The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha announced news of the death of James Edney, MD, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Surgery. Dr. Edney died on August 7 in a small plane crash in Minnesota.
A Caring Physian and Educator
UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, said in a statement to the University that “The UNMC community mourns the loss of Dr. Edney, a respected and caring physician and educator. He was recognized by both his students, colleagues, and his patients for his caring and commitment. We send our condolences to the Edney family, as well as our gratitude for the lives he touched and the people he helped at the university and throughout the community and region.”
James Edney, MD
Dr. Edney earned his bachelor’s degree from Creighton University in 1971 and his medical degree from UNMC in 1975. From 1975 to 1980, he did a residency in general surgery at UNMC followed by a one-year fellowship in surgical oncology at the University of Colorado in Denver before returning to UNMC in 1981. He was a professor emeritus in the UNMC Department of Surgery and a former division chief of surgical oncology.
Dr. Edney formerly served as president of the Southwestern Surgical Congress and the Western Trauma Association and was a member on the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons. Among his numerous awards is a Golden Apple Teaching Award he received in 1995 from UNMC surgery resident physicians.
Consummate Clinician
“Dr. Edney was a consummate clinician and educator, recognized as one of the top breast cancer specialists in the region,” said Bradley Britigan, MD, dean of the UNMC College of Medicine. “ Our sympathies go out to Dr. Edney’s wife and family.”
David W. Mercer, MD, chair of the UNMC Department of Surgery, said Dr. Edney was a colleague and a friend, noting “I will miss him and will always be indebted to him for encouraging me to come to UNMC. He impacted me, as he did so many others, with his caring and kindness—to say nothing of the many patients he helped throughout his medical career.”
