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Harold M. Maurer, M.D. |
The Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce announced Monday that Dr. Maurer will be inducted into the Omaha Business Hall of Fame at a gala on Thursday, April 16.
Dr. Maurer will be honored with six others at the gala, which honors individuals whose accomplishments in business are historically significant to the development of Omaha.
“I’m tremendously honored to receive this recognition,” Dr. Maurer said. “My induction into the Hall of Fame is a testament to UNMC’s progress in becoming a world-class academic health sciences center, and is reflective of our current vitality in the city of Omaha and beyond.
“I would not be receiving this recognition without the tremendous work of UNMC faculty and staff, as well my wife Beverly’s support and tireless advocacy for UNMC.”
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- Robert D. Bates, former insurance executive, Lincoln Financial Group
business adviser and community volunteer;
- Deryl F. Hamann, senior counsel, Baird Holm LLP;
- Frank L. Hayes, president/managing director, Hayes & Associates, LLC;
- Clarence L. Landen (1898-1980), executive vice president and founder of Securities Acceptance Corp., CEO and founder of Central National Insurance Company;
- Michael Simmonds, chairman, Simmonds Restaurant Management; and
- Pamela Watanabe-Gerdes, founder and former CEO, Tender Hearts Treasures LTD., THT Designs, Inc.
After 25 years as a physician-scientist at the Medical College of Virginia, Dr. Maurer joined UNMC in 1993 as the dean of the College of Medicine. He became chancellor in 1998.
A pediatric hematologist/oncologist, Dr. Maurer is internationally known for his expertise in rhabdomyosarcoma, a fast-growing, highly malignant tumor that accounts for more than half of the soft tissue cancers in children.
He served as principal investigator of NIH research grant awards and chaired the national Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study Group for 26 years. That group has been credited with raising the cure rate from 20 to 75 percent by developing a repetitive-course, multi-agent chemotherapy treatment.
In 2003, the Children’s Oncology Group awarded Dr. Maurer with its most prestigious honor — the Lifetime Achievement Award — recognizing his leadership and contributions in this important area of cancer research. In 2008, the National Cancer Institute recognized the work of the IRSG as one of the top 28 milestones over the past 60 years in pediatric oncology.
His achievements at UNMC include leading the merger of University Hospital and Clarkson Hospital to form The Nebraska Medical Center; leading the institution to new heights of excellence in education, research and clinical care, including construction of new facilities such as the Durham Research Center and Durham Research Center II, the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education, the Hixson-Lied Center for Clinical Excellence, and several facilities that have yet to open.
In recognition of his contributions to UNMC, Omaha and the state of Nebraska, Dr. Maurer has received numerous honors and awards. In 2004, he and his wife, Beverly, were given the “People of Vision Award” by Prevent Blindness Nebraska. In 2005, he was named “Midlander of the Year” by the Omaha World-Herald and King of Ak-Sar-Ben. In 2007, he and Beverly were honored by the Omaha Press Club with its prestigious “Face on the Barroom Floor” recognition. In 2008, Dr. Maurer was given the “Men of Honor” Award from 100 Black Men of Omaha, Inc.