Department of Clinical, Diagnostic, & Therapeutic Sciences

The fact finders of a patient's clinical experience 

These professionals engage in activities ranging from taking x-rays, MRIs, and sonograms to analyzing blood and tissue samples, performing intravascular catheterizations, and treating cancer.

Did you know?

• 70-80% of all medical decisions are based on results provided by clinical laboratory professionals including medical laboratory scientists.
• In 2015, the Radiation Therapy program was one of the first nationwide to adopt the Virtual Environment Radiotherapy Training (VERT) system to educate radiation therapy students.
• Approximately 30 million MRI exams are conducted annually in the U.S.
• Radiographers (formally known as x-ray technologists) are referred to as "the eyes of medicine" for identifying structures within the body.
• Ultrasound has evolved from a method of detecting submarines to one of the primary imaging modalities used to screen, diagnose, and treat disease.

Clinical Testing

Courtesy of the College of Allied Health Professions

Virtual Environment Radiotherapy Training (VERT) Room

Courtesy of the College of Allied Health Professions

Medical Resonance Imaging

Courtesy of the College of Allied Health Professions

Radiography Students

Courtesy of the College of Allied Health Professions 

Howard Hunt, MA, MD, 1970

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

James Temme, MPA, RT(R)(QM), 2014

From the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Department of Strategic Communications

Department Leadership

The Radiography program was created by Howard Hunt, MA, MD, in the 1930s as an approximately 6-month internship. From the 1940s to the early 1970s there were several directors of Radiography. In 1974, James Temme, MPA, RT(R)(QM), was named program director.

Programs: Years Established

• Medical Laboratory Science - 1938
• Nuclear Medicine - 1972
• Radiation Therapy - 1973
• Radiography - 1974
• Diagnostic Medical Sonography - 1975
• Cardiovascular Interventional Technology - 2000
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging - 2012

Founding Directors

Helen Wyandt Reinhart, MsC

Medical Technology Program (Medical Laboratory Science)

Maria Nagel

Nuclear Medicine Program

Connie Mitchell, MA, RT(R)(CT)

Cardiovascular Interventional Technology Program

Diane Chadwell, MA, RT(R)(T), FASRT

Radiation Therapy Program

Adam Stevens, MA, RT(R)(CT)(MR)

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Program

Cheri Fisher, MA, RT(R), RDMS, RVT

Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program

We invite you to explore our current programs.

Department of Medical Sciences

Aiding and expanding care through early diagnosis, treatment, and patient education.

Professionals in the medical sciences provide direct patient care. They are members of surgical teams, use nutrition science to help people stay healthy and treat disease, microscopically evaluate cells to detect disease, and provide education and counsel to help patients understand diagnoses and procedures.

Did you know?

• Physician assistants treat patients and prescribe medications in all 50 states.
• The first UNMC physician assistant class began in 1973 with five students who went to Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, for the first year of their curriculum.
• UNMC has awarded over 5,800 degrees to the graduates of the U.S. military Interservice Physician Assistant Program (IPAP) since 1996, providing uniformed services with highly competent PAs. This is the longest continually federally funded contract at UNMC.
• The field of cytology began with a discovery by George Papanicolaou, MD, of abnormal cells in women who had or would soon develop cervical cancer. Thus, was born the "Pap" smear and the profession trained in cancer detection.
• Cytology at UNMC is one of only 13 programs in the country, within a network of 15 sites nationwide.
• Medical nutrition therapy is treatment provided by a registered dietician nutritionist alongside therapeutic and counseling services to manage health conditions.
• The genetic counseling profession has grown by over 100% and is expected to grow another 100% in the next ten years.
• . In 2024, UNMC’s College of Allied Health Professions will launch a Master of Respiratory Therapy Program with an entry-into-practice degree (9th in the U.S.), a Degree Advancement Option (5th in the U.S.) that will confer a Master of Respiratory Care (MRC) degree upon graduation. Offered in both Omaha and Kearney, these newly developed programs will provide Nebraska and the nation with quality health care practitioners by offering education and clinical opportunities at the highest level of practice. Discover more about the history of respiratory therapy.

   

Interservice Physician Assistant Program

Courtesy of the College of Allied Health Professions

Medical Sciences Students

Courtesy of the College of Allied Health Professions

Clinical Perfusion student at the pump

Courtesy of the College of Allied Health Professions

Cytology

Courtesy of the College of Allied Health Professions

Medical Technology Lab

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

Programs: Years Established

• Physician Assistant - 1973
• Medical Nutrition - 1976
• Clinical Perfusion - 1989
• Cytology - 1994
• Genetic Counseling - 2017
• Respiratory Therapy - 2021

Founding Directors

Dave Goddard, CCP

Clinical Perfusion

Jesse Edwards, MS

Physician Assistant

Sandy Stork, MS

Medical Nutrition

Karen Linder, BS, SCT(ASP)

Cytology

Holly Zimmerman, MS, CGC

Genetic Counseling

Lisa Fuchs, EdD, MHA, RRT, CTTS, CHWC, ACUE

Respiratory Therapy

We invite you to explore our current programs.