The latest OCE news for you.

ENGAGEMENT MATTERS

Quarterly News from the Office of Community Engagement

2024 Q2

KEELER'S KORNER

A message from the OCE leadership desk....

Greetings!

Spring is always a very busy time. Students are busy with classes, considering their future careers, and working on projects that bring them advanced skills and satisfaction. Our faculty and staff are busy keeping everything moving and planning ahead for the next impactful event or project. In everything, there is a spirit of growth and encouragement. Our Q2 Engagement Matters highlights important community engagement efforts and progress.

Starting in March, the Individual Community Engagement survey was launched, and continued to collect responses throughout the quarter. Many thanks to those who spent time to submit their information; we cannot express our appreciation enough! Every two years, we collect this data to better understand who is doing what, with whom, and how we can better connect efforts.

The UNMC Promotion and Tenure Committee have considered numerous updates, one of which includes the addition of community engagement activities as part of excellence in the educational, clinical, and research academic pillars. Thank you to all who were involved in this effort! We will update you on this as progress unfolds.

This year’s ITEACH Student Awards Ceremony on April 17th, 2024, and it was a success! Our guest speakers Dr. Charity Evans and Ashley Farrens were so inspirational. See more about the amazing work that students, faculty, staff, and our community partners that was recognized below.

The Office of Community Engagement wants to highlight your engagement expertise! We are working on creating a training resources repository that will benefit all who want to successfully learn best practice engagement prior to partnering with community organizations and members. If you or your unit has a training resource that you would like to share for the benefit of our UNMC community, please reach out to our office. Contributors will be fully acknowledged and interested users will be referred to the original authors. We will provide more information soon.

The Community Wellness Collaborative, located at 30^th and Patrick St. (one block south of Lake Street), is continuing to build up programming in the space. Our most current project involves supporting youth programs with 100 Black Men of Omaha and the Skinner Boys and Girls Club. We are so happy to engage in this way. If you would like to develop community activities within this space, please reach out to the OCE team.

Once again, we thank each and every one of you who has supported community engagement. Please reach out to our team if you have ideas or want to get more engaged.

Stay Engaged!

Heidi Keeler, PhD, MSN/MBA, RN

Assistant Vice Chancellor

UNMC Office of Community Engagement

ITEACH STUDENT AWARDS CEREMONY

2024

The ITEACH awards ceremony was held on April 17 at the Wigton Heritage Center.

The iTEACH Awards were hosted by the UNMC Office of Community Engagement (OCE), Student Life Inclusion and Diversity Office (SLIDO) and Student Senate ITEACH Awards, which honor staff, student organizations, faculty advisors of these student organizations and community partners who have provided health care service and/or programming within the community. It is important to recognize the hard work and commitment demonstrated by each group in serving our community.

To highlight the impact that leadership, engagement and community partnership have on health and lives of others, Charity Evans, MD, MHCM, FACS, Chief, Division of Acute Care Surgery and Medical Director of Encompass Omaha and Dusk to Dawn and Ashley Farrens MSN, MBA, RN, Trauma Program manager at Nebraska Medicine, shared their work with hospital-based violence prevention programs Dusk to Dawn and ENCOMPASS Omaha, a hospital-based violence prevention programs launched in 2017 and 2020, respectively.

We congratulate the following individuals and organization(s) on their awards:

Office of Community Engagement Awards

Community Impact Award: Recognizes student organizations that extend UNMC’s core values through creation of health care initiatives that are impactful and sustainable in the community.

Harm Reduction Advocates - Gold Award
Healthy Earth Alliance (HEAL) - Silver Award
Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Association - Bronze Award

Faculty Advisor Excellence in Engagement Award: Recognizes excellence in community engagement by UNMC faculty and for providing exceptional service to students, their colleagues and/or UNMC.

Melonie Welch, MS, Munroe-Meyer Institute

Staff Excellence in Engagement Award: Recognizes excellence in community engagement by UNMC staff and for providing exceptional service to students, their colleagues and/or UNMC.

