Kelsey Kirk UNMC strategic communications

‘State of the Institute’ highlights growth, goals at MMI

Dean and Director Karoly Mirnics, MD, PhD, spoke about primary care, clinical goals and research growth among other topics during his annual “State of the Institute” address.

Nov 11, 2025

Karoly Mirnics, MD, PhD, dean and director of the Munroe-Meyer Institute

Longtime MMI advocate was an example of giving back to community

Ron Niederhaus, a long-time member of the Meyer Foundation for Disabilities, died in October at age 79.

Nov 7, 2025

Ron Niederhaus

SOAR conference aids self-advocates

The three-day conference offered presentations led by individuals with disabilities. Topics focused on how to advocate for yourself on personal and systems levels.

Nov 6, 2025

Members of the SOAR conference planning team, back row from left: Kim Falk, Rachael Serena, Maribel Garcia, Emily Costello and Mark Shriver. Front row, from left: Kellie Ellerbusch and Melanie Davis.

Trick-or-Treat event draws largest crowd yet

The event, in its eighth year, drew its largest crowd ever with nearly 750 guests. At times, a line of costumed kiddos — and some adults — snaked around the sidewalk.

Nov 6, 2025

Adrian Mendoza, dressed as Stitch, collects candy during the Munroe-Meyer Institute's trick-or-treat event.

UNMC researchers to study obesity and its cancer risks

Mariah Jackson, PhD, and Dana Verhoeven, PhD, received grant funding from the National Institutes of Health.

Oct 27, 2025

Mariah Jackson, PhD, and Dana Verhoeven, PhD

Customized training sessions aid other educators

The goal is to continue working with early childhood centers and afterschool programs, while also expanding into new training areas and positively impacting more students.

Oct 15, 2025

Kari Price leads a training exercise at the Learning Community Center of North Omaha.

Solness helps NICU parents cope with stress, supports infant development

Cara Solness, PhD, assistant professor in the Munroe-Meyer Institute Department of Psychology, works in the NICU to help parents navigate the stressors of having their infant hospitalized.

Oct 14, 2025

Cara Solness, PhD, assistant professor in the MMI Department of Pyschology

Cornhole offers confidence, fun in new MMI league

More than a dozen teams participated in the Munroe-Meyer Institute’s unified cornhole offering through Special Olympics Nebraska.

Oct 14, 2025

Matt Frohm launches a bean bag toward a cornhole board in the gym at the Munroe-Meyer Institute.

Virtual reality offers healthy challenge to camp participants

The Munroe-Meyer Institute’s HABIT Camp brought an added element – four campers participated using brain-computer interface.

Sep 16, 2025

Connor Strobel plays a virtual reality game during HABIT camp at the Munroe-Meyer Institute. The camp is designed to allow children with cerebral palsy and other conditions to work on using both hands to complete a task in the form of play.

One in three can’t escape anxiety and depression of early sobriety

Study co-author Jennifer Blackford, PhD, suggests tracking emotions in early alcohol treatment could help prevent relapse.

Sep 8, 2025

Jennifer Blackford, PhD