UNMC’s 2004-2005 campus accomplishments — in the areas of education, research, community partnerships, cultural competence, new technologies and employee loyalty — include the following:
Education
The dental class of 2008 had an overall pre-dental grade point average of 3.79, the highest in the history of the College and the highest of the 56 dental schools in the U.S., marking the 8th time in the past 12 years that the UNMC College of Dentistry has had the highest incoming GPA in the U.S.
The dental class of 2007 ranked No. 5 in the nation on the results of their National Dental Board Examination, Part 1. This is the college’s highest rank on Part 1 in the past 15 years. The class of 2005 ranked No. 6 in the nation on Part 2 of the exam, making the 10th time in the past 12 years that the college’s students have ranked in the top 10 nationally. The Dental Hygiene Class of 2005 ranked No. 8 in the country on its National Board Examination, out of 254 programs, putting them in the upper 3 percent in the nation.
In its first full year, the Eppley Institute’s Cancer Research Graduate Program (CRGP), a Ph.D.-granting program in cancer research, has 19 students. This makes it among the largest graduate programs at UNMC.
Five students earned their Ph.D. through the Eppley Cancer Research Training Program.
UNMC was awarded a grant through the American Medical Student Association to develop and/or expand curriculum and departmental opportunities to address cultural competency and diversity. Community Partnership is working with the College of Dentistry to provide presentations and workshops to faculty and staff and to provide three classrooms sessions specifically relating to improving the health of underserved populations.
The Community Partnership is working with Kabul Medical University (KMU) in Kabul, Afghanistan to create a faculty development program. Professionals from UNMC have traveled to Kabul to present a course covering Problem Based Learning, Integrated Clinical Experience, writing instructional objectives and test writing. Five officials from KMU will travel to UNMC in October for an intensive, weeklong train-the-trainer program.
The McGoogan Library completed installation of a wireless network and licensed First Consult to provide evidence based practice resources for students, residents and attending staff.
Department of Internal Medicine residents achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the 2004 American Board of Internal Medicine certifying examination, marking the eighth consecutive year that the Internal Medicine residency program has achieved a 100 percent pass rate.
The neurology residency program achieved new heights. After receiving full accreditation all six residents in the program were ranked in the top fifth percentile of their peers nationwide for their performance on the annual in-service neurology examination which tests their knowledge in neurology.
The Masters of Public Health program has matriculated more than 100 students into the joint UNMC-UNO MPH Program. The program now has 65 active students; about half matriculated through UNMC, making it one of the largest UNMC graduate programs.
On the Second/Summer Trimester National Board of Pharmacy Examination (NAPLEX), graduates of the Class of 2004 ranked 12th of the 85 colleges and schools taking the national board examination. UNMC pharmacy students’ average score also was above the national average.
College of Nursing:
- Saw an increase in undergraduate applications of 7.2 percent and enrollment 11.7 percent in 2004-2005.
- Offered 68 courses by distance education technology to students in 88 geographic sites.
- Received $1.79 million in HRSA funding for accelerated baccalaureate in nursing program designed for second degree students fast-tracked to career change.
- Achieved a ranking of 39th out of 260 master’s programs in the country in the annual review published by US News and World Report.
- Moved its Lincoln Division to new state-of-the-art space in downtown Lincoln, after 30 years on the UNL campus.
An MMI long-term LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) trainee was nationally recognized for her leadership as a “Presidential Fellow.”
MMI initiated the Mid-America Genetics Education Consortium (MAGEC) using telecommunications technology to train genetic counselors in Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Continuing Education:
- Developed multiple Institutional Research extract programs for student data, which provides common facts and figures regarding an institution.
- Completed the Online Evaluation System enabling students to complete course and faculty evaluations.
Public Affairs:
- Developed and executed a coordinated image campaign – reached 2.8 million people with the radio campaign.
- Redesigned the UNMC website, which received 3.97 million visits in FY 2004-05, a 71 percent increase over 2003-04. Visits to the student home page have grown to 246,228 in FY 2004-05, a 56 percent increase over 2003-04.
- Reported 3,923 media placements for 2004-05, a 37 percent increase over 2003-04. This resulted in a conservative estimate of advertising equivalency of more than $3.4 million.
