(Shanghai, China) Gov. Dave Heineman today finalized an agreement between the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Tongji University to create one of the most extensive partnerships ever between U.S. and Chinese academic institutions. The Shanghai-U.S. Health Science Initiative (SSUHSI) is a collaborative health science partnership that involves educational, clinical and research components.

 

“This is truly a momentous occasion,” said Gov. Heineman. “To be a competitive force in today’s world, it is absolutely vital to have global partnerships. I am thrilled that these two great institutions have come together in this initiative. It will pay tremendous dividends for generations to come.”

 

The agreement will involve six different disciplines – medicine, physical therapy/rehabilitation, nursing, dentistry, public health and pharmacy, and will provide a myriad of new opportunities for students and faculty.

 

UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., and Gang Pei, Ph.D., President of Tongji University, were the chief architects of the partnership with Jialin C. Zheng, M.D., Professor of Pharmacology and Experimental Neurosciences and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies for UNMC, serving as the key intermediary between the two universities.

 

Other UNMC participants attending the ceremony will include: Jennifer Larsen, M.D., Vice Chancellor for Research; Bradley Britigan, M.D., Dean of the College of Medicine; and Michael Dixon, Ph.D., President of UNeMed, UNMC’s technology transfer company.

 

“UNMC is our No. 1 collaborator,” said Dr. Pei, who received an honorary doctorate degree from UNMC in May. “It is like family.”

 

The partnership elevates UNMC’s stature in China to a whole new level. “We have been working very hard over the past eight years to establish our university in China,” said Dr. Maurer. “This initiative is a transforming event that puts UNMC in an elite class among U.S. universities with a strong presence in China.”

 

Some of the key elements of the initiative include:

 

• ·         Development of a family medicine training program tailored to the needs of China and enhancing family medicine collaboration between the U.S. and China;
• ·         Development of a Research Collaborative Center that will focus primarily on research dealing with stem cells, Nano medicine, neuroscience and oncology;
• ·         Hospital administration training through UNMC’s hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center;
• ·         Up to 10 Chinese students annually will come to UNMC to seek doctoral degrees in medicine, physical therapy, pharmacy, nursing, dentistry and public health (or a master’s degree in public health) or do their medical residency training. These students will be financially supported by the China Scholarship Council (CSC);
• ·         Health science students from UNMC would be offered the opportunity to be trained in China with educational experiences and clinical rotations coordinated through the initiative; and
• ·         Development of a collaborative training program for American and Chinese students enrolled in Tongji Medical School. UNMC faculty members will help with the curriculum development and integration. Medical students would receive clinical training in the six affiliate hospitals of Tongji University.

 

“This initiative has the potential of being quite innovative in several areas,” said Dr. Zheng. “China’s educational programs for physical therapists and pharmacists are lacking in comparison to U.S. programs. Additionally, China currently does not have a well-designed residency program for new physicians.” He noted that the city of Shanghai just pioneered a residency program a couple years ago.

 

“We want to continue this important work, and we want to do it right,” added Dr. Zheng. “By doing so, we hope to make it a model for all of China.”

 

Starting in August, two Chinese medical students will be enrolled in medical school at UNMC. Dr. Zheng said it will be the first time ever that the Chinese government (CSC) has funded medical training in the U.S. for Chinese students.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln man charged with fatally stabbing one man and wounding another has made a plea deal for a lesser charge.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Angelo Pedrosa pleaded no contest on Thursday to manslaughter.

Pedrosa had been charged with murder, assault and two weapons counts in the slaying of 29-year-old Peter Hardy and stabbing of Donnie Rodgers in Lincoln on Sept. 19. The other charges were dropped in exchange for Pedrosa’s plea.

Prosecutors say a fight erupted when Pedrosa went into the basement of a Lincoln house to look for a woman who owed him money for drugs. She wasn’t there, but Hardy, Rodgers and another man confronted Pedrosa.

Pedrosa faces up to 20 years in prison when he’s sentenced next month.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 54-year-old man has died after his car ran into the back of an ambulance on Interstate 80 in southeast Nebraska.

The Nebraska State Patrol identified the victim as Paul Chatfield, of Seward.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Chatfield was headed west on the interstate Thursday when his car hit the back of the ambulance, which had slowed for traffic.

Patrol spokeswoman Deb Collins says the ambulance wasn’t hauling a patient and that the ambulance driver and passenger weren’t injured.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Warren Buffett’s company will release its second-quarter earnings report on Friday afternoon.

Investors will also be looking for clues about what Buffett might invest in next and whether the economy will improve because Berkshire Hathaway’s results offer a glimpse into an assortment of industries.

The bottom line profit Berkshire reports on Friday is likely to be hurt by the paper value of its derivatives that are tied to several stock-market indexes.

The true value of the derivatives won’t be clear for at least several years, because they don’t mature until nearly a decade from now. But Berkshire is required to estimate their value every time the company reports earnings.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Authorities say a 60-year-old man has been fatally injured while crossing a southwest Omaha street

The Omaha Police Department says Alan Henvey was crossing Q Street near 107th Street when he was hit by a sedan. Officers say Henvey wasn’t in a crosswalk.

