UNMC ® FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS Connect WINTER 2017 RESEARCH REACHES NEW HEIGHTS UNMC Connect is the campus/alumni magazine published twice a year by the (CHANCELLOR’S PERSPECTIVE) Departments of Public Relations and Alumni Relations at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska Foundation. Issues of the magazine can be found at unmc.edu, News and Events. Permission is granted to reprint any written IMPROVING LIVES materials herein, provided proper credit is given. Direct requests to [email protected]. UNMC is accredited by The Higher Learning IS WHY WE DO RESEARCH Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC-NCA) and become eligible. A formidable challenge at enjoys full accreditation of all its professional any time, but even more so today. We were academic programs. told that it would take direct action by the We are Nebraska Medicine and UNMC. Our mission is to lead the world in Secretary of Health and Human Services transforming lives to create a healthy future and the White House, and clearing that, we for all individuals and communities through also would have to compete with other very premier educational programs, innovative prestigious East Coast academic health research and extraordinary patient care. science centers. They created a set of The University of Nebraska Medical Center critically important safety and architectural does not discriminate in its academic, employment or admissions programs, considerations, and gave us less than two and abides by all federal regulations weeks to submit a proposal. pertaining to same. In the end, we received the $19.8 UNMC Chancellor: million award from the U.S. Department of Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. Health and Human Services. Vice Chancellor for External Affairs: Yet another example in which UNMC Robert Bartee and Nebraska Medicine lead the world Alumni Relations: in transforming lives to create a healthier Catherine Mello, interim director future for all individuals and communities. Public Relations: You’ve heard me say many times Bill O’Neill, director before that research is not about getting a Karen Burbach, senior associate director n this issue of Connect we will share grant funded or re-funded. It is not about Elizabeth Kumru, publications editor examples of the momentum in our publications in prestigious and august University of Nebraska Foundation: research enterprise. journals. These are certainly worthy of Jennifer Arnold, senior director I of marketing communications And there have been many. celebration, to be sure. But this is not the Cumulatively, our UNMC researchers have finish line. Design: DAAKE been awarded a med center-record $115.1 It is the work sustained by this research million in funding in the past year. This has grant support that is important. It is that the Photography: Scott Dobry come from grants large and small. knowledge heralded in these journals could Nebraska Medicine As you will read, in early October someday improve lives for those who need University of Nebraska Foundation a team led by Matthew Rizzo, M.D., it most. UNMC PR Staff professor and chair of the department of At UNMC, research is finished only UNMC Alumni Association Board of Directors: neurological sciences, landed the largest when a discovery or innovation changes a President grant ever for UNMC – a five-year research human being’s life for the better. Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. award from the National Institutes of Vice President Health totaling nearly $20 million. William Lydiatt, M.D., ‘88 Later in October, we received the Board Members announcement that the National Center for Bradley Britigan, M.D. Health Security and Biopreparedness will Susan Christensen, D.D.S., ‘81 be housed right here on this very campus Justin Frederick, M.P.H. ‘11 Brian Hastings and will be fully supported for 25 years. Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. Joshua Hite, Pharm.D., ‘06 When this possibility arose just over UNMC Chancellor Kate Kuester, D.P.T., ‘08 two years ago, we were told that it would Krista LaBruzzo M. Patricia Leuschen, M.S., ‘74, Ph.D., ‘76 require a bipartisan majority vote in both Kyle Meyer, B.S., ‘79, M.S., ‘85, Ph.D. houses of Congress for any U.S. facility to John C. Mitchell II, M.D., ‘84 Juliann Sebastian, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N. Amy Thimm, B.S.N. ‘91 WINTER UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER 2017 (contents) FEATURES: 18 IN THE RESEARCH REACHES 18 10 TILL 2 Loop NEW HEIGHTS Drawings offer a glimpse into the mind 6 Collaboration fuels UNMC’s of someone with Alzheimer’s disease. large grants. APRIL 3 20 SCIENTIST LAUREATE BUILDS Global Center for Advanced TELEHEALTHweb SAVES LIVES RESEARCH BRIDGE extra Interprofessional Learning 10 Patients can access health care from Tammy Kielian goes where the research Groundbreaking web their home. extra