Flowers bloom in front of Love Library on City Campus.

Learn more about recent honors and appointments at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in this week’s achievements column.

Alex Ortega

The Minority Health Disparities Initiative Conversation Series continues with an April 2 discussion on “Population Health Challenges for Undocumented Latino Immigrants.”

The presentation, led by Alex Ortega, professor and chair of health management and policy at Drexel University, is 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Nebraska Union’s Heritage Room. The event is free and open to the public.

This year’s Minority Health Disparities Initiative Conference will begin at 9 a.m. Feb. 28 in the Nebraska Union Ballroom. The conference will focus on the intersection of rural Nebraskans and public health issues.

Attendees will learn more about areas of collaboration around rural health issues, identify ways in which data and technology are improving health care for rural populations, and develop strategies for achieving sustainability, including building capacity and healthcare infrastructure in rural areas.

Recent achievements for the campus community were earned by Kirk Dombrowski, Pete Pinnell, Wendy Smith, Megan Eckstrom, Rachel Gordon, Riley Jhi, Shaobin Li and Rachel Phinney.

"Looking Past Skin: Our Common Threads" is located on the third floor of the Nebraska History Museum.

People have been moving throughout Nebraska for thousands of years. “Looking Past Skin: Our Common Threads” explores the movement of people from the earliest Native cultures to the most recent refugee families. Their rich traditions, unique languages, food and religions are all part of Nebraska’s story.

The Minority Health Disparities Initiative is presenting Rebecca Smith, from the University of California, San Francisco, as its final speaker of the academic year.

Smith will be giving her talk at the Nebraska Union, Colonial A-B at 10:30 a.m. April 28.

Smith started her career in science education as a scientist volunteer in Science and Health Education Partnership’s programs while a graduate student in biochemistry at UCSF. Her partnerships with extraordinary teachers and their students convinced her that this was a career path she wanted to pursue.

Russell Toomey

The Minority Health Disparities Initiative will feature the University of Arizona’s Russell Toomey in a 10:30 a.m. March 31 lecture in the Nebraska Union’s Heritage Room. The talk is free and open to the public.