Dr. David O'Dell wins National Award
(May 2021) During the 2021 Internal Medicine Meeting, Dr. O'Dell received the Jane F. Desforges Distinguished Teacher Award for 2019-2020. This national award is bestowed upon a Fellow or Master of the College who has demonstrated the ennobling qualities of a great teacher as judged by the acclaim and accomplishments of former students who have been inspired and achieved positions of leadership in the field of medical education, primarily as teachers. Dr. O’Dell has been Director of Undergraduate Education for the Department of Internal Medicine since 1991 and served as Junior Clerkship Director for many years. He has been Co-Director of the Primary Care Residency Program since 1989 and has been a long-standing member of the College of Medicine’s Curriculum Committee. He is now serving as Phase 3 Director of UNMC’s new medical school curriculum. He has been the recipient of numerous teaching awards, including multiple Golden Apple Awards, Top Teacher of Internal Medicine, Physician Teacher of the Year, Nebraska ACP Chapter’s LeeRoy Meyer Dedicated Teacher Award, and the inaugural Educator Laureate Award from UNMC.
Dr. Renuga Vivekanandan receives 2020 Walter J. O’Donohue, Jr. MD Award
(October 2020) The Walter J. O’Donohue, Jr. Award given by our Chapter honors a physician who embodies the qualities set by our late friend and colleague, an ardent supporter of the Nebraska Chapter: great leadership, scholarship and mentoring in his/her career. Dr. Renuga Vivekanandan, Assistant Dean of Strategy and Accreditation at Creighton University School of Medicine, is board certified in internal medicine and infectious disease. She serves as the Director of Hospital Epidemiology as well as the Director of Antimicrobial Stewardship for CHI Health System (which includes 14 hospitals). An Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at Creighton University, she is a sought-after mentor and collaborator with medical students, residents, and fellows. She is regionally and nationally known for her work in antimicrobial stewardship through her published works and presentations at national conferences.
Lauren Nelson, MD FACP named 2020 Early Career Physician of the Year
(October 2020) The Early Career Physician Award given by our Chapter recognizes an ACP member who has been a major contributor to the American College of Physicians, either locally or nationally, and is within sixteen years of medical school graduation. Dr. Lauren Nelson is board certified in Internal Medicine and a practicing Internist at Boys Town National Research Hospital. She graduated medical school from Northwestern University in Chicago and came to Omaha for residency at UNMC. During her medical training, she was actively engaged in various research topics including palliative and end of life care, patient safety, diabetes care and working with patients in group and individual medical visits. She led the Nebraska ACP Chapter’s Early Career Physicians Council for 3 years, working to ensure that young physicians have mentors to guide them through their career development process. She is currently a member of the National ACP Council of Early Career Physicians as well as the newly formed Committee for Physician Well-being and Professional Fulfillment.
Medical Student and Resident/Fellow 2020 Abstract Competition Winners
(October 2020) Congratulations to Dr. Anne Heenan, winner of the 2020 Nebraska Chapter resident abstract competition! She will enter her presentation “Complicated MSSA Bacteremia Following an Influenza Vaccination Site Infection” in the ACP national ePoster competition during the 2021 Internal Medicine Meeting this spring. View Dr. Heenan's presentation on the chapter YouTube page.
Congratulations to Michael Eller, winner of the 2020 Nebraska Chapter student abstract competition! He will also be eligible for the national competition with his presentation “Double Trouble with Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole”. View Michael's presentation here.
Dr. David O'Dell selected for advancement to Mastership
(May 2020) Dr. O'Dell was officially recognized with ACP Mastership in 2020. Masterships are awarded because of “personal character, positions of honor, contributions towards furthering the purposes of the ACP, eminence in practice or in medical research, or other attainments in science or in the art of medicine. Dr. O'Dell is the LeeRoy Meyer Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), where he serves as Director of Undergraduate Education for the Department of Internal Medicine. During his more than 30 years as a faculty member, he has received virtually every teaching award offered by UNMC.