College of Medicine

- Admissions Overview
- - MD Program
    UNMC's rigorous academics, diverse clinical experiences and supportive environment put you on the path to becoming a skilled, compassionate physician.
  - How to Apply
    UNMC prepares medical degree students to meet the needs of patients through clinical practice, biomedical science and research, problem-solving and compassion.
  - Contact Us
    Review contact information for the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs in the College of Medicine at UNMC.
  - Verification and State Licensure
    Review opportunities for state licensure following completion of the MD program in the College of Medicine at UNMC.
- - MD-MBA Program
    A combined MD-MBA degree equips you with the tools you need to become highly skilled in both management and medicine.
  - MD-MPH Program
    Pursue your passion for public health and medicine with a combined MD-MPH and help solve complex health problems.
  - MD-PhD Program
    Do you have a passion for caring for patients and for research? Consider the dual MD-PhD degree.
- Education Overview
- - Curriculum
    Our curriculum produces physicians whose foundation in basic, clinical, and health systems sciences prepare them to promote health and reduce patient suffering.
  - Graduation Requirements
    Review requirements for students pursuing an MD at the UNMC College of Medicine to graduate and receive their degree.
  - Objectives
    The objectives of UNMC's medical degree program are to prepare you for success in primary care or specialty fields.
  - Service Learning
    Active participation in community service provides critical opportunities to apply skills and knowledge gained in medical school and develop a sense of empathy.
- - Enhanced Medical Education
    Enhanced Medical Education Tracks offer medical students an opportunity to perform an in-depth study of an interdisciplinary field of medicine.
  - MD Honor’s Thesis Program
    The MD honors thesis encourages students to engage in scientific research during medical education and become eligible to graduate with honors.
- Research Overview
- Internal Grants
  The College of Medicine has a variety of research-related grant and award opportunities available to UNMC faculty.
- Comparative Effectiveness Research
  The Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) program identifies knowledge gaps in the effectiveness of clinical care and improves CER in these areas.
- Great Plains IDeA-CTR
  The Great Plains IDeA-CTR is a collaborative effort between nine regional institutions that provides training, resources. and funding to regional researchers.
- Research and Development Committee
  The Research and Development Committee handles funding opportunities for faculty, including the Bridge Funding program, and student research opportunities.
- Student Opportunities
  The College of Medicine provides a variety of research opportunities for both current and prospective UNMC students.
- Residencies & Fellowships Overview
- Graduate Medical Education Programs
  UNMC's dozens of programs--including nearly 20 in internal medicine--allow residents and fellows a variety of specialties.
- House Officer Resources
  Find information for residents and fellows, including salaries, benefits and nearby housing.
- House Officer Wellness
  Wellness resources for residents and fellows include an assistance program and a private wellness lounge.
- Research
  We aim to facilitate house officers’ involvement in research in the areas of patient safety, quality improvement, healthcare disparities and education research.
- Salary and Benefits
  Paid vacation and professional leave, health insurance and meal allowances are just a few of the benefits residents receive in addition to their yearly salary.
- Contact Us
  Reach out to the Graduate Medical Education office for information about benefits, contracts, orientation or graduation.
Departments

Christopher L Shaffer, PhD, MS

Director of the Pharmacogenetics Program, Department of Pediatrics
Interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, UNMC College of Pharmacy
Director, Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology Program, Child Health Research Program (CHRI)
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, Munroe-Meyer Institute

Christopher Shaffer

Research Interests

Dr. Shaffer’s is Director of the Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology Program within the Child Health Research Institute. The Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology Program translates pediatric pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and pharmacogenomic research into clinical practice. As a collaboration between the UNMC Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center and CHRI, the goal of the program is to work in partnership to study and optimize medication therapy in pediatric patients.

The Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology Program is comprised of the Pediatric Pharmacology Research Unit (PPRU), along with a Clinical Pharmacology Consult Service. The PPRU is capable of developing non-traditional drug assays, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics modeling and clinical trial design and support. The PPRU is currently working with clinicians, academic researchers, federal/industry sponsors and private donors to better understand the relationship between pharmacology and ontogeny in the pediatric patient population. In addition, the Program offers a Clinical Pharmacology Consult Service that can assist clinicians and patients that have suffered therapeutic toxicities or treatment failures. One component of this therapeutic assessment is the partnership with UNMC Genetic Medicine in the formation of the Pharmacogenetics Clinic at MMI. The clinic is a multi-disciplinary team of geneticists, genetic counselors and clinical pharmacologists who examine the relationship between genetics and pharmacology to recommend a “personalized medicine” approach for patients and clinicians.

Teaching Activities

Dr. Shaffer is course coordinator for Pharmacogenomics and Pediatrics. In addition, he provides lectures in team-taught courses in Pharmacotherapy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and other classes throughout the UNMC campus.