A fond farewell from CEO James Linder, MD

Fellow Nebraskans,
I’ve had the privilege to serve Nebraska for more than 40 years, including as CEO of Nebraska Medicine since 2018. I am preparing to step down from that role this month and while I’ll continue as an advocate and advisor, this moment of professional transition seemed like an apt occasion to share with our Omaha and Nebraska communities some reflections on an institution critical to the health of our state.
Nebraska Medicine was formed in 2016 through an innovative public-private partnership that included Clarkson Regional Health Services, the Board of Regents of our great University of Nebraska, and its esteemed medical center, UNMC. Our structure is the envy of many academic medical centers throughout the country and has always felt quintessentially Nebraskan to me: bringing together the best of private enterprise and public service, focused on the health and wellbeing of our communities.
Together, we created a shared mission that continues to guide us:
“To lead the world in transforming lives to create a healthy future for all individuals through premier educational programs, innovative research, and extraordinary patient care.”
That mission has never been more relevant—or more realized. Our bylaws emphasize physician leadership, and today 30 of our 44 senior leaders are clinicians: physicians, pharmacists, or nurses. Over the past nine years, our public-private structure has enabled our clinicians and colleagues to achieve remarkable results and positions us well for future collaborations:
Expanded clinical programs to serve more Nebraskans, including every county in the state, and care for patients from nearly all 50 states
Collaborated to open the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, one of the largest public-private partnerships in the state’s history, that transformed the cancer care experience and since extended that brand to more locations to serve more Nebraskans
Built nationally recognized programs in cancer care, organ transplant, heart and vascular, the neurosciences, and more, including some unique to us in the state
Partnered with UNMC and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to establish the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit (NBU), one of only a few biocontainment units in the United States and the largest of its kind to care of a wide range of infectious diseases
Earned national recognition for quality, safety, and community benefit
Educate and train more than 3,000 doctors and other health care professionals every year, most remaining in Nebraska to practice their specialty expertise
Consistently ranked #1 hospital in Nebraska by U.S. News and World Report
Among the World's Best Hospitals in Newsweek's World's Best Hospitals list
Established a solid financial foundation to support our mission
In a moment where many academic health systems across the country face significant political and financial challenges, these achievements underscore how the Nebraska Medicine Board and leadership have remained true to our founding values to the benefit of our state’s citizens. I will continue to work as an advisor to our Board on strategic projects and be a resource for Nebraska Medicine.
The heart of any hospital system is the relationship between patients and their doctors, nurses and other caregivers. I am so proud that the more than 10,500 highly engaged caregiving staff of Nebraska Medicine have upheld that sacred trust – and as a result, accomplished so much for you and for our state.
While the need to improve health and health care is far from over, Nebraska Medicine, as an independent health system with a public-private structure and under the leadership of Dr. Michael Ash, our new CEO, is well-positioned—with talent, vision, and momentum—to continue its remarkable trajectory of Serious Medicine. Extraordinary Care.
With deepest gratitude,
James Linder, MD
CEO, Nebraska Medicine