The Leland J. and Dorothy H. Olson Center for Women’s Health Board, led by Carl Smith, MD, Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, consists of:
- Karen Olson, MD (retired)
- Nancy Olson
- David Olson, MD (retired)
- Kendra Swanson, MD
- Gail Walling-Yanney, MD (retired)
- Jennifer Larsen, MD, Vice-Chancellor for Research, UNMC
- Donald Gibbens, MD
The mission of the Olson Center is to provide a national comprehensive health science center at UNMC for women, focusing on women’s health issues and new frontiers of science, medicine, and nursing practice related to health care for women. In its 27-year history, the Olson Center has made a tremendous impact on the health of women in the region, providing seed research grants, bridge grants, funding for novel clinical and education programs, residency support, and enabling the hiring of talented individuals to uphold its mission. It has established a legacy of philanthropy that has had a long-reaching effect on UNMC and those it serves.
Projects or Positions Approved for Funding, FY 19-20 and 20-21:
- Director support, Dr. John Davis
- Women’s Health Resource Center, Lana Molczyk
- Hiring package, Dr. So-Youn Kim (3 years)
- Communications Specialist, Noelle Blood
- Resident CME/Travel Fund, Dr. Jennifer Griffin
- SonoSim ultrasound training system – Residents, Dr. Jennifer Griffin
- The Olson Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Dr. John Davis
- Digital Imaging Research Equipment system, Drs Davis, Roy, Kim
- Fetal and Neonatal Loss Bereavement Program, Dr. Teresa Berg
- Sonohysterography Education Program, Dr. Sonja Kinney
- Ovarian Cancer Patient Care Packages, Dr. Kerry Rodabaugh
- Continence Education in the Community, Dr. Jennifer Cera
- Co-located Psychiatry Consultative Services, Olson Center, Dr. Howard Liu
- Reserve for recruitment of a 5th Principal Investigator
- Tissue Culture Equipment, Drs. Davis, Roy, Kim
- Research Administrator, Carrie Drummond
- Instructional Designer, Jami Monico
- Seed Research Project: “Bariatric Meal Replacement Program for Morbidly Obese Pregnant Patients”, Dr. Sonja Kinney
- Seed Research Project: “Role of CBX Family Proteins in Uterine Fibroid Proliferation and Fibrosis”, Dr. Jitu George
- Seed Research Project: “Nature or Nurture: The Epigenetics of Aging in the Response to FSH Glycoforms”, Dr. John Davis
- Seed Research Project: “Mechanism of overproduction of activin beta A in pancreatic cancer: future direction for cancer cachexia therapy”, Dr. So-Youn Kim
- Olson Classroom Upgrade for telecast capabilities, Dr. Carl Smith
- Genetic Counselor support for hereditary cancer clinic, Brittani Bowman
- P50 Grant Support – External Scientific Advisory Board meeting, Dr. John Davis
- Physician Faculty Support – RVU buydown for clinical research endeavors, Dr. Carl Smith
In total, the approved budget for FY20-21 is $1.15 million, with 42% allocated to research, 42% allocated to education, 11% allocated to administrative support, and 4% going towards novel clinical activity.