unmc.edu/connect leads her. web extra APRIL 20-29 Nebraska Science Festival SUMMER PROGRAMweb HIGH HONORSweb GIVEN TO 12 extra 21 extra HIGHLIGHTS CAREER OPTIONS UNMC’S TOP INVESTIGATORS MAY 4-6 web web Expanded opportunitiesextra unmc.edu/connect mean The 2016 Distinguishedextra unmc.edu/connect Commencement ceremonies web web undergrad studentsextra can learn about all Scientists unveiled.extra health professions. MAY 27 HEISER NAME LIVES ON IN Fred & Pamela Buffett 22 Cancer Center PHARMACY STUDENTweb FINDS FITNESS FACILITY 14 extra Community open house BUILDING PERFECT FOR NEW Father, son witness opening of web GENERATION extra unmc.edu/connect renovated Center for Healthy Living. web OCT. 20 extra Cozy study nooks and patient simulation College of Nursing rooms are favorites. 100th Anniversary Gala 4 UNMC NEWS 27 CLASS NOTES 16 COLLEGE ROUNDUP 35 ONE LAST THING web extra web extra unmc.edu/connect 24 ALUMNI NEWS web extra unmc.edu/connect web extra web extra web extra unmc.edu/connect web extra FOLLOW US: instagram.com/iamunmc facebook.com/unmcedu pinterest.com/unmc twitter.com/unmc youtube.com/unmcedu (unmc news) UNMC’s opioid conference Partnership to advance called ‘unprecedented’ new drug development .S. Attorney Deb Gilg has been fighting drug addiction and its NMC and Purdue Pharma L.P., have entered into Ueffects on Nebraska communities for decades. In October, she Ua partnership to advance graduate education called the Nebraska Opioid Summit on UNMC’s Omaha campus “the and scientific research that could lead to new drug missing piece.” therapies for patients. The bringing together of law enforcement and the medical community, The alliance will promote, develop and expand with a common purpose, to fight the problem of opioid addiction stemming research and educational exchange in the neurosciences from prescription medication, “is unprecedented,” Gilg said. related to pain, the central nervous system and other The summit, “Charting the Road to Recovery; Nebraska’s Response to chronic diseases. One of the goals is to close the gap Opioid Abuse,” was hosted by UNMC, the Nebraska Attorney General, the between academic research and drug development by U.S. Attorney and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. shortening the lengthy path of drug development from More than 300 people from Nebraska’s public health, medical, and law idea to potential commercialization through workforce enforcement communities attended. development and education, as well as research. “This is a public health issue best addressed through statewide Jennifer Larsen, M.D., UNMC vice chancellor for partnerships and honest dialogue in how we treat and prevent prescription research, said the partnership signifies a commitment and illicit opioid abuse,” said UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. to identify strategies for understanding pain and “Boosting awareness of opioid use and abuse is one of the first steps.” developing new approaches or therapies for pain that avoid substance abuse as well as other types of See a photo album from the conference. neuroscience research. web extra Listen to Dr. Armstrong discuss opioid addiction. Learn more about the Dose of Reality public awareness campaign. unmc.edu/connect web extra unmc.edu/connect web extra Humans of UNMC “ umans of UNMC” is a social media feature that Hspotlights people within the UNMC community and their stories. Bruce Gordon, M.D., professor of pediatrics-hematology/oncology, shared this with “Humans of UNMC": “The majority of kids who get cancer get acute leukemia. And we are really, really good at treating and curing acute leukemia. “So if you consider the situation of a mother who has just been told the worst thing that can possibly happen in their life, their kid has cancer, and you’re able to walk in that room and tell them, ‘If we do this right, your kid has a 90 percent chance of growing up, being happy, finishing high school, dating somebody you don’t want them to date, going off to college and having kids of their own.’… Coming to Bruce Gordon, M.D. see the doctor is a scary experience, but it’s not so much if your doctor is wearing a chicken hat.” To see others in this series, follow us on web UNMC's Facebook or Instagram accounts, or 4 search #HumansOfUNMC on either platform. extra unmc.edu/connect WINTER 2017 web extra unmc.edu/connect web extra Cattlemen’s Ball raises more than $800,000 for cancer research he 2016 Cattlemen’s Ball of Nebraska, held at Trevor and Torri It features: TLienemann’s Lienetics Ranch near Princeton, Neb., raised ❚ A 10-story building with 98-laboratories named the Suzanne $805,000 for the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. and Walter Scott Cancer Research Tower; To date, the annual event has raised nearly $13 million, with 10 ❚ An eight-story, 108-bed inpatient treatment center named the percent given to local grant recipients. Last year, $89,900 went to C.L.