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Department of Psychiatry

 

Originally named the Department of Nervous and Mental Diseases, the psychiatric faculty have had significant impact both locally and across the United States. Psychiatry faculty have pioneered research and innovative clinical practices in telehealth, psychiatric training for medical students, house staff and nurses, and the study of intellectual disabilities in children and adults. The faculty created a comprehensive mental health care system for the state through the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute (NPI), which focused on outpatient treatment and collaboration between research and practice - a unique system in its time. Today, the department continues in the vanguard of study and treatment of mental illnesses, while also conducting innovative research in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, attention-deficit hyperactive disorder, and depression.

George Alexander Young, Sr., MD

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

George Alexander Young, Sr., MD

Chair, 1919-1946
Department of Nervous and Mental Diseases (1919-1926),
renamed Department of Neurology and Psychiatry (1926-1946)

 

In 1910, George A. Young. Sr., MD, opened a private practice in Omaha. In 1912, he joined the Department of Nervous and Mental Diseases at Creighton University, where he was chair of the department until 1916. During this period, he was also an instructor in the Department of Nervous and Mental Diseases at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine. In 1917, he joined the UNMC faculty full-time and became chair in 1919, serving 27 years in the position. Under his leadership, the department went through several transitions along with the university’s growth, including a change of name in 1926 to the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry.

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Abram E. Bennett, MD, c. 1930

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

Abram E. Bennett, MD

Chair, 1947
Department of Neurology and Psychiatry

Abram E. Bennett, MD, practiced medicine at Clarkson Memorial Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, from 1924-1948, specializing in neurology and psychiatry. He was also on the University of Nebraska College of Medicine faculty from 1928-1947, serving as chair of the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry in 1947. In 1945, he began the A.E. Bennett Neuropsychiatric Research Foundation. When Clarkson's psychiatry department closed, Bennett moved to Berkeley, California, working at the Herrick Memorial Hospital and as a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Berkeley.

 

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Richard Hart Young, MD, c. 1929

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

Richard Hart Young, MD

Chair, 1948-1953
Department of Neurology and Psychiatry

Richard H. Young, MD, joined the faculty at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in 1933 as an instructor in the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry. He led the department as chair from 1948 until his untimely death in 1953. During his tenure, Dr. Young oversaw the foundation of the Nebraska Psychiatric Unit and, with his father, George Young, Sr., MD, managed the foundation of the Psychiatric Department at Lutheran Hospital. Several facilities have been named in honor of Dr. Young and his contributions to mental health care in Nebraska, including the Richard Young Center in Omaha and the CHI Health Richard Young Outpatient Clinic in Kearney.

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Cecil Wittson, MD, c. 1955

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

Cecil L. Wittson, MD

Chair, 1953-1964
Department of Neurology and Psychiatry

In 1950, Cecil L. Wittson, MD, came to Nebraska as director of the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute and held the position until 1964. During this time, he joined the faculty in the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, becoming chair of the department in 1953. Dr. Wittson maintained these dual leadership roles until 1964 when he was named dean of the University of Nebraska College of Medicine. He became president of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 1969 and in 1971 was named chancellor of the institution. He retired in 1972 and became chancellor emeritus.

 

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Archival Collection

 

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LaVern Craig Strough, MD, c. 1960s

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

Lavern C. Strough, MD, is pictured here delivering a lecture via CCTV at NPI.

LaVern Craig Strough, MD

Acting Chair, 1964-1968
Department of Neurology and Psychiatry

LaVern C. Strough, MD, joined the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry as an assistant professor in 1951 and joined the team at the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute (NPI) as director of outpatient services in 1955. During his tenure at NPI he also served as director of education and training. In 1964 he stepped in as acting chair of the department as well as acting director of NPI when Cecil L. Wittson, MD, became dean of the College of Medicine. Dr. Strough stepped down from these positions in 1968 and moved to Worthington, Minnesota, where he joined the Worthington Medical Clinic.

 

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Merrill Thomas Eaton, MD, at his desk at NPI, c. 1973

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

Merrill Thomas Eaton, MD

Chair, 1968-1985
Department of Psychiatry

Prior to joining the faculty at UNMC, Merrill T. Eaton, MD, served as a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at the Kansas University School of Medicine from 1949 to 1960. Dr. Eaton and his wife, Louise Foster Eaton, MD, joined the UNMC Department of Psychiatry in 1960. He became chair of the department as well as director of the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute (NPI) in 1968. He oversaw various transitions at NPI including its final closure in 1985.

