Nebraska Medicine Names New Health Center After Drs. Shikhar And Kristin Saxena

India-West News Desk

OMAHA, NE – A new four-story Nebraska Medicine facility in midtown Omaha is expected to open to patients in fall 2027 after construction wraps up next summer. The $99.3 million center at 42nd and Farnam streets will be called the Shikhar & Kristin Saxena Health Center, recognizing a leadership gift from Omaha physicians Shikhar and Kristin Saxena through the University of Nebraska Foundation.

The facility will house dermatology, general internal medicine, outpatient gastrointestinal care and behavioral health services. It will become the main location for Nebraska Medicine’s dermatology program and help meet growing demand for outpatient gastrointestinal and behavioral health care.

Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska Foundation announced the name August 17 at a special event where guests were invited to sign the building’s final beam.

The project is being funded in part by community donations, including the Saxenas’ leadership contribution.

Both Saxenas graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine in 2007 and later established the Shikhar & Kristin Saxena Family Foundation.

Shikhar Saxena practiced cardiology at Nebraska Medicine and is co-founder and board chairman of Milan Laser. Kristin Saxena worked as a pediatrician with Boys Town Pediatrics before becoming chief medical officer of Milan Laser. She stepped down from that position in 2020 to focus on the family foundation and other philanthropic efforts.

The couple said their foundation focuses on supporting the Omaha community and that they chose to support the project because of Nebraska Medicine’s role in providing medical care.

Nebraska Medicine CEO Michael Ash said the contribution will help bring essential services together in one location and create more opportunities for patients to receive care close to where they live and work.

UNMC Chancellor H. Dele Davies said the project highlights the role of philanthropy and public-private partnerships in supporting the health center.

The Saxenas also spoke about their experiences with health care, both as physicians and patients, and said those experiences reinforced the importance of the doctors, nurses, researchers, students, staff and others involved in patient care.