Shalea Cotton, DNP, UNMC College of Nursing and staff for the North Omaha Area Clinic - Gold Award
Kelsey Scroggin, UNMC Strategic Communications - Silver Award
Fareha Razvi, PhD, UNMC Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology - Bronze Award

Community Partner Award: Recognizes a community organization that extends UNMC core values through creation of health care initiatives that are impactful and sustainable in the community.

Project Everlast

Student Life, Inclusion and Diversity Office Awards

Advisor of the Year Award: Recognizes a faculty advisor who oversees a recognized student organization. This award celebrates their hard work, dedication and lifelong learning they provide the student group while also upholding the ITEACH values.

Christopher Kratochvil, MD and Anne Bowen Fischer, MPA, advisors for UNMC Student Delegates
Howard Liu, MD, advisor for the AAPI Student Association

Collaboration Award: Recognizes a group of organizations (two or more) that have successfully worked together to sponsor or host an event, program or act of service that has benefited the UNMC campus community.

Harm reduction Advocates - Gold Award
International Student Association - Silver Award
AAPI Student Association - Bronze Award

Diversity and Inclusion Award: Recognizes a group that promoted and fostered a cross-cultural learning environment through creating an initiative or program that has significantly impacted the campus community.

International Student Association - Gold Award
AAPI Student Association - Silver Award

UNMC Student Senate Awards

Student Impact Award: Recognizes a student who embodies leadership qualities and provides a positive influence on the education and overall experience of UNMC students. One student recipient was selected for each college.

Anh Tran – UNMC College of Pharmacy
Gisselle Perez – UNMC College of Dentistry
Liam Diesing – UNMC College of Allied Health Professions
Nicholas Bohannon – UNMC College of Medicine
Mamello Makhele – UNMC College of Public Health
Alaina Larson – UNMC Graduate Studies

Distinguished Mentor Award: Recognizes a full or part-time faculty member who serves as a role model to students, demonstrating high professional and ethical standards.

Rebecca Oberley-Deegan, PhD, UNMC Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine

Distinguished Teacher Award: Recognizes a full or part-time faculty member who goes above and beyond to provide excellent education to students.

James Dong, PhD, UNMC Department of Biostatistics and Division of Nephrology, College of Public Health

UNMC ITEACH AND OCE VALUES

How OCE values align with ITEACH

It is important when conducting community engagement on behalf of UNMC to demonstrate the ITEACH values. To further explain these in the context of community engagement, the OCE has crafted sub-values that align with UNMC’s ITEACH values. These are trust, collaboration, reciprocity, equity, commitment, and health justice. The table below provides definitions and how each aligns with the ITEACH values.

OCE Collaboration

Juneteenth Celebration

Juneteenth Parade 24th & Lake St

Ms. Dosseh presenting "The Celebration of Juneteenth"

In celebration of Juneteenth, UNMC and Nebraska Medicine collaborated with UNMC Office of Community Engagement, Employee Resource Group African American Black Alliance (AABA), Nebraska Medicine Inclusion,and Diversity office, UNMC Office of Inlcusion, UNMC Department of Strategic Communication, UNMC Human Resources, and Interdisciplinary Association of Minority Health Professionals of the Omaha Metro Area (IAMHOME) for the annual holiday. On Saturday, June 15, we participated in the NAACP Annual Juneteenth parade and the Omaha Freedom Festival at the Malcom X Memorial.

On June 17, Armalita Dosseh with UNMC Office of Community Engagement and president of Employee Resource Group AABA presented a brief history of the federal holiday to the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology. Highlights included, historical significance to the state of Texas, why it is celebrated throughout the United States and when it became a federal holiday. This department continues to increase awareness of our different cultural celebrations within our UNMC campus.

Also, on the UNMC campus, a Juneteenth Jubilee was celebrated at the Truhlsen Event Center on June 19th! The afternoon was filled with a beautiful rendition of "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" from a Nebraska Medicine Heart and Vascular department colleague. There was a wonderful spoken word poetry and a scrumptious BBQ. Juneteenth Jubilee had a record attendance of over 130 people present.

We want to thank all of our vendors, collaborators and attendees!

