The Wigton Heritage Center
Exhibits

Biopreparedness in Nebraska
Biopreparedness in Nebraska
UNMC and Nebraska Medicine work together with national and international organizations to provide cutting-edge research, education, and health care in biocontainment and infectious diseases.

Campus Images
Campus Images
The University of Nebraska Medical Center is an iconic fixture of mid-town Omaha with its heart situated along 42nd Street, between Emile and Dewey Streets. Discover how UNMC architecturally began and how it continues to grow, providing cutting edge facilities for education, research, and care across the state.

College of Allied Health Professions
College of Allied Health Professions
UNMC has been educating allied health professionals since the early 1930s. Today, the college offers 15 health profession education programs, two interprofessional master’s degree programs, and four degree-advancement programs, with an average of annual enrollment of over 750 students.

College of Dentistry
College of Dentistry
Since its beginnings in 1899, the College of Dentistry has continually evolved. Learn more about the college’s history and explore the current artifacts on display in the Stanton D. Harn, PhD, Dental Gallery.

College of Nursing
College of Nursing
The University of Nebraska School of Nursing was founded in September 1917 within the College of Medicine. Today, the UNMC College of Nursing is at the forefront of nursing education in Nebraska, the U.S., and the world.

Department of Psychiatry
Department of Psychiatry
Since its founding in 1881, the Department of Psychiatry has had significant impact both locally and across the United States. Faculty have pioneered research and innovative clinical practices in telehealth, psychiatric training, and the study of intellectual disabilities in children and adults.

Early Anatomists
Early Anatomists
Anatomy, one of the fundamental disciplines in health sciences education, includes embryology, physiology, gross anatomy, histology, and molecular genetics. From the 1920s-1980s, students participated in classes taught by John S. Latta, PhD, Edward A. Holyoke, MD, PhD, and C. W. M. Poynter, MD. Discover more about these UNMC legends and the Department of Anatomy.

Early Rural Practitioners
Early Rural Practitioners
In the Midwest at the turn of the 20th century, it was common to be the only physician within 100 miles, caring for several hundred patients. Learn more in the exhibit about the personal experiences of early rural practitioners in Nebraska.

Education & WWII
Education & WWII
Well-trained physicians and nurses were a vital part of the war effort. Like other medical colleges across the nation, UNMC answered that call in multiple ways.

Global Initiatives
Global Initiatives
Since the first international student enrolled in the 1890s, UNMC has been committed to education and initiatives on a global scale.

Graduate Studies
Graduate Studies
Graduate students are key contributors to the research that is done at UNMC every day. Since 1942, UNMC Graduate Studies has focused on training graduate students through exceptional health science educational and research programs, faculty mentoring, and professional skills development.

Honors & Awards
Honors & Awards
Honors and awards provide the UNMC administration, faculty, and staff with opportunities to recognize colleagues doing exceptional work in their fields.

Infant Feeder Collection
Infant Feeder Collection
Marion E. Alberts, MD, was a 1948 UNMC graduate and a practicing pediatrician in Des Moines, Iowa, for over 30 years. His passion for caring for children inspired his collection of infant feeders, rattles, and teethers. Discover the past and find inspiration for the future of infant care through Dr. Alberts’ collection.

Legacies of Healing: The Wigton/Swift Family
Legacies of Healing: The Wigton/Swift Family
The Wigton and Swift families have long lineages in health sciences professions in Nebraska. Profiled here are some of the family members who dedicated their lives to serving and caring for the people of Nebraska.

McGoogan Library Rare Book Collection
McGoogan Library Rare Book Collection
Housed in two high-security rooms in McGoogan Library, the rare book collection encompasses a variety of health science disciplines. Learn more about this collection as well as the collection of H. Winnett Orr, MD, on permanent loan from the American College of Surgeons.

Nebraska and World War I
Nebraska and World War I
In January 1917, the U.S. War Department estimated a need for 20,000 physicians overseas. By May 1917, Nebraska had 34 American Red Cross chapters providing supplies, training for first aid, and financial support for the creation of Base Hospital No. 49, while physicians and nurses across the state enlisted to serve.

Native Healers: Susan La Flesche Picotte, MD
Native Healers: Susan La Flesche Picotte, MD
As a physician, Susan La Flesche Picotte, MD, committed to walking a line between two cultures. She learned the ways of the white medicine-men, as the first Native American to receive a western medical degree, while still maintaining the traditions of her people, the Umonhon (Omaha Tribe).

Teaching Tools
Teaching Tools
Practice and hands-on education are critical for preparing health sciences students for work in the field. Since antiquity, students have worked with various types of medical models to study diseases, surgical techniques, and diagnostics. Known as “medical simulation,” these practices are meant to replace and amplify real experiences.