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Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns, right, discusses emergency medicine with UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., left, and Robert Muelleman, M.D., chairman of UNMC’s emergency medicine department. |
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From left: Eppley Institute scientists Hamid Band, M.D., Ph.D., Vimla Band, Ph.D., and Dr. Maurer discuss UNMC research with Mike Johanns during his visit to the medical center on Wednesday. |
It was Johanns’ first visit to UNMC’s Omaha campus since 2002, when he was in his first term as governor. He visited the College of Dentistry in Lincoln in 2004.
On Wednesday, Johanns said he was impressed by how things had changed and by the quality of work being done at UNMC.
“Today was an opportunity to be brought up to date,” said Johanns, who noted that he was “very impressed” by the innovative research and excellent patient care he witnessed during his tour.
“I’m very proud of the work being done by UNMC’s employees,” Johanns said.
On Wednesday, Johanns got a firsthand look at UNMC’s emergency medicine department during a tour led by UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., and Robert Muelleman, M.D., professor and chairman of the emergency medicine department.
Johanns also visited the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center, where he met with the center’s director Ken Cowan, M.D., Ph.D., and breast cancer researchers Hamid Band, M.D., Ph.D., and Vimla Band, Ph.D.
The Bands — highly-touted researchers who recently came to Omaha from Northwestern University — told Johanns how UNMC’s environment of interdisciplinary cooperation and research freedom lured them to Nebraska from Northwestern.
They also said the hardworking and family-oriented atmosphere has confirmed that their choice to come to Omaha was a good one.
Johanns also was briefed by campus leaders on new UNMC initiatives and developing issues pertinent to health education, research and patient care.
Dr. Maurer thanked Johanns for taking the time to visit the medical center.
“We’ve had a long-running relationship with Secretary Johanns dating back to his days as governor,” Dr. Maurer said. “I was glad he was able to come and see what has changed and what is new at UNMC.”