{"id":90921,"date":"2022-09-08T23:02:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-09T04:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=90921"},"modified":"2022-09-08T20:04:20","modified_gmt":"2022-09-09T01:04:20","slug":"recruiting-from-a-position-of-strength","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2022\/09\/08\/recruiting-from-a-position-of-strength\/","title":{"rendered":"Recruiting from a position of strength"},"content":{"rendered":"
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UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, said UNMC has been very fortunate, over the past decade, to have a \u201ctremendous amount of stability\u201d within its leadership ranks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, Dr. Gold said, UNMC has had only one dean change and one vice chancellor change during his eight-plus years at the helm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The changes that UNMC is experiencing now are not surprising, he said, noting the average turnover for many of these leadership positions is 3.5 to four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTransitions are hard \u2026 especially when they are grouped together as they are now,\u201d he said during the all-campus forum on Tuesday, Sept. 6. \u201cI have a great deal of confidence in our search process. None of these are \u2018fixer-upper opportunities.\u2019 In each, we\u2019re looking to recruit from a position of strength, and we\u2019ll deal with the transitions as they occur.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Members of the medical center community can view the forum<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Searches currently are underway for several deans who either have announced plans to retire or been recruited for opportunities elsewhere. Earlier this year, UNMC hired Anne Barnes as its new vice chancellor for business, finance and business development, and last week Ken Bayles, PhD, was named the new vice chancellor for research<\/a>, pending approval by the NU Board of Regents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Bayles is a professor in the UNMC Department of Pathology and Microbiology, associate vice chancellor for basic science research at UNMC and associate vice chancellor for research and creative activity at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Pending approval, he will assume the vice chancellor\u2019s duties on Oct. 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Succession planning and leadership development, Dr. Gold said, are part of UNMC\u2019s strategic planning process and have been for most of the past decade. \u201cI have a lot of confidence moving forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finalists brought to campus, regardless of the search, are talented individuals, he said, but as important to the hiring process is the culture fit, innovation and willingness to look at the med center as a family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COVID-19, monkeypox updates<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the new school year and increased density on campus, UNMC\u2019s COVID-19 case numbers, which had been flat, have increased slightly, said Jane Meza, PhD, interim executive director for health security for UNMC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Said Dr. Gold, \u201cCOVID is still clearly in our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, UNMC\u2019s campus COVID-19 guidelines remain unchanged, Dr. Meza said, although leaders continue to evaluate the data to see whether masking adjustments can be made without creating confusion, especially given that patient-facing spaces require masking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Updated COVID-19 bivalent boosters now are available to everyone ages 12 and up, Dr. Meza said. These updated boosters offer protection against the latest omicron variants of BA.4 and BA.5, plus the original COVID-19 strain. Nebraska Medicine will offer the updated booster<\/a> to the med center community as soon as supply is available \u2013 likely within a few weeks, she said. Watch UNMC Today for details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, updates are being made to the 1-Check app, developed specifically for the medical center community, to allow for info on influenza, photo recognition of monkeypox rash and the ability to capture bivalent booster info, Dr. Gold said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch the informational session on monkeypox that medical center experts recently gave to state lawmakers.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Gold noted the importance of destigmatizing conversations around monkeypox and encouraged individuals with confirmed exposures or those at high risk to get vaccinated. Anyone with symptoms or who may have been exposed should contact Employee Health or Student Health to arrange for testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other matters, Dr. Gold:<\/p>\n\n\n\n