- Delivered Mini-Medical School to 3,396 Nebraskans.
Rural Health Education Network:
- Procured five-year funding from NIH to increase student retention in the K-8 on the Indian reservations in Nebraska and South Dakota.
- Developed and conducted successful secondary science teacher weeklong workshop for 19 rural science teachers.
Graduate Studies’ Summer Research program for undergraduate students received a record 500-plus applications for 125 available slots.
The Nebraska Public Health Lab has developed a chemical terrorism preparedness section that can rapidly detect and analyze agents that may be used in a chemical terrorist attack.
UNMC and the University of Nebraska partnered with five Historically Black Colleges and Universities, a leading Virginia community college, and Virginia Commonwealth University to form the Virginia-Nebraska Alliance, a program to provide a multitude of academic and research opportunities for minority undergraduate students and faculty.
UNMC received a five-year, nearly $2 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to educate and train health professionals and faculty across the state in geriatrics and gerontology.
Research
The College of Dentistry ranked 24th out of the 56 U.S. dental schools in NIH grant funding for Federal FY 2004.The UNMC Eppley Cancer Center’s 2004-2005 grants totaled more than $55 million – a 15 percent increase over last year’s total of nearly $48 million.
In FY 04/05, Eppley Institute faculty received more than $3.5 million in new extramurally funded grants.
The UNMC Eppley Cancer Center held two record-breaking fund raising events: the Ambassador of Hope Gala and the 2005 Cattlemen’s’ Ball, which raised more than $1.1 million for cancer research.
Community Partnership completed a two-year research project, Physically Healthy and Toned Kidz, to examine the incidence and prevalence of obesity in children and youth in Omaha.
The PHAT and Fabulous Program received funding that will address healthy lifestyle choices for 100 adults and will assist participants to focus on wellness, improve understanding of proper nutrition and exercise, and provide educational opportunities to learn about specific health issues facing vulnerable populations.
McGoogan Library:
- Expanded resources by licensing Web of Science.
- Licensed and provided access to more than 3,500 full-text electronic journals including high impact titles in the basic sciences.
Program Project Grant, “Neural Control of Cardiovascular Function in Heart Failure” was renewed in the amount of $10.6 million for five years.
The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, in partnership with UNL, received a $4.7 million grant funded by the National Science Foundation EPSCoR for nutritional genomics, in order to better understand the relationship between diet and disease
Health Services Research
- Successfully re-competed for a second four-year cycle of funding for the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis — $525,000 per year.
- Secured a competitive grant from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, 2 years at $300,000 per year for project to improve patient safety in small rural hospitals.
Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy received a $13.4 million grant to support the Nebraska INBRE Program, which provides support to Nebraska colleges to promote entry of students into biomedical research careers.
Orthopaedic Surgery received seven research contracts totaling over $327,000 from five different international companies, for cutting edge laboratory research and testing of joint replacement implant performance and durability, and for development of new advanced surgical technologies.
The Maternal Care Program, a federally and state funded block grant program, in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is finishing its 40th consecutive year.
The CON is ranked 25th out of 96 Schools of Nursing in NIH funding for research for fiscal year 2004 and each of the college’s four Divisions has one or more federally-funded research studies underway.
CON awarded $3.451 million in research and training funding; this represents an increase of 1.9 percent in external funding.
MMI received extramural funding of over $7.5 million during the 2004-05 fiscal year. The funding came from diversified sources including 29 percent from federal sources, 25 percent from state sources, 25 percent from local sources and 21 percent from foundations and other private sources.
The Research Support System (RSS) was expanded to include the Comparative Medicine Management System, a research space tracking application, e-mail notifications for IBC renewals and training, and the combined UNMC-UMA salaries view application.
Research Administration Systems were expanded to include a research space tracking application and e-mail notifications for IBC renewals and training.
$445,521 was generated by eight grants to advance health workforce assessment.
UNMC received $3.15 million in Congressional Directives for Fiscal Year 2006. Since 2001, UNMC’s annual average of Congressionally Directed funds is $2.33 million.
