Charity Evans, MD, professor in the UNMC Department of Surgery and chief of the UNMC Division of Acute Care Surgery, has been named the inaugural Ellen and Stavely Wright Professor in Acute Care Surgery at UNMC.
The named professorship was established by the Wrights, who live in Omaha. Stavely Wright was treated by the trauma team at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine in 2017 after he was thrown from his horse while moving cattle, suffering a broken neck on his ranch in Arthur County, Nebraska.
“Stavely has made a complete recovery considering the severity of his injuries. We are privileged to create the first endowed professorship in acute care surgery in gratitude for the exceptional care provided by the trauma team,” Ellen and Stavely Wright said in a statement. “This professorship will recognize Dr. Charity Evans’ outstanding leadership while supporting future generations of surgeon leaders to ensure the highest quality care for trauma patients.”
Dr. Evans expressed deep gratitude to the Wright family for their extraordinary generosity and commitment to advancing trauma care. “This gift is not only an investment in the division of acute care surgery but also in the lives of patients across Nebraska,” she said.
Dr. Evans said the Wrights’ gift will impact many lives, with the funding allowing her to recruit and retain top faculty members, support top surgeons through education opportunities for new technologies and techniques, and expand research opportunities that will lead to cutting-edge clinical interventions within the division.
“I couldn’t be more proud of Dr. Evans and the extraordinarily talented group of faculty, staff and house officers on her team,” said David Mercer, MD, chair of the UNMC Department of Surgery. “She is greatly deserving of this honor, and this professorship will benefit the division by adding prestige and support for strategic initiatives, faculty development, fellow, resident and student education as well as support for basic, clinical and translational research.”
Dr. Evans said the gift’s impact will extend far beyond the division, benefiting people across Nebraska.
“Trauma care and emergency general surgery is something you don’t think about — until the moment you need it. And when that moment comes, it becomes one of the most important things in your life,” she said. “Trauma remains the leading cause of death for individuals age 44 and younger. It is a deeply vulnerable and frightening time — someone’s entire world has been suddenly and unexpectedly disrupted by injury. In those moments, having a highly trained team, advanced resources and a system built for rapid, expert care can make all the difference.”
Dr. Evans noted that because the gift created an endowed fund, it will support acute care in perpetuity. The endowed professorship in the UNMC Division of Acute Care Surgery will provide an annual stipend to support the recipient’s work.
“For the Wrights to invest in faculty, in surgeons, in improving patient outcomes and providing better education to medical students, residents and fellows — a gift like this allows us to do good for more people within our community,” she said. “I’m so very thankful to them.”
The gift supports Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future, a historic effort to raise $3 billion from 150,000 unique benefactors to support the University of Nebraska. A key campaign priority is to create new endowed professorships and chairs to attract and retain preeminent educators in every field.