Harold M. Maurer, M.D., who as chancellor has led the University of Nebraska Medical Center to unprecedented growth, will move to a new role with the university on June 30.
Dr. Maurer, UNMC chancellor since 1998, on July 1 will become a professor in the UNMC Department of Pediatrics and chancellor emeritus. He will devote much of his time to his new position working at the University of Nebraska Foundation, spearheading fund raising for the Cancer Center Campus, a $370 million project that will include space for cancer research and care, as well as a new multidisciplinary outpatient facility.
"I believe the time has come for me to take on a new role with UNMC. I look forward to dedicating my time completely to fund raising for the Cancer Center Campus, which will truly transform UNMC," Dr. Maurer said. "We will continue our momentum at UNMC, and we will not change course over the next nine months. It will be business as usual."
"I am grateful that Hal will continue playing an active role in the Campaign for Nebraska; with his involvement, I'm confident that we will build a world-class cancer research and treatment center that will make important and lasting contributions to the state and nation," University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken said. "Hal and Beverly will continue to be great ambassadors for the University of Nebraska."
A native of New York, Dr. Maurer received his A.B. degree in 1957 from New York University and his M.D. degree in 1961 from State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn. He completed an internship at Kings County Hospital, Brooklyn and a pediatric residency at Babies Hospital, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, where he also fulfilled a fellowship in pediatric hematology and oncology.
A pediatric oncologist, Dr. Maurer is internationally known for his expertise in rhabdomyosarcoma, a childhood cancer.
He served as principal investigator of several National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant awards and chaired the national Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study Group for 26 years. That group has been credited with raising the cure rate from 20 to 75 percent.
In 2003, the Children's Oncology Group awarded Dr. Maurer with its most prestigious honor – the Lifetime Achievement Award – recognizing his leadership and contributions in this important area of cancer.
His achievements at UNMC include leading the merger of University Hospital and Clarkson Hospital to form the Nebraska Health System, now known as The Nebraska Medical Center, leading the institution to new heights of excellence in education, research and clinical care. He also combined more than 70 physician practice groups into one comprehensive faculty practice plan, what is now UNMC Physicians.
Upon becoming chancellor, Dr. Maurer set aggressive goals in research, repositioning UNMC from a regional center to a national center of excellence in the new century. Among others, his research achievements include:
- Tripled UNMC's external research funding, with research dollars now at more than $90 million annually;
- Worked with state officials to ensure tobacco settlement funds from the state of Nebraska would support biomedical research. UNMC now receives about $7 million annually from this funding.
- Created a Vice Chancellor for Research position at UNMC.
- Developed programs in Regenerative Medicine, Nanomedicine, Drug Delivery and Bioterrorism Preparedness, among others.
- Led fund-raising for the Durham Research Center and Durham Research Center II. In all, more than $150 million in private support was raised to fund these facilities' construction. Combined, the DRC and DRC II have more than 200 biomedical research laboratories.
"I would like for my legacy to be, ‘He built research at UNMC,'" Dr. Maurer said. "I'm also very proud of our many accomplishments in education, clinical care and community outreach."
Just this year, UNMC was ranked No. 6 nationally in primary care education, the highest ranking achieved in the history of UNMC in this area. Other UNMC colleges and educational programs also are ranked nationally.
In addition to the Durham Research Centers, several other new facilities have been constructed at UNMC during Dr. Maurer's tenure.
For his work at UNMC, Dr. Maurer has been recognized with numerous awards. Among them, he was named the Omaha World-Herald "Midlander of the Year" in 2005; was named the 109th King of Ak-Sar-Ben in 2005; and was inducted into the Greater Omaha Chamber Business Hall of Fame in 2009.
