Dr. Maurer: strategic focus guides UNMC

Meeting video Click here to see video from the Annual Faculty Meeting.

UNMC’s roadmap is its 59-word vision statement.

Within those lines, six broad goals help guide and shape UNMC’s future.

Together with its partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, UNMC delivers state-of-the-art health care, prepares the best-educated health professionals and scientists, ranks among the leading research centers, advances its historic commitment to community health, embraces the richness of diversity to build unity and creates economic growth in Nebraska.

“Everything we do is strategic,” UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., told a Durham Research Center auditorium crowd last month. “We put our resources in strategic issues.”

Dr. Maurer’s comments were part of his Annual Faculty Meeting address. His April 29 presentation, titled “The Path to a 21st Century Leading Academic Medical Center,” explored areas of future focus, as well as UNMC’s accomplishments since Dr. Maurer took the helm in December 1998.

“This medical center has gained a phenomenal reputation,” Dr. Maurer said. “The increasing national recognition of what’s going on this campus is because of your great work. The teamwork, ‘can do’ attitude and passion — at all levels — is evident on this campus.”

He described UNMC as focused, persistent, open to big ideas, accountable and outcome-oriented, noting “if you do nothing, you have nothing.”

UNMC’s success, he said, is based on clear goals, strong community support and dedicated employees.

“UNMC is made up of great people,” Dr. Maurer said. “It’s the great people who make the difference in who we are and what we are.”

“UNMC is made up of great people. It’s the great people who make the difference in who we are and what we are.” Harold M. Maurer, M.D.

During his presentation, he also outlined a series of goals aimed at bolstering UNMC’s status among academic health science centers.

To be world-class in the clinical arena, he said, UNMC must be the premier heart center in Nebraska, develop a comprehensive cancer center and delve further into biotechnology and personalized medicine.

To be world-class in the research arena, he said, UNMC is focused on issues such as regenerative medicine, informatics and further developing its intellectual property.

To be world-class in education, he said, UNMC is focused on quality care, curriculum renewal/education and research, public health and international health.

“We have to be very clear at what we want to get done,” Dr. Maurer said.