Dr. Chatzizisis is creating a virtual cath lab application that features VR simulation of C-Arm operations, stent placement and stent dynamics.

Honorable mention recipients are: Dean Collier, PharmD, and Gary Cochran, PharmD, College of Pharmacy; and Donny Suh, MD, College of Medicine

iEXCEL Academic Award

Amy Cutright, MD, assistant professor, department of emergency medicine. Dr. Cutright is engaged with the Acute Care Block, a two-week block to prepare M3s for their clerkships. The curriculum is a mix of simulations, lectures, demonstrations, hands-on procedures and an objective structured clinical examination. The block includes a series of simulations pertaining to airway lab, procedure lab, trauma simulation and shock simulations.

Honorable mention recipients are: Justin Mott, MD, PhD, biochemistry and molecular biology; Abbey Fingeret, MD, surgery; and Jennifer Cera, DNP, College of Nursing.

iEXCEL Collaboration Award

Jason Langenfeld, MD, assistant professor, emergency medicine. Dr. Langenfeld leads multiple simulation activities every month inside the Davis Global Center for emergency medicine residents and assists in simulation design and instruction during Acute Care Block. He also has been involved with numerous activities including the escape room, outdoor sim day, Halloween simulation, mock emergency department, COVID-19 personal protective equipment training and more.

Honorable mention recipients are: Sharon Medcalf, PhD, epidemiology; Ann Alexander, College of Dentistry staff; and Kirsten Curtis, College of Nursing.