Carol A. Aschenbrener Papers

Carol A. (Kemp) Aschenbrener was born in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1944. She received her bachelor’s degree from Clarke College (Iowa) in 1966 and her master’s degree in anatomy at the University of Iowa in 1968. Dr. Aschenbrener received her M.D. from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, specializing in pathology, in 1971. She completed her internship in anatomic pathology in 1972 and her residency at the University of Iowa in 1974. She joined the Iowa faculty in pathology and became a full professor in 1987.

In 1983, Dr. Aschenbrener became Acting Associate Dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Iowa. One year later, she became Associate Dean and then Senior Associate Dean in 1988. Dr. Aschenbrener became Executive Associate Dean of the College of Medicine in 1990. While at the University of Iowa, Dr. Aschenbrener chaired the University of Iowa Hospitals’ credentials committee. In 1991, Dr. Aschenbrener was the first woman elected chair of the board of the Iowa Medical Society.

Dr. Aschenbrener was named chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in March 1992. She assumed the position on August 1, 1992. She was the first female chancellor in the University of Nebraska System. According to Roger Bulger, M.D., the Association of Academic Health Centers president, Dr. Aschenbrener was the first woman to head a public, academic health center in the United States.

As chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Dr. Aschenbrener oversaw the construction of the Student Life Center. She also administered nearly $40 million in private gifts for capital construction for the Lied Transplant Center, in addition to the construction of the Hattie B. Munroe pavilion and the College of Dentistry’s Center for Dental Research. She worked with the Board of Regents to purchase Clarkson Hospital and set up a partnership with Boys Town.

In the spring of 1996, Dr. Aschenbrener and University of Nebraska Medical Center signed a letter of intent to enter a joint operating agreement with Immanuel and Bergan Mercy health systems in Alegent Health. In May 1996, twenty-eight well-respected University of Nebraska Medical Center faculty members sent a letter to Dr. Aschenbrener, communicating their loss of faith in her leadership. The University of Nebraska president brought in a consultant to analyze the leadership issues at University of Nebraska Medical Center. By August 30, 1996, Dr. Aschenbrener resigned as chancellor of University of Nebraska Medical Center.

After resigning as chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Dr. Aschenbrener took a position as a senior fellow in residence at the Association of Academic Health Centers in Washington, D.C. In 1999, she was the first woman to chair the National Board of Medical Examiners. Also, in 1999, she formed her consulting practice to design strategy and development of human resources. Dr. Aschenbrener is currently (2014) Chief Medical Education Officer at the Association of American Medical Colleges.