Community Partnerships
COD continued to provide no fee care for underserved adults in Lancaster County in partnership with the Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department Outreach Program. Since 2001 the College has provided care valued at nearly $400,000 for underserved adults through this program.COD continued its tradition of providing free dental care to low-income children by organizing and sponsoring Dental Day VII, which was held in February 2005 at the College, and Dental Day VIII, which was held in June 2005 in Alliance, Nebraska. Over the past four years the College has provided dental services valued at more than $550,000 to underserved children from rural Nebraska.
COD continued its partnership with the Hope Medical Outreach Coalition to place sealants and fluoride treatments and provide dental healthcare information to second and third graders in five Omaha Public Schools. In the past four years more than $160,000 in services have been provided to OPS children.
In FY 04/05, faculty and students from the Eppley Institute’s Cancer Research Graduate Program (CRGP) conducted scientific seminars at 18 regional universities and colleges, including five institutions in Nebraska. The purpose of the seminars is to introduce undergraduate students to the possibility of pursuing a career in biomedical research.
The UNMC Cancer Center, in collaboration with The Nebraska Medical Center and the UNMC College of Nursing Mobile Nursing Unit, conducted more than 10,000 cancer screenings throughout the state.
Radio Lobo Tobacco Talk Show, a weekly one-hour show presented on Omaha’s only Spanish language station, was initiated through the Tobacco Free Nebraska grant in response to the lack of culturally tailored education about tobacco use effects and the deaths and health related toll among Hispanic/Latino population.
UNMC-Omaha Public Schools partnerships were developed: a) for a health awareness program for 4th grade students at Walnut Hill elementary school which serves African-American, Sudanese and Hispanic students; and b) to establish a health clinic at Liberty Elementary School where 97 percent of students come from households with an annual income level under the US poverty guidelines, and a full 60 percent speak English as their second language.
The Library received a Blue Ribbon award from the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science for CHIRS, the library’s outreach program to Nebraska residents.
CON and COM were selected by AAMC and RWJ as one of 22 “Academic Chronic Care Collaborative” sites to develop and test a model of inter-professional training and care delivery to patients with diabetes.
CON opened the Morehead Center for Nursing Practice as the coordinating body for the College’s nurse-managed clinics.
MMI developed an interdisciplinary assessment clinic for individuals with autism spectrum disorders in collaboration with area public schools.
Rural Behavioral Health clinics were expanded into four additional sites in Chadron, Crawford, Gordon and Kearney. The number of rural patient visits to these clinics increased by 20 percent.
Health Professions Tracking Center formed a long-term partnership with the Wyoming Health Care Commission to develop a health professional tracking system for the State of Wyoming.
The Panhandle AHEC was established, making it the third AHEC in Nebraska.
Alumni Affairs initiated a UNMC Physical Therapy Alumni chapter in collaboration with the School of Allied Health and Physical Therapy.
HPTC strengthened Nebraska’s rural agro-security efforts by expanding the current database for immediate notification and communication between agricultural and health/state officials.
Preventive and Societal Medicine received a two-year, $600,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQP) to allow them to expand their work in small rural hospitals related to preventing medication errors.
UNMC received a $5 million gift from Dr. Leland and Dorothy Olson to create Omaha’s first comprehensive outpatient center focused exclusively on women’s health.
Cultural Competence
COD was one of four dental schools in the U.S. to be awarded funding from the American Medical Student Association to incorporate cultural competency education into their student curriculum through the “Achieving Diversity in Medicine and Dentistry” project.Eppley Cancer Center members supported 6 summer interns through a Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE) grant from the Comprehensive Minority Biomedical Program (CMBP) of the National Cancer Institute.
The UNMC Eppley Cancer Center established a collaborative relationship with My Sister’s Keeper, a support group for African American breast cancer survivors, and with One World Community Health Center in order to develop culturally sensitive programs for cancer patients and survivors.
UNMC Training of Trainers in Cultural Competence graduated eighteen new trainers in June 2005 from its intensive training workshop consisting of over 55 hours of cultural competency content.
MMI’s validation of comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) microarray and chromosome CGH techniques for clinical diagnosis of small genetic duplications/deletions in individuals with birth defects, developmental delays and other microdeletion/duplication syndromes was completed. MMI Human Genetics Laboratory is one of three laboratories currently enrolled in a clinical trial for obtaining FDA approval for widespread use.