Police say Henvey died after being taken to 0Creighton University Medical Center.

The accident is being investigated. No arrests or citations have been reported.

FILLEY, Neb. (AP) – A pavement project has been scheduled for a section of U.S. Highway 136 in southeast Nebraska.

The Nebraska Roads Department says the work is expected to begin Monday on a highway section that runs from Filley east to Crab Orchard. The project is expected to take four days.

Traffic will be trimmed to one lane, so flaggers and a pilot vehicle will be used.

 

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) – A Nebraska man suspected of threating a state worker is to stand trial this fall in Gage County.

A judge set an Oct. 30 trial for Darren Cloyd, of Fairbury, on charges of making a terroristic threat and intimidation by phone call. He will also be tried on an assault charge for allegedly attacking an inmate at the county jail.

According to court documents, Cloyd called a Nebraska Health and Human Services employee while she was at a meeting at the Beatrice police department. He was irate over a letter regarding a child abuse case. Police say he threatened the worker if he didn’t receive the reports regarding the case.

(Shanghai, CHINA) Gov. Dave Heineman today signed an agreement to open Nebraska’s first trade office in China. The Nebraska Center – Shanghai, will be a vital element to the continuing development of Nebraska-China relations.

 

“Today we established our second overseas trade office in cooperation with the Shanghai Small to Medium Enterprises Center for International Cooperation,” said Gov. Heineman. “This office will help Nebraska foster and further Nebraska-China relations in a variety of key areas including trade, economic development and education. We look forward to continuing this relationship as we continue to grow our presence in China and build even more mutually-beneficial relationships.”

 

The agreement was made with the Shanghai Small to Medium Enterprises (SME) Center for International Cooperation. The SME Center is a large, Chinese quasi-governmental organization located in Shanghai with over 300,000 members involved with international trade and investment. The SME Center has been an economic development partner in China since signing a memorandum of understanding during Nebraska’s first Reverse Trade Mission in 2008. Since that time, SME has introduced many Shanghai area companies to Nebraska to look at trade and investment opportunities.

 

The relationship between the State of Nebraska and the SME Center is already providing results. Since signing a memorandum of understanding that took effect during the first Reverse Trade Mission to Nebraska in 2008, Mr. Robert Cai, Director of the SME Center, has introduced many companies to Nebraska to look at trade and investment opportunities.

 

Mr. Cai brought officials from Qinqiang to the first Nebraska Reverse Trade Mission in 2008, and again to the second Nebraska Reverse Trade Mission in 2011. Under the leadership of Ms. Jingjing Lu, this agribusiness company chose to incorporate an American subsidiary corporation in Nebraska, citing Nebraska’s business and family friendly climate as reasons for choosing Nebraska.

 

Ms. Lu’s company is a subsidiary of New Hope, which is China’s largest privately owned agricultural conglomerate and parent corporation to the publicly listed Sichuan New Hope Agribusiness Company.

 

Citing successes like Ms. Lu’s company, Qinqiang, Gov. Heineman stated, “With a permanent trade office in China, we look forward to showing more companies that Nebraska is open for business.”

 

Nebraska and China have benefited greatly from increased global commerce and bilateral trade.  Over the last four years, Nebraska had 29 international investments from 12 countries. These investments totaled more than $4.17 billion, creating more than 1,400 jobs in Nebraska. China has been the second most active investor over the past three years with six new investments in Nebraska.

 

Noting the importance to Nebraska’s economy from both Nebraska and foreign investors, this will be the second overseas trade office Gov. Heineman has established. In 2006, the Governor opened the Nebraska Center – Tokyo, which has been a key partner to the Department of Economic Development in recruiting Japanese companies and helping Nebraska companies do business in Japan.

 

Gov. Heineman is in China on the third leg of a trade mission that has also traveled to Beijing, and Xi’an.

VALLEY, Neb. (AP) — First Nebraska Bank now has 11 branches in eastern Nebraska after acquiring Heartland Community Bank.

First Nebraska President Clark Lehr says the deal was completed Wednesday. Lehr says the combined bank has total assets of more than $250 million.

Lehr says the deal will make the bank more efficient and expand the network of ATMs that customers have access to.

First Nebraska plans to continue operating Heartland’s branches in Nebraska City, Bennet, Avoca and Weeping Water.

Those will be added to the bank’s existing branches in Arcadia, Brainard, Columbus, Decatur, Emerson, Stanton and Valley.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 26-year-old man has been given two years in federal prison for possessing child pornography.

Prosecutors say Bryan Christensen, formerly of Omaha and Lincoln, was sentenced earlier this week. Christensen must serve five years of supervised release when he leaves prison and must register as a sex offender.

Prosecutors say investigators tracked child pornography to a computer used by Christensen. The images were available for distribution over a peer-to-peer network.