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UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., right, with Dr. Todd Sorensen, CEO of Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff during the annual UNMC leadership tour on Monday. |
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Kyle Meyer, Ph.D., right, associate dean of the School of Allied Health Professions, with Tyler Sexson in North Platte. Sexson is a 2003 graduate of the UNMC Physical Therapy program who now is co-owner of Sandhills Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation in North Platte. |
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Keith Mueller, Ph.D., associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Public Health, and College of Medicine Dean John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D., enjoy an ice cream break during the annual UNMC leadership tour. |
Last Friday — which seems like 20 minutes ago — I was in the administration center parking lot helping business continuity manager Rick Boldt inspect three rental mini-vans to be used to take Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., and other UNMC leaders to western Nebraska for the annual leadership tour.
Next thing I know it’s Thursday and I’m in the new Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education snapping pictures of Omaha philanthropists Ruth and Bill Scott after the Sorrell Center dedication ceremony.
Sandwiched between those two moments is a roughly 1,000-mile barnstorming tour of Nebraska, a beautiful ceremony to honor the donors who made the Sorrell Center possible and a dedication to commemorate the opening of the new building.
I swear, it seemed every time I looked up this week — whether it was in Scottsbluff or the Sorrell Center — Dr. Maurer was warming a crowd of people with humor before discussing the latest developments at the medical center.
The leadership tour kicked off Monday with the first stop in Lexington at the Tri-County Hospital. About 40 hospital and community members gathered to hear from UNMC’s leaders. Large crowds also met the UNMC contingent at stops in North Platte and Scottsbluff on Monday and Chadron, Alliance, Sidney and Ogallala on Tuesday.
The annual outstate trip, Dr. Maurer said, is meant to strengthen connections between UNMC and the rest of its “500-mile campus.” It also is a chance, he said, for UNMC leaders to hear concerns and issues from several Nebraska communities.
During the Lexington stop, I listened as each leader discussed the developments in their respective areas and I was struck by just how much is going on here at the medical center.
During the tour:
- College of Medicine Dean John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D., talked about the excitement of the Sorrell Center;
- College of Dentistry Dean John Reinhardt, D.D.S., discussed the success of UNMC’s dental students;
- Kyle Meyer, Ph.D., associate dean for the School of Allied Health, described the school’s strong academic and distance education programs;
- Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Rubens Pamies, M.D., talked about UNMC’s student recruiting efforts and urged the folks in western Nebraska to start young when urging their youngsters to consider health care career. “Start when they’re still in diapers,” Dr. Pamies said during one of the stops.
- UNMC Eppley Cancer Center Director Ken Cowan, M.D., Ph.D., talked about the vital role western Nebraska has played in supporting research at the cancer center and noted that outstate communities often host major fundraisers, such as the Cattlemen’s Ball, that raise money for cancer research;
- College of Pharmacy Dean Courtney Fletcher, Pharm.D., talked about how the college was excited to celebrate 100 years of pharmacy education in Nebraska, noting that the University of Nebraska School of Pharmacy first opened in 1908;
- Keith Mueller, Ph.D., associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Public Health provided an update on the progress the college has made in its first two years, including the addition of several faculty members and new Ph.D., programs;
- Mike Leibowitz, Ph.D., interim director of the Munroe-Meyer Institute, provided an update on the newest developments at MMI, including UNMC’s efforts to treat autism and feeding disorders; and
- Vice Chancellor for External Affairs Bob Bartee discussed UNMC’s roughly $1.5 billion annual impact on the state’s economy.
It was like reading a month’s worth of UNMC Todays in about an hour.
It was more of the same at each stop as the UNMC team met with large and attentive audiences and discussed campus developments and local health care issues such as retention and recruitment.
Meanwhile, back at the UNMC ranch, the buzz about the Sorrell Center grew exponentially by the hour. People from all over campus made final preparations to open up the College of Medicine’s new home.
Wednesday featured plenty of preparation for the donor event. The folks up here in the public affairs department were coming and going from the fifth floor of Swanson Hall like it was Grand Central Station.
As the tours started on Wednesday evening, the most common refrains from the donors and their guests were “ooh,” and “amazing,” and “isn’t it beautiful?” The shiny new building with the cutting-edge technology, architecture and original art had lived up to the hype.
Such refrains continued on Thursday morning as members of the campus community toured the new building after a ribbon-cutting for the new building.
As I heard comments about how beautiful the building and various ceremonies were, I thought about those behind the scenes, and particularly some folks who work right down the hall from me.
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Ruth Scott shares a laugh with UNMC’s David O’Dell, M.D., in the new Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education. Scott and her husband, Bill, donated the lead gift that made construction of the new building possible. |
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Dr. William and Marilou Nash stop for a photo outside the Sorrell Center classroom that bears their name. |
Such events showcase their talents in a serious way and I want to recognize them publicly for all they do out of the limelight.
On Thursday, as I headed back toward my office through the walkway that connects the Sorrell Center to Wittson Hall — UNMC’s future to its past if you will — I tried to figure out where my past week went.
Then I stopped, thanked God for Friday and continued walking through the Durham Outpatient Center. As I left the building and turned toward Swanson Hall, I caught a glimpse of the Research Center of Excellence II, which is rapidly coming into shape.
Looks to me like we might be opening that one up soon, too. Could be any day now.