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1970s
Bruce Gantz (74MD, 80R) received the American Cochlear Implant Alliance 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his lifechanging work for children and adults with hearing loss through by advancing cochlear implant technology and research.
1980s
Kathy Mathews (81MD, 89F) received the Legacy Award for Achievement from the Muscular Dystrophy Association for significant contributions to the understanding and treatment of genetic disorders affecting the neuromuscular system.
Hunter Fuerste (82MD) is the recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Hometown Alumni Award from the Foundation for Dubuque Public Schools. Fuerste is an ophthalmologist alongside his parents and siblings at Fuerste Eye Clinic.
George Dawson (84MD) was presented with the Community Service Award by the 37th Annual Black Nurses Day committee for his work in Harlem, the South Bronx, and Bushwick during the COVID-19 and mpox outbreaks.
William Wagner (85MD) retired in January after 35 years as co-director and founder of the Abbot Northwestern Obstetric Critical Care Program and Cardioobstetric Program with Allina Health in Minnesota.
1990s
Christine Chung (93MD) was appointed chair of the Department of Radiology at University of California San Diego School of Medicine.
Alison Lynch (98MD, 03R), director of addiction medicine and clinical professor of psychiatry and family and community medicine in the Carver College of Medicine, was honored with a 2025 Regents Award for Faculty Excellence.
Thomas George (94R, 97F) medical director for neonatology at Children's Minnesota, was part of the team that delivered a Minnesota quintuplet recognized as the second smallest baby ever at 8 oz.
Nanette Rollene (96MD) served as program chair for the 2025 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting, the largest academic meeting of OB-GYNs and those supporting women’s health in the nation.
Marta Van Beek (97MD, 01R, 03F, 03MPH, 08F) was elected to the American Medical Association board of trustees.
2000s
Stephanie Radke (09MD) was interviewed by the Association of American Medical Colleges for an article on improving access to maternity care in Iowa’s health care deserts.
Azeemuddin Ahmed (00MD) will serve as professor and chair of the newly established Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, as well as clinical service chief of emergency medicine at OU Health.
Megan Samuelson (06MD, 11F, 12F), clinical associate professor and director of anatomic pathology, received the Jo Ann Benda Surgical Pathology Professorship.
Ben Reinking (00MD, 06F) was interviewed on the Health Podcast Network discussing physician burnout and steps doctors and health care institutions can take to help them thrive.
2010s
Elaine Binkley (17F) was profiled by the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, recognizing her dedication to innovation in ocular oncology, including brachytherapy and surgical interventions.
Nick Trapp (19MS), assistant professor of psychiatry in the Carver College of Medicine, was invited to the National Academy of Medicine's 2025 Emerging Leaders Forum in Washington, D.C.
Mohammad Bashir (10R, 12F) a cardiothoracic surgeon with UI Health Care and clinical professor of cardiothoracic surgery, was profiled on the University of Iowa website stories.uiowa.edu.
Benjamin Spector (16MD, 19R) was awarded a two-year Wisconsin Partnership Program grant for a project called, “Identification of novel biomarkers and pathogenesis of kidney transplant rejection using cell-free DNA fragmentation and DNA methylation patterns.”
Wanakee Carr (14MD) was featured in the Des Moines Register discussing the ongoing challenges of access to OBGYN care in Iowa.
Courtney Carlson Strother (18MD), a Mayo Clinic hand surgeon, continued her passion for running throughout medical school, helping her to decompress, retain information, and build strong friendships. She encourages medical students to preserve personal interests, noting that even 30 minutes of daily running makes her a better doctor and person.
Daniel Lee (16MD, 21R) received the Mason City (Iowa) Clinic’s 2025 MacGregor Award for Excellence for his exceptional service to patients, peers, and the community.
William Ganske (18MD) gave a community lecture on colon cancer screening, and the prevention and treatment of common colon diseases — as well as one of his niche medical interests, treating patients who were bitten by sharks.
Maria Story (14MD, 17R, 21F) was named one of the Iowa Medical Society's "Five Iowa Physicians to Watch" for her work enhancing rural health care access in southeast Iowa.
Robert Westermann (16R) was interviewed by KCRG TV-9 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, about how to avoid muscle and bone injuries from increased physical activity in the summertime.
IN MEMORIAM
William Boyd (62MD) had a private practice and became medical director of two psychiatric facilities. Boyd died July 13, 2024.
Byron T. Burlingham (66MD) taught at the University of Maryland, Kansas State University, East Carolina University, and Ross University in Dominica, West Indies. He retired in 2004 to become a full-time rancher in Manhattan, Kansas. Burlingham died May 18.
Sean Hendren (13MD) worked as a physician at UP Health System in Marquette, Michigan and loved cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and walking in the woods with his family. Hendren died Feb. 3.
John W. Obbink Jr. (90MD) served in the Air Force for three years in Oklahoma City before settling with his family in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He and wife, Cindy, ran a private practice in the area, where he practiced for 30 years. Obbink died February 26.
Maurice John (69MD) founded the John-Kenyon Eye Center and was one of the first in the country to perform a radial keratotomy. He is widely credited for helping bring LASIK to the U.S. John died March 24.
George Gataky (62MD) trained in dermatology and opened his medical practice in Louisville, Kentucky. Gataky died April 18.
Jerald Dean King (70MD) interned at Broadlawns in Des Moines before setting up a practice in Nevada, Iowa. King died May 3.
John Glenn Hazen (59MD) trained in internal medicine, hematology, and oncology at L.A. County Hospital. He practiced for 40 years in South Orange County. Hazen died May 15.
Stephen Van Houten (67MD, 70R) practiced radiology at the McFarland Clinic in Ames, Iowa from 1973 to 2009. He served as president of the Iowa Radiology Society, president of the Story County Medical Society, a state representative for the Iowa chapter of the American College of Radiology, and he sat on the McFarland Clinic board of directors. Van Houten died Oct. 3, 2024.