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Scott Neumeister, M.D., with the “Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine” text book, which he has virtually memorized. Dr. Neumeister will be one of four UNMC faculty members to be honored with the Outstanding Teaching Award during the Annual Faculty Meeting on Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the Durham Research Center Auditorium. |
That’s the task the UNMC College of Medicine faced three years ago after the sudden death of LeeRoy Meyer, M.D. A faculty member for more than 35 years, Dr. Meyer was considered a legend — the man who probably had the greatest influence on more medical students than any other UNMC faculty member.
It was a devastating loss for the College of Medicine.
“We all expected LeeRoy to keep teaching for at least another 10 or 12 years,” said Scott Neumeister, M.D., associate professor in the general medicine section of the department of internal medicine. “We weren’t ready for him to go.”
Dr. Meyer’s death left a hole about the size of the Grand Canyon. But, his passing meant it was time for others to step up and fill the void.
One of the faculty members who answered the call was Dr. Neumeister. But, he had lots of help.
“No one person could take LeeRoy’s place,” he said. “I had to take on much more teaching, but lots of other faculty did, too. People like Drs. Dave O’Dell, Jennifer Parker, Jason Shiffermiller and Chad Vokoun. The list goes on. We all had to pick up the slack.”
It’s not easy replacing a legend. But, as often happens, new legends are born.
One of those new legends is Dr. Neumeister, who is one of four UNMC faculty members to receive the Outstanding Teaching Award this year. Dr. Neumeister and the others will be honored at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Annual Faculty Meeting in the Durham Research Center Auditorium.
A native of Lincoln, Dr. Neumeister earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1991 and his medical degree from UNMC in 1995. He completed his internal medicine residency at UNMC and joined the faculty in 1998.
Dr. Neumeister has quickly become a favorite among medical students and residents.
“He challenges his students to seek knowledge from every situation in which they find themselves,” said Brian Ward, M.D., a gastroenterology/hepatology fellow at UNMC. “He feels that every patient, every clinic and every conference can teach the perceptive student. I think so highly of him that I have asked him to be my own personal physician.”
Dr. Ward added that Dr. Neumeister’s “reputation as a walking text book of internal medicine was fully justified.”
On his office bookshelf, Dr. Neumeister keeps the latest volumes of “Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine.” He knows almost every page of the 2008 edition — all 2,607 of them.
Many times when he is on patient rounds with students, questions will arise. Dr. Neumeister will refer the students to specific pages of Harrison’s for the answer.
“Some things don’t stick with you unless you read them several times,” he said. “I tell the students that all you have to do is review a topic every three months for five years, and it will make perfect sense.”
Dr. Neumeister’s teaching load is massive. It’s estimated that he spends in excess of 1,000 hours annually in formal teaching settings. Each day, he is involved in small group sessions, typically involving three or four students.
He uses case studies to help make his points and gives daily quizzes to make sure medical students keep up on their readings.
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Scott Neumeister, M.D., stands next to a plaque featuring the basic rules of legendary UNMC educator, LeeRoy Meyer, M.D. Dr. Neumeister is one of the UNMC faculty members who stepped up to fill the gaping teaching void left after Dr. Meyer’s death in 2005. |
“I must say I was a bit intimidated … but that intimidation rapidly transformed to admiration. I was awe stricken by Dr. Neumeister’s ability to empower students to explore endless ideas. He creates a learning environment that engages all students and is unhurried … he is always willing to continue small group discussions until all students established an understanding for a given topic.”
Lynell Klassen, M.D., chairman of the department of internal medicine, said Dr. Neumeister is “one of the top three teachers the department has ever produced.”
Others agree. Dr. Parker, assistant professor, internal medicine, said: “I cannot overemphasize his ability to raise the bar for those of us who work with him. My own teaching skills have improved greatly by working with him and getting the opportunity to observe his talents. His dedication to lifelong learning is unparalleled.”
One way Dr. Neumeister keeps current is by taking the practice exam for second-year residents. He’s taken it 11 times and calls it “a cheap way to get ideas for teaching and to keep up on relevant topics.”
He is active in the American College of Physicians (ACP), teaching a portion of a week-long course for Midwest internists preparing for their board certification exam, while also delivering a lecture each year for the local Nebraska chapter of ACP.
When not working, Dr. Neumeister spends time with his family, which includes his wife, Amy Neumeister, M.D., an endocrinologist at UNMC, and their one-year-old identical twin boys, Josh and Jake.