{"id":71534,"date":"2021-08-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-24T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/08\/24\/lynell-klassen-md-discusses-unmc-career\/"},"modified":"2022-08-29T17:13:33","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T22:13:33","slug":"lynell-klassen-md-discusses-unmc-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/08\/24\/lynell-klassen-md-discusses-unmc-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Lynell Klassen, MD, discusses UNMC career"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lynell Klassen, MD, Robert L. Grissom Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology\/Immunology, has retired after 48 years in academic medicine, nine of those years as the chair of the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine. Since most physicians don’t just "retire," he is helping cover a clinical practice of a colleague in town who is dealing with a medical issue and will do projects for the division from time to time.<\/p>\n

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About Dr. Klassen<\/h3>\n

Dr. Klassen received his MD from the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He completed a clinical\/research fellowship at the Arthritis and Rheumatism Branch of the National Institutes of Health with an emphasis on the pathophysiology and treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus. Dr. Klassen then returned to the University of Iowa as chief resident, fellow-associate and assistant professor. He came to UNMC in 1982 and served as founder and chief of the UNMC Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, VA Chief of Rheumatology, vice chair of medicine and VA associate chief of staff\/research. At UNMC, he initiated the experimental immunology laboratory, co-directed the bone marrow transplant program and founded the HIV Clinic. He was continuously funded from 1976-2019 by the NIH and\/or the VA to perform basic and translational research in cellular and molecular immunology. He received a 10-year NIH Method to Extend Research In Time grant, awarded for innovative research in the pathophysiology of autoimmune reactions. Dr Klassen has served on and been chair of multiple NIH peer review panels evaluating both investigator initiated and institutional center grant research proposals. He also served as a member of the NIH National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism National Advisory Council for four years. As an active American College of Rheumatology (ACR) member, Dr. Klassen served on five standing national committees, was president of the ACR Central Region and chaired the Educational Materials Committee. He was involved in curriculum development and writing for the ACR's "High Impact Rheumatology" course that was directed at primary care physicians. He was chair of the ACR Research and Education Foundation (REF) grants and awards committee and served on the executive committee of the REF board of directors. In addition, Dr. Klassen has been involved with national educational programs for the American College of Physicians (ACP) and served as its director of the Midwest Internal Medicine Board Review Course for more than 20 years. Dr. Klassen was named a master of the ACP in 2011 and a master of the ACR in 2016.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What interested you in going into medicine?<\/b><\/p>\n

Wish I had a "noble"-sounding reason. I grew up on a farm — the only boy. I could have taken over the farm, but I wanted an inside job and I was good at school\/science. When deciding whether to pursue a PhD or MD, I thought about my uncle who was a successful Kansas physician and my other three uncles who were dentists. I thought, ‘Ya know, Uncle Dan drives the nicest car with air conditioning — I’m going to be like him!"<\/p>\n

What advice would you give a new resident?<\/b><\/p>\n

It’s all about the patients — so concentrate on the patients. Being a physician is a great gig. You get to help people. Everything else is secondary.<\/p>\n

We need to teach our future physicians what an honor and privilege it is to have this job. I understand being ticked off about things that happen in the system, but the air conditioning always works and we’re well compensated. We’re lucky.<\/p>\n

What do you think about when you look back on your career in medicine? <\/b><\/p>\n

It has been both an honor and a privilege to have spent 48 years in academic medicine. I have had one of the best jobs in the world:<\/p>\n