Visit Our ENGAGE Page

VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY

100 Black Men of Omaha

Since 1995, 100 Black Men of Omaha, Inc., has provided culturally sensitive and socially relevant mentoring opportunities for 2^nd – 12^th grade youth. Through the vehicle of community-based mentorship, 100 Black Men of Omaha, Inc. is made up of mentors who volunteer their time, talent, and resources, making the motto, "What They See Is What They Will Be”, a way of life. 100 Black Men of Omaha, Inc. has an inimitable commitment to the intellectual development of youth and the empowerment of the Black community based on the following precepts: respect for family, spirituality, justice, and integrity.

My introduction to100 Black Men of Omaha, Inc. actually started many years ago as a mentee in the 100 Black Men of Omaha’s Young Men’s Mentoring Institute (Y.M.M.I). I count myself as extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to cross paths with men who challenged me to learn, to grow, and to strive for excellence in all my endeavors. Being surrounded by mentors that looked like me and shared similar experiences provided a haven wherein these men became more than just guides; they were beacons of hope and sources of unwavering support. I swiftly learned 100 Black Men of Omaha, Inc. was concerned with more than providing academic support or career guidance. Their commitment was also about building character, instilling values, and fostering resilience. Through various interactions with my mentors, I learned the importance of perseverance, the value of integrity, and the power of community. Years later, after pursuing my education, I felt a strong pull to return to the organization that had given so much to me. Today, as the executive director, I am driven by a deep-seated passion to ensure that every young person in my community has the same opportunities for growth and support that I had.

Leading 100 Black Men of Omaha, Inc. is both a privilege and a responsibility. I am inspired daily by the mentees who, much like me years ago, are searching for guidance and a sense of direction. I am committed to providing them with the resources, support, and encouragement they need to realize their full potential. As I reflect on my journey from a mentee to the executive director of this incredible organization, I am filled with gratitude and a renewed sense of purpose. 100 Black Men of Omaha, Inc. changed my life, and I am committed to ensuring that it continues to do the same for others.

Just this past year, 100 Black Men of Omaha, Inc. impacted over 1,025 youth. Our mentees demonstrate improved math and science proficiencies, higher graduation rates, and post-secondary enrollment. Thus, making this a pivotal moment in 100BMO’s journey as the demand for our mentoring efforts continues to grow. Just as it did for me, the 100 Black Men of Omaha, Inc. remains committed to spreading hope where it is needed most. We will continue to make a difference that will last a lifetime as we invest in our community’s greatest resource – our youth.

Christopher A. McCroy

100 Black Men of Omaha, Inc.

Executive Director

Visit The Website

STUDENT ORGANIZATION FEATURE

American Cancer Society on Campus at UNMC

American Cancer Society on Campus at UNMC is a branch of the American Cancer Society that brings the fight against cancer directly to students by inspiring advocacy, fundraising, encouraging education, raising awareness and celebrating survivorship. The group will engage student bodies of the four focuses of the American Cancer Society: Advocacy, Discovery, Patient Support and Fundraising.

The American Cancer Society on Campus at UNMC is an Office of Community Engagement legacy group and is supported by Fred and Pamela Buffet Cancer Center's Community Outreach and Engagement offices. Our kickoff meeting on April 24 was attended by current graduate studies students who are interested in the expansion of our legacy group for cancer awareness and education. The students are looking forward to our first Fall meeting in September to plan programming for the year.

Jordan McCullough, Program Coordinator, Community Outreach & Engagement, Fred and Pam Buffet Cancer Center states "The mission of the FPBCC Office of Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) is to work to reduce the overall cancer burden and eliminate cancer-related health disparities in Nebraska through collaboration with community organizations. I am excited to bring the American Cancer Society on Campus to UNMC because it is a great opportunity to work with students and introduce them to ACS and oncology related careers. Through ACS on Campus, I hope we can equip and empower the next generation of cancer researchers and advocates.”

If you are interested in joining this group, please reach out to the OCE team or ENGAGE.

Upcoming Events

Student Involvement Fair

August 21

Fall Meeting

September 18