University of Nevada School of Medicine
For immediate release: August 4, 2006
Contact: Emily Wofford
Public Relations Manager
775-784-6001
ewofford@unr.edu

Four University of Nevada School of Medicine faculty members named “Healthcare Heroes” by Nevada Business Journal

LAS VEGAS / RENO, Nev.—University of Nevada School of Medicine faculty made up one-fifth of the twenty healthcare professionals honored at the Nevada Business Journal’s first annual Healthcare Heroes awards and banquet. Gerald Ackerman, B.S., M.S., C.H.E.S., John Packham, Ph.D., Daniel Spogen, M.D., and William Zamboni, M.D. were nominated by a committee of healthcare experts for their efforts in helping evolve Nevada into a budding, major medical region.

The awards, which honor healthcare professionals throughout the state, were presented to the honorees at two separate banquet ceremonies. The first ceremony was held in Las Vegas on Wednesday, August 2 to honor awardees from southern Nevada. The second was held in Reno on Thursday, August 3 to celebrate the achievements of the honorees from northern and rural Nevada. Proceeds from both events benefit programs for healthcare educators throughout the state.

Gerald Ackerman, B.S., M.S., C.H.E.S. was honored with this year’s northern Nevada “Humanitarian” award for his “endless and selfless effort to maintain access to healthcare services across rural Nevada.” As assistant director for the Center for Education and Health Services Outreach in Elko, Ackerman is responsible for developing and overseeing the operation of programs that serve all population groups within the state. These programs not only include patient care and service, but also encompass medical and continuing education as well as training opportunities. In addition to these duties, Ackerman is also actively involved in shaping state, regional, and national policy that affects rural, frontier, and urban underserved areas.

John Packham, Ph.D. was named this year’s northern Nevada award winner for “Technology & Research” in healthcare. The Nevada Business Journal recognized Packham, who serves as director of the Nevada Rural Hospital Flexibility Program which is administered by the Office of Rural Health at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, as “an icon for generating accurate, statistical and scientifically-driven data collection and documentation of the workforce issues in Nevada.” In his role with the Nevada FLEX Program, Packham actively participates and volunteers countless hours to board and committee meetings across the state to assist eligible, rural hospitals and their communities ascertain the benefit or feasibility of conversion to a cost-based Critical Access Hospital status.

Daniel Spogen, M.D. was awarded northern Nevada’s “Educator” award for his dedication to teaching both in the classroom and clinical setting. Spogen, who is a professor of family and community medicine, was recognized earlier this year on the national level when he received the 2005 Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Humanism in Medicine Award. In addition to being nominated for this honor by a panel of healthcare experts, Spogen’s students also recognized his contributions to medical education by nominating him for the award for his teaching excellence and dedication to the Student Outreach Clinic which serves under and uninsured members of the community.

William Zamboni, M.D. was named this year’s southern Nevada award winner for “Technology & Research” in healthcare. Zamboni, who serves as professor and chairman of the department of surgery for the University of Nevada School of Medicine in Las Vegas, has been instrumental in transforming the level and expertise of surgical care in the state. Zamboni, who is widely considered Nevada’s premier plastic surgeon, has received both national and international recognition for his groundbreaking microsurgery and hyperbaric research. Zamboni has been influential in establishing several surgery programs in Las Vegas including the state’s first limb reattachment center at University Medical Center in 1994. In addition to devoting time to research, surgery, and administrative programs, Zamboni also mentors residents within the surgery residency program at the University of Nevada School of Medicine.

As the state’s only public medical school, the University of Nevada School of Medicine has been meeting statewide healthcare, educational, and clinical needs since 1969. The School of Medicine encompasses 16 clinical medical education departments, including Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Internal Medicine, and Surgery, as well as ten nationally-recognized departments within basic science including microbiology and biomedical engineering. As the largest multi-specialty healthcare focus within the state, the School of Medicine employs more than 185 doctors who both teach and practice medicine throughout Nevada. The school’s statewide faculty physician practice groups have a combined 25 different medical specialties with seven physician practice offices located in the Reno-Sparks area and five physician offices located in Las Vegas.

The University of Nevada School of Medicine utilizes a best-practice approach to medicine and is committed to addressing the health needs of Nevada now and in the future. For more information, please visit www.medicine.nevada.edu.