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The College of Allied Health Professions

 

50 Years of Leadership & Growth in Allied Health Professions

Cecil Wittson, MD, with aerial image of UNMC's Omaha Campus

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD

Courtesy of the University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Strategic Communications

From a School to a College

In 1968, Cecil Wittson, MD, chancellor of UNMC, conceived of a School of Allied Health Professions as a unit within the College of Medicine. This was approved by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents in 1972. The school was led by an associate dean and education program directors. Inaugural administrators were named to oversee distance education (Janice Tompkins, MPH, MT(ASCP), 2006), academic affairs (Greg Karst, PhD, 2007), research development (M. Patricia Leuschen, PhD, 2008), and finance and administration (Pat O’Neil, MPA, 2010).  

In the ensuing years, it grew in both size and reach, establishing itself as a national leader in allied health education. In 2015, UNMC’s newly appointed chancellor, Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, championed the transition of the School of Allied Health professions to become UNMC’s sixth college. 

Ryan Splittgerber, PhD, was named the first assistant dean of the Health Science Education Complex in Kearney in 2016. In 2021, the college modified its organizational structure to create four departments, each housing similar health profession education programs, and established a formal department for interprofessional and distance education.  

School of Allied Health Program Directors, c. 1997

Courtesy of the College of Allied Health Professions Collection, From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

College of Allied Health Professions Structure, 2022

Courtesy of the College of Allied Health Professions

The College of Allied Health Professions is proud of the rich history it shares with the College of Medicine and is grateful for the role it played in shaping and launching the college.

 

School of Allied Health Professions Associate Deans

1968-2015

 

D. Craig Affleck, PhD

1968-1970

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

James T. Tollman, MD

1970-1973

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

Perry G. Rigby, MD

1973-1974

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

William Ruegamer, PhD

1974-1985

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

Reba Benschoter, PhD

1985-1995

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

Mary Haven, MS

1995-2006

Courtesy of the UNMC Department of Strategic Communications

Kyle Meyer, PhD

2006-2015

Courtesy of the UNMC Department of Strategic Communications

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College of Medicine Deans

1968-2015

 

Cecil Wittson, MD

1968

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

Robert Kugel, MD

1969-1973

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

Perry G. Rigby, MD

1974-1978

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

Alastair Connell, MD

1979-1984

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

Robert Waldman, MD

1985-1991

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

Harold Maurer, MD

1993-1998

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

James Armitage, MD

2000-2003

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

John Gollan, MD, PhD

2003-2010

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

Brad Britigan, MD

2011-Present

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

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