{"id":129198,"date":"2026-01-28T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=129198"},"modified":"2026-01-27T14:41:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T20:41:52","slug":"mary-petersen-to-retire-from-unmc-after-30-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2026\/01\/28\/mary-petersen-to-retire-from-unmc-after-30-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Mary Petersen to retire from UNMC after 30 years\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Mary Petersen,\u00a0research nurse coordinator for the UNMC Division of Infectious Diseases,\u00a0plans to retire on Feb. 1, after\u00a030 years of working at UNMC.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Petersen has held many roles in her nursing career at UNMC, which began in 1986 as a clinical nurse specialist. She was the director of continuing nursing education from 1990 to 1996 and then returned to UNMC in 2006. In 2023, Petersen began her current role coordinating NIH or direct-sponsored research with the division of infectious diseases.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have always enjoyed being part of an organization that is the most advanced in providing excellence in patient care,\u201d she said. \u201cBeing part of an academic medical center means providing\u00a0cutting-edge\u00a0patient care based on evidence-based research. The nurses at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine have always provided\u00a0additional\u00a0contributions to research through their unique lens and understanding of patient care,\u00a0since\u00a0they are at the bedside and see what interesting patient questions need to be answered.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Petersen, who holds\u00a0MSN,\u00a0RN\u00a0and APRN-CNS degrees,\u00a0is part of a\u00a0research team originally created by\u00a0Diana\u00a0Florescu,\u00a0MD,\u00a0former\u00a0professor\u00a0in the division of infectious diseases,\u00a0who died Jan. 27, 2023<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe passed prior to my starting date, but she built a robust team and the work has continued in her honor,\u201d she said. Carlos Gomez, MD, associate professor in the division of infectious diseases, and Anum Abbas, MD, assistant professor, now oversee the team and more than 18 research studies.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Gomez said that Petersen is consistent in her efforts to elevate the quality and impact of the team\u2019s work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Mary has been an extraordinary colleague and an integral part of our research team,\u201d he said. \u201cShe is consistently generous with her time, expertise and mentorship, and she is always willing to step in to support her colleagues. We are deeply grateful for her many years of service and leadership, and we wish her the very best in this next chapter as she enjoys well-deserved time with her family and new adventures ahead.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Petersen said she is proud of the work she\u2019s done at UNMC but is ready for the next phase in her life and is hoping for \u201ca little less work and more intentional fun\u201d as she spends time with her grandchildren and traveling.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have witnessed and been part of many changes on this campus, but my role has always involved being a patient advocate,\u201d she said. \u201cI have been proud to be part of this system of care.\u201d  <\/p>\n<\/a><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nursing\u00a0veteran\u00a0held many roles at the med center\u00a0during\u00a0her distinguished 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