UNMC operates as a public academic health science center within the University of Nebraska System, headquartered in Omaha with additional facilities across the state. The institution employs approximately 5,000 people and serves as one of Omaha's largest employers. Its mission centers on improving the health of Nebraska through education, research, and patient care.
Current expansion projects include Project NExT, a joint initiative with Nebraska Medicine encompassing the $2.19 billion Project Health clinical facility and the EDGE District development for research and entrepreneurship. The Wigton Heritage Center serves as a campus welcome center celebrating UNMC's history, while the renovated McGoogan Health Sciences Library provides expanded resources for students, faculty, and researchers.
UNMC offers comprehensive health sciences education through six colleges: medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, public health, and allied health professions. The institution trains more health professionals than any other in Nebraska, utilizing advanced simulation facilities at the Davis Global Center and immersive virtual reality technology through its iEXCEL program. Educational offerings span undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs designed to meet evolving healthcare workforce needs.
Patient care services are delivered through Nebraska Medicine, the clinical partner of UNMC, which operates hospitals and clinics across the region. Research programs encompass infectious disease response, oncology, drug discovery, and public health initiatives. The institution also operates specialized centers including the Munroe-Meyer Institute for intellectual and developmental disabilities and the Global Center for Health Security.
UNMC holds the prestigious Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement, placing it among only 279 institutions nationwide recognized for this commitment. The center's Global Center for Health Security was the only civilian team asked to provide quarantine care for U.S. citizens returning from Wuhan during the early COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating its national leadership in infectious disease response.
The institution is expanding its reach through Project Health, a $2.19 billion healthcare facility serving as a clinical learning center, and the EDGE District development supporting biotechnology and research entrepreneurship. UNMC also leads rural health education initiatives, including the Douglas A. Kristensen Rural Health Education Complex and a new medical campus in Kearney designed to address physician shortages in underserved communities.
