{"id":123108,"date":"2025-06-17T11:22:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T16:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=123108"},"modified":"2025-06-17T13:31:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T18:31:41","slug":"a-message-from-the-chair-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/06\/17\/a-message-from-the-chair-2\/","title":{"rendered":"A message from the chair"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Several years ago, a few months after moving to Omaha, my wife and I watched the local high school football team compete in a Nebraska High School State Championships quarterfinal game.\u00a0The visiting team was from a rural area in the western part of the state.\u00a0The game was played in a cold, steady rain on a windy night in November.\u00a0As the rain turned into sleet, the game came to an end and the families and students from both schools carefully made their way up the icy steps to leave the stadium.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we reached the top of the stairs I glanced over my shoulder to witness a sight that is, for me, an enduring image of Nebraska. I saw the players from the two teams in concentric circles around a coach from the losing team, each player having taken a knee, hand in hand with teammates and opponents, heads down, giving thanks for the opportunity to compete that day. I leaned over to my wife and said, \u201cthat\u2019s why we moved our family to Nebraska.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last weekend, a group of CRNAs and physicians from the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology, along with several of their children, worked at the Food Bank for the Heartland.\u00a0It was one of several groups from our department that has worked there as volunteers.\u00a0Shoulder to shoulder, our colleagues prepared food for distribution throughout Nebraska and western Iowa for neighbors in need.\u00a0As our colleagues completed their duties, they thanked the local organizers of this nonprofit, whose mission is to address food insecurity throughout the region.\u00a0For me, the experience was another enduring image of Nebraska.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are very fortunate to work at an institution whose primary mission is to provide access to health care for the people of our state. In fact, our clinicians make it possible for patients throughout the region to undergo some of the most sophisticated interventions and surgical procedures.\u00a0As the department chair, I sometimes receive letters from individuals who recognize this. A couple of weeks ago, I received a letter from a grateful patient that described the exceptional skill and compassion of one of our department\u2019s intensive care unit physicians.\u00a0The patient beautifully highlighted the clinical expertise, the work ethic, and the kindness of one of our colleagues and the critical care team that she led.\u00a0For me, the letter was yet another enduring image of Nebraska.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are very fortunate to work at an institution whose primary mission is to provide access to healthcare for the people of our state. 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