Community Partnership assisted in planning, developing and funding the International Family Center, an international daycare center, to respond to the cultural and linguistic needs of the African refugee population in Omaha. Clients primarily have Sudanese and Somali-Bantu backgrounds.
The Library produced “Following the Clues: A Visit to the Doctor and a Visit to the Library,” an educational video for diverse grade school students. The video will be distributed in four languages: English, Spanish and two Sudanese dialects.
Minority Health Education and Research Office (MiHERO) has funded “Patient-Physician Communication in Minority Health” project. The results will guide the development of a training program to improve residents’ cultural awareness, and improve their communication skills with minority patients.
UNMC’s partnership with Dillard University has been further developed and two students enrolled in fall 2005 entering class.
CON and the Al-Zaytoonah Private University of Jordan established an affiliation to advance nursing education in Jordan and the Arab region.
MMI clinical intake forms and the MMI brochure have been translated into Spanish. Additional signage in the building was also added in Spanish. Within departments, new patient information and brochures have been translated into Spanish.
Rural Health Education Network graduated its first class of Hispanic medical interpreters through support received by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Jobs@ system in Human Resources increased number of overall applications and the number of under-represented applications by 1,064; increased under-represented hires by 42.
New Technologies
COD’s largest clinic was renovated in the summer of 2004 to provide a “state of the art” patient treatment and simulation clinic. The orthodontic clinic was modernized in a similar fashion. One hundred and seventy-five new dental delivery units were installed throughout the College and in all COD Omaha clinics.The Orthodontics Section of the Department of Growth & Development implemented electronic orthodontic records and electronic models through the OrthoCad computerized program for all patients assigned to residents.
Eppley Cancer Center developed the Nebraska Early Detection-Informatics Technology (NEED-IT) Project. NEED-IT is a statewide lung cancer screening project in Nebraska that will represent a multi-tiered effort involving public and private partnerships between the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center, hospitals located throughout Nebraska, the Nebraska Health and Human Services System (NEHHSS) and computer and imaging companies.
The Library received a two-year, $280,000 IAIMS (integrated advanced information management systems) planning grant from the National Library of Medicine.
Department of Orthopaedics received the American Society of Testing and Materials “Robert Fairer Award” for “. great contributions to the development of medical device and materials standards.”
ITS successfully designed a robust, reliable and redundant infrastructure for the new state of the art data center. The new data center will position UNMC with a competitive advantage for campus and regional strategic initiatives, as well as for compliance and accreditation requirements.
ITS provided a leadership role in the development of the Nebraska Telehealth Network and currently serves as one of eight hub sites bringing together an interconnected network of hospitals to provide new and expanded capabilities and access to the Hospitals of Nebraska and the patients and communities they serve.
ITS expanded UNMC’s dynamic technology infrastructure to provide voice and data services to the Nebraska Poison Control Office at 84th and Dodge, the UMA Human Resources Department at 44th and Center, the FACT (Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy) office at 69th and Dodge, and the Potter House as the Designer Showcase House.
Employee Loyalty
The College of Dentistry initiated an extensive and multi-faceted Organizational Performance Improvement Program under the guidance of The Gallup Organization.The College of Dentistry formed a new faculty-staff committee called “NUCare” which is implementing programs to strengthen quality, professionalism, respect, diversity and trust among all the college’s employees.
The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology began two internal employee recognition programs called “The Extra Mile Award” to honor extraordinary effort for our customers and “Getting to Know You,” a personal look at all our employees.
General Surgery continues to offer “Lunch ‘N Learn” sessions for employees on areas of interest. To date, five sessions have been offered with generally good attendance and positive comments.
The second annual Employee Satisfaction Survey was completed in fall 2004. Survey results tracked very closely with the first (2002) survey, which had overall positive responses in each of the categories surveyed (Organizational Commitment and Credibility, Rewards and Opportunities, Supervisory Competence, Work Environment and Workplace Relationships), with no significant differences between demographic subgroups. An aggregate scoring mechanism was implemented to assist in comparison of responses across organizational units.
UNMC has partnered with Joslyn Art Museum to offer employees free family memberships to the museum.