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 long 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 21-22:
- Director support, Dr. John Davis
- Women’s Health Resource Center, Lana Molczyk
- Media and Communications Specialist, Rachel Slowik
- Resident CME/Travel Fund, Dr. Laura Cudzilo
- SonoSim ultrasound training system – Residents, Dr. Laura Cudzilo
- The Olson Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Dr. John Davis
- Fetal and Neonatal Loss Bereavement Program, Dr. Teresa Berg
- Sonohysterography Education Program, Dr. Melissa Mathes
- 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
- Research Administrator, Carrie Drummond
- Instructional Designer, Jami Monico
- 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
- Genetic Counselor support for hereditary cancer clinic, Brittani Bowman
- Physician Faculty Support – RVU buydown for clinical research endeavors, Dr. Carl Smith
In total, the approved budget for FY21-22 is $1.1 million, with 36% allocated to research, 45% allocated to education, 12% allocated to administrative support, and 7% going towards novel clinical activity.