On Veterans Day and throughout the year, the Department of Psychiatry is proud to highlight many current and former U.S. military members making a difference at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine.
Eleven members of the department currently serve or have served in the Armed Forces, including Matthew Kelly, MD, who served in the U.S. Navy.
“I have a lot of fond memories of my time in the Navy and consider it a highly formative experience,” Dr. Kelly said. “I learned the importance of accountability, professionalism, and how to work within a team to achieve a shared goal.”
Cody Nelson, a nurse in the Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) unit, was a medic in the U.S. Army from 2011-2013.
“My service helped this role in the sense it gave me a solid medical foundation to approach nursing, and it taught me how to advocate for specialized populations, be they service members or people with psychological issues,” Nelson said.
Chase Brice, Department of Psychiatry Clinical Research Associate, serves as a Signal officer in the Nebraska Guard. He was commissioned as a Field Artillery officer in 2024. This summer, he spent five months at Fort Gordon in Georgia.
“I look at serving in the military as a way to give back to my community,” Brice said. “Other members of my family also served in the military, and we look at it as a sacrifice we can make for the greater good. It’s important to help and give back.”
Brice also serves as president of the Veterans and Military-Affiliated Employee Resource Group (VMA ERG) at UNMC. On Tuesday, November 10, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the VMA ERG will host a Veterans Day celebration in the Wigton Heritage Center. Lunch will be provided.
“The event is open to anyone, whether or not you have a military connection,” Brice said.
Here is the list of some department faculty, staff, and spouses who have served in the Armed Forces.
Chase Brice, Army National Guard
Douglas Coffey, RN – U.S. Army Reserves
Jacob Dines, MD – U.S. Navy
Anthony Finigan – U.S. Navy
Logan Ford, MD – U.S. Army
Laura Fuller, PA-C – U.S. Air Force
Brandon Gallant, PLMHP, U.S. Air Force
Stacey Herbster, MD – Army National Guard, Army Reserves
Matthew Kelly, MD – U.S. Navy
Luke LeBrun, LIMHP – Army National Guard, Army Reserves
Isvi Machura, PES, Army National Guard
Shane Mercure, U.S. Army
Cody Nelson, U.S. Army
Madison Nolan, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Stephen Salzbrenner, MD – U.S. Navy