NEWS AND EVENTS
ORED Staff Recognition Event, Jan. 31
Reminder: ORED’s annual staff recognition event is tomorrow. Please arrive at Sun Valley Lanes, 321 Victory Lane, by 1 p.m. The afternoon’s schedule is as follows:
- Opening remarks from vice chancellor Bob Wilhelm
- Invaluable Service Award presentations
- Vice Chancellor Cup for Outstanding Customer Service presentation
- Bowling, bingo, trivia and/or cheerleading
- Final prize drawing
- Event concludes at 3:30 p.m
Please note that this year, rather than distributing a paper booklet of 2019 ORED department accomplishments at the event, a special edition of OPEN Book will be sent out Feb. 3. It will also contain a list of award winners and a link to the kudos that are submitted for the staff appreciation event.
UNL All-Staff Conference, May 13
Save the date for “Empowerment: Learning and Networking at Nebraska,” an all-day staff development event at Howard Hawks Hall hosted by professional organizations on campus. It’s a professional development conference for all UNL staff, featuring speakers and breakout sessions that will strengthen our purpose, well-being, engagement and relationships.
This unprecedented gathering aligns with the core principle of the N2025 strategic plan: “every person and every interaction matters.” One of the plan’s aims is to prioritize participation and professional development for all Nebraska students, staff and faculty. The event will provide an opportunity for education, inspiration, sharing and connecting by employees in managerial, professional, office and service roles.
Stay tuned for more details.
KUDOS TO OUR COLLEAGUES
Kelly Heath, director and attending veterinarian for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Institutional Animal Care Program, received the 2019 Veterinarian of the Year award from the Nebraska Veterinary Medical Association. He was presented the award Jan. 24 by his niece and fellow veterinarian Cassandra Heath at the association’s 124th annual convention and banquet in Lincoln.
The honor is bestowed on an NVMA member who has made significant contributions to the advancement of veterinary medicine in Nebraska. Kelly was recognized for his service to the profession and his efforts to mentor students and make them aware of opportunities in the field.
Kelly’s IACP team ensures the humane care, use and health of animals used in the university’s teaching, research and extension missions. It also provides veterinary care and animal oversight for the 16 university-affiliated animal care sites across the state. Under Kelly’s leadership, the university received full accreditation from AAALAC International, a leading nonprofit that ensures high standards of laboratory animal care and use, for the first time in 2014. Nebraska earned reaccreditation in 2018.
Throughout his career, Kelly has been deeply involved in civic and professional service, including filling several roles for the NVMA: chairman of the organization’s Board of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, the Food Animal Safety Committee and the Legislative Committee.
Congratulations, Kelly!
WELLNESS WATCH
February is American Heart Month, established in 1963 by President Lyndon B. Johnson in an effort to address the growing problem of heart and cardiovascular disease in the United States. Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 650,000 Americans die from heart disease annually, accounting for one in every four deaths. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States.
Despite these dire statistics, heart disease is actually preventable 80% of the time. Most of us are familiar with the traditional advice for keeping your heart healthy: exercise more, eat healthy and watch your weight. But there are some lesser-known pieces of information that may help you keep your ticker in tip-top shape:
- Stay positive: According to research from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, having an optimistic mindset is linked to a lower risk of cardiac events. After reviewing 15 published medical studies involving 230,000 patients, the researchers found that optimistic patients had a 35% reduction in risk of cardiovascular events — heart attack, stroke and cardiac death — when compared to pessimistic study subjects. This association was true even after adjusting for co-occurring depression, physical activity level, gender and education. The study was published in Jama Network Open in 2019.
- Be aware that men and women can experience different heart disease symptoms: A common misconception is that heart disease is more problematic in men, but it’s also the leading cause of death for women in America. Physicians believe one reason for this is that women may be somewhat more likely to experience non-classic symptoms of a heart attack, such as shortness of breath, weakness, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, back pain, pain in one or both arms, unexplained fatigue, sweating and indigestion. If these symptoms are not recognized as dangerous, there may be a delay in seeking medical treatment, enabling more damage to occur. The gender-based difference in symptoms may be because women tend to have blockages not only in their main arteries, but also in the smaller ones that supply blood to the heart. This is called small vessel heart disease or coronary microvascular disease.