 

Dr. Eaton stepped down as chair of the department in 1985 but continued to teach at UNMC until 1988. He and his wife also maintained a private practice in Omaha from 1960-1988, focusing on child psychiatry.

 

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Frank J. Menolascino, MD, c. 1973

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

Frank J. Menolascino, MD

Chair, 1985-1992
Department of Psychiatry

Frank J. Menolascino, MD, joined the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry in 1958. In 1985, he became chair of the combined Department of Psychiatry for Creighton and UNMC, the first joint program in the United States. During his tenure Dr. Menolascino authored 14 books and over 200 papers. He also was a visiting professor in France, Scotland, Japan, Austria, England, the Netherlands, and Canada. During his travels, Dr. Menolascino became an internationally recognized expert on the treatment of mental illness in persons with intellectual disabilities. Dr. Menolascino served as chair of the department until his death in 1992.

 

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Selection of Slides presented by Dr. Menolascino to the Eastern Nebraska Community Office of Retardation (ENCOR), c. 1990

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Robert James Ellingson, PhD, MD

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives

Robert James Ellingson, PhD, MD

Chair, 1992-1993
Department of Psychiatry

Robert J. Ellingson, PhD, MD, joined the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at UNMC in 1951. While teaching, he also pursued his medical degree, graduating from UNMC in 1963. After graduation, Dr. Ellingson joined the Nebraska Health System, serving as a psychiatrist at Clarkson Hospital, University Hospital, Methodist Hospital, the Richard Young Center, and Creighton Medical Center. Dr. Ellingson served as joint chair for UNMC and Creighton’s Department of Psychiatry from 1992-1993 and retired from UNMC a year after stepping down from the post in 1994. He retired from the state health system in 2002.

 

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David G. Folks, MD, c. 2003

Courtesy of UNMC Department of Strategic Communications

David G. Folks, MD

Chair, 1993-2005
Department of Psychiatry

David G. Folks, MD, came to UNMC in 1993 to chair the joint Department of Psychiatry at UNMC and Creighton. During his tenure, he oversaw groundbreaking work in the study and treatment of Alzheimer’s and was involved in the creation of the Center for Neurovirology and Neurodegenerative Disorders. This center focused on researching Alzheimer’s as well as dementia in patients with AIDS. In 1999, Dr. Folks managed the departmental split between UNMC and Creighton while still maintaining a joint residency program through the two universities. Dr. Folks oversaw additional reorganization of the UNMC department in 2003, including the closure of the Richard Young Center. His efforts were focused on re-concentrating resources on the campus and working with the hospital partner, Nebraska Medicine. Dr. Folks’ goal was to improve access and availability of departmental services to patients and enhance the department’s support and visibility at UNMC. His reorganization supported the opening of a 10-bed inpatient psychiatric crisis unit located in University Tower.

 

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Steven P. Wengel, MD, c. 2018

Courtesy of UNMC Department of Strategic Communications

Steven P. Wengel, MD

Chair, 2005-2018
Department of Psychiatry

Steven P. Wengel, MD, is an Omaha local, graduating from UNMC College of Medicine in 1968. He completed his psychiatry residency and geriatric psychiatry fellowship in the Creighton-Nebraska combined residency program and joined the UNMC faculty in 1991.

 

Dr. Wengel served as chair of the department for thirteen years, stepping down in 2018 to become the newly created assistant vice chancellor for campus wellness for UNMC. In this role, Dr. Wengel oversees incorporating wellness into all aspects of campus life. He also stepped into the role of division director of Geriatric Psychiatry Clinical Services at this time. He previously served as director of medical student education in psychiatry and was a member of the College of Medicine’s Admissions Committee.

 

Dr. Wengel continues to teach in the Department of Psychiatry and serves as a psychiatrist at Nebraska Medicine.

 

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Howard Liu, MD, MBA, c. 2013

Courtesy of UNMC Department of Strategic Communications

Howard Liu, MD, MBA

Interim Chair, 2018
Chair, 2019-Present
Department of Psychiatry

Howard Liu, MD, MBA, is a nationally recognized psychiatrist, educator, workforce expert, social media innovator, and health care leader at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). He serves as the chair of the UNMC Department of Psychiatry. Previously, he served as the director of the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN) and as the assistant vice chancellor for faculty development at UNMC.

 

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