PM&R Newsletter
News from the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | March 2021
FROM THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR
Welcome to the UNMC Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Welcome to the UNMC Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) newsletter! Our department started in April 2016, and since that time we have been busy. We started an ACGME accredited residency program in 2018, and now have applied for ACGME accreditation for a brain injury medicine (BIM) fellowship which would start in 2022. As of July 2021, we will have a full complement of 16 residents in our program. Our residents often come from the Midwest and want to stay in this region after graduation.
Our first graduation will occur in June 2021 and both of those graduates have matched into fellowships.

Our department faculty roster continues to expand. For pediatric PM&R, we have Dr. Hope Voto who spends much of her time at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center (CHMC). She also works at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital (MRH) in Omaha. Dr. Justin Choi, a graduate of Washington University with fellowship training in pain medicine, joined our faculty in October 2020. He splits his time between Nebraska Medicine, Madonna, and the Omaha Veterans Administration Medical Center.

We are actively recruiting physiatrists to meet the clinical needs for inpatient and outpatient care. Our hospital affiliated partner, Madonna (MRH) will be expanding inpatient rehabilitation capacity to 64 beds with the addition of another unit as of July 2021. This will add further to our clinical training experience for our residents. Another area of expansion will be the opening of the Madonna Physicians Outpatient Clinic space at the end of March 2021, which will give us 8 additional examination rooms for outpatient care.

We will continue to explore research collaborations with UNMC, with Children’s Hospital and Medical Center and the Child Health Research Institute, with Madonna Research Institute for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering, and with the Department of Biomechanics at the University of Nebraska Omaha. In the next five years we look forward to expand further our clinical presence across all our affiliated institutions.

Samuel Bierner, MD, MRM
Professor and Chair
Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
PEOPLE
New Assistant Professor - Dr. Justin Choi
Name: Justin Choi, MD
Hometown: Stamford, CT
Degrees: MD
Research (or Professional) Interests: Spine pain

How I fell in love with PM&R: PM&R's emphasis on team-based care and functional outcomes was particularly appealing to me. I particularly enjoy finding the intersection between a clinical diagnosis and how that affects someone's activities and interests. I found my role in guiding the next steps to facilitate improved household and community function and engagement very satisfying, and I always view the interventional pain procedures I perform in this context.

Three things people may not know about me: 
  • I've lived all over the country, but have spent most of my adult life in the Midwest. 
  • I'm having a blast experimenting with sous vide cooking during the pandemic
  • I love the water. I hope to get back into rowing after a decade away!

Congratulations to Dr. Christopher Anderson on his Board Certification in Brain Injury Medicine!
RESIDENT CORNER
PM&R Residency update from Chief Resident, Dr. Bryan Baker
The year 2020 has been a busy year for the PM&R residents. Despite the obstacles of COVID-19 and navigating the changing of schedules and adjusting to new routines and protocols the residents have continued to stay busy with projects outside of their clinical responsibilities.

Dr. Nalamasu has been the most active out of everyone with multiple research articles and publications and should be awarded resident researcher of the year for all of his hard work! All of the third year and fourth year residents have worked hard on research and quality improvement projects throughout the year. So far we have four residents who have publications including Dr. Nalamasu, Dr. Baker, Dr. Nimmo, and Dr. Jacobsen. Both Dr. Shah and Dr. Rosauer are currently working on publishing their research projects and hopefully will be published soon. Check out the residents work here.
Senior Residents Prepare for their Next Chapter


In July 2021 Dr. Baker begins his fellowship in Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. In August 2021 Dr. Nalamasu begins his fellowship in Pain Medicine at the University of California Davis. Both fellowships are for 12 months.
Dr. Shah named Chief Resident starting April 1, 2021



Sonia Shah, MD has been named the new chief resident of the PM&R Department. She will start her duties April 1, 2021. Dr. Shah is a graduate of Creighton University School of Medicine.
Dr. Baker receives Resident of the Month



The College of Medicine recognizes Bryan Baker, DO, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Chief Resident, as Resident of the Month
UPCOMING EVENTS IN PM&R
Dr. Voto to present at Nebraska Academy of Family Physicians Assembly
Dr. Hope Voto will present at the Nebraska Academy of Family Physicians 73nd Annual Meeting & Scientific Assembly (March 24 - 27, 2021).

Topic: “Striving for Improvements with Telehealth, Prescribing Medications, and Patient Education in Cross Cultural Care”

When: March 27th from 10:15-11:15 am.

Where: Embassy Suites La Vista Conference Center,12520 Westport Pkwy, La Vista NE 68128
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
981225 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-1225
402-559-7775