Dr. Shaw to step down as surgery chair to lead new project

Bud Shaw, M.D.

Bud Shaw, M.D., the founder of UNMC’s world-renowned solid organ transplant program, will step down as chairman of the department of surgery at the end of June.

Dr. Shaw, who has served as surgery chairman since 1997, will move on to become medical director of the Advanced Clinical Applications Project — a joint venture between UNMC, UNMC Physicians and The Nebraska Medical Center that aims to implement electronic documentation tools to improve patient care and research.

Dr. Shaw will continue to serve as surgery chairman on an interim basis for the remainder of the year as a national search is conducted for his replacement.

Dr. Shaw outside the office Bud Shaw, M.D., is known in the workplace as one of the world’s leading surgeons. Out of the office, Dr. Shaw is known for his many passions including cycling, writing and photography. In 2002, after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Dr. Shaw and UNMC’s James Armitage, M.D., one of the world’s leading lymphoma experts, cycled more than 70 miles to raise thousands of dollars for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Dr. Shaw has been cancer free for more than five years. His penchant for writing was most recently expressed in his participation in the Seven Doctors Project, which paired seven UNMC physician/writers with seven Omaha-area writers for an eight-week workshop experience. During a reading that capped the project, Dr. Shaw read a chapter from a short story he wrote about a surgeon obsessed with getting on National Public Radio’s “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross. The section he read included a humorous scene in which the surgeon listens to the radio show while operating on a patient and becomes agitated that Gross features an obviously inferior medical professional — a veterinarian. Perhaps distracted by the radio interview, the surgeon soon finds himself having to deal with some unexpected bleeding, which, to the relief of his queasy medical student, he quickly controls. Dr. Shaw swears the scene is in no way autobiographical.

“Bud’s contributions to UNMC over the past 23 years have been instrumental in UNMC’s growth into a major medical center,” said John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the College of Medicine. “His skill and vision helped to make the transplant program a world leader and his department is known for its quality clinical service, as well as excellent research and education programs.”

The time was right to step down, Dr. Shaw said, noting that he took the chairman’s job with the understanding that he’d serve in the role for a maximum of five years.

“So here it’s been 12 years and I’m still here,” Dr. Shaw said with a laugh.

Dr. Shaw will remain active in the department and will continue to see patients and do surgery. By stepping down, Dr. Shaw will have time to focus more on the electronic documentation project, which he has been working on in some capacity since 1992.

“The time is right for us now to put more emphasis on this project and I felt I couldn’t give this project the attention it needs while also serving as chairman,” Dr. Shaw said.

Dr. Shaw came to UNMC from the University of Pittsburgh in 1985 to start the medical center’s liver transplant program. Under his leadership, the liver program became one of the world’s best, the kidney transplant program expanded and new services were added for pancreas, small bowel and heart transplants.

A testament to the transplant team’s importance to UNMC — and indirectly to Dr. Shaw as the program’s founder — is the Lied Transplant Center. The 14-level tower on Emile Street has provided transplant patients and their families a unique level of support.

Dr. Gollan said that as chairman of the surgery department, Dr. Shaw has helped recruit and nurture many UNMC faculty leaders who have become leading experts in their fields.

An example of this would be Dr. Shaw’s involvement in the recruitment of Dmitry Oleynikov, M.D., whose arrival has made UNMC a major player in the world of robotic surgery.

Serving as surgery chairman has been a rewarding experience, Dr. Shaw said, noting that he feels the department’s faculty is prepared to be successful for years to come.

“I feel very good about the progress we have made and the large number of wonderful young faculty we now have in the department,” Dr. Shaw said.

The Ohio native earned his bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, and his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He did a surgical residency at the University of Utah and spent four years in the surgery department at the University of Pittsburgh before coming to UNMC.

What others are saying

“Bud has been an outstanding faculty member and chair of the department of surgery. He brought solid organ transplantation to UNMC and, as a result, UNMC has become internationally renowned for this work. He was also instrumental in leading the development of the Lied Transplant Center in collaboration with Dr. Michael Sorrell. Dr. Shaw also has won awards for innovations in information technology related to transplantation and now is turning his attention to innovations in information technology needed for the care of all patients. He served with distinction on the board of The Nebraska Medical Center as a founding member of that board. Meanwhile, he will continue to be a world leader in solid organ transplantation, particularly liver transplantation. Bud will always be a leader and we are delighted that he will pursue his next objectives on our faculty.” UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D.

“Bud was one of the major change agents in this university. His coming here and establishing us as a national and international leader in organ transplantation was a transforming event for UNMC. He is considered one of the greatest liver surgeons and most innovative clinical scientists in the world. He has been extraordinarily loyal to UNMC and has always handled himself with grace. I’ll never forget the excitement and pride I felt watching him perform the first liver transplant on July 18, 1985. It was an incredible event. I’m proud to have known him for 23 years, and I consider him one of my closest friends.” Mike Sorrell, M.D., professor, department of internal medicine

“Bud Shaw is a visionary and a builder. His leadership in transplantation and the use of computer applications in clinical research helped catapult UNMC into the international limelight as a world leader in these areas. The programs he built have benefited numerous Nebraskans, as well as patients around the world.” Bob Bartee, vice chancellor for external affairs

“Dr. Shaw once wrote that he came to Omaha for the beaches! But what I think he meant is he came to Omaha to help the waves of patients and families in need of expert, professional and compassionate care. I remember when our first transplant patient arrived in Omaha very, very ill and someone suggested to Bud that maybe this wouldn’t be the ‘ideal’ first patient — maybe we should wait for someone with a better chance of survival — and Bud replied, ‘We are a transplant center. We are here to do transplants not to worry about statistics!’ That patient lived for 17 years and died from non-transplant related issues. So from the beginning Dr. Shaw has been a pioneer, advocate for patients and families, a mentor to faculty and students and a role model to those of us who are privileged to work with him on a daily basis. We are thrilled he will remain as part of our team and department and applaud his ongoing efforts to change health care for the lives of people he touches in Omaha and the ripple effect of his dedication to those around the country and world.” Laurel Williams, manager, liver and intestinal transplant coordinators

“He’s one of the people who helped change the University of Nebraska by developing one of the most successful liver transplant programs in the country. He’s a world class surgeon, but, best of all, he’s an extraordinarily nice person.” James Armitage, M.D., professor, oncology/hematology section, department of internal medicine

“Bud has a passion for superb design — whether that is software, photography, or bicycles. This passion has led to leading edge clinical software for over 15 years. I am looking forward to the creation of the ACAP team and helping translate his vision for world class clinical software into a reality.” Hubert Hickman, software development manager, department of surgery

“At the beginning of Bud’s tenure as department chair, he made the following statement during College of Medicine strategic planning: ‘As a medical center with significant investments in surgical expertise providing an essential core to our clinical, educational and research efforts, we face an interesting fork in the road of our evolution. We can either be early market consumers or we can strive to become innovators.

“Bud lives this talk in his every day walk. He challenges us all to think about our work in significant new ways. The best tribute to Bud is to jump on board and join the ride to develop computer-based, template driven tools to create medical record documents more efficiently, consistently and accurately than is feasible with either handwritten or dictated notes. The journey is bound to be rewarding!” Marsha Morien, executive director, Center for Advanced Surgical Techniques (CAST)

“Bud is a visionary who is certainly several decades ahead of his peers in understanding academic surgery. He is the reason that I came here and he is the reason that I along with other faculty have been successful in our careers. Bud has been an invaluable mentor and friend.” Dmitry Oleynikov, M.D., associate professor of surgery and director of minimally invasive surgery