Sections

1950s

Lyle R. Fuller (54MD) was inducted into the Garner Hall of Fame, honoring his lifelong contribution to the small, north-central Iowa community of Garner. The induction serves as a gesture of appreciation for his practice that extended nearly 50 years until his death in 2002. 

1960s

Robert C. Smith (62MD, 68R) retired from Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine in 2020. He is working on the fifth edition of the interviewing textbook Smith’s Patient-Centered Interviewing: An Evidence-Based Method and is also writing Has Medicine Lost Its Mind? 

Donald Brown (65MS, 66MD) announced that he will retire in June 2023 after a 50-year career with UI Health Care. He performed research in digoxin pharmacology and pre-hospital cardiac care, taught and directed an introductory to clinical medicine course for 25 years, mentored countless students, and provided clinical care. 

1970s

Kathryn Edwards (73MD) retired Dec. 31, 2022, after 42 years at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She held the Sarah H. Sell and Cornelius Vanderbilt Endowed Chair in Pediatrics and served as a professor of pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases. During her career, she tested vaccines for H1N1 flu, H5 avian flu, pertussis, pneumococcus, smallpox, anthrax, and other viruses.  

Gary Johnson (75PA) was inducted into the Tennessee Academy of Physician Assistants Hall of Fame. Johnson was the third PA licensed in the state of Tennessee, served as program director for Trevecca Nazarene University’s PA program, and was a charter member for the Committee on Physician Assistants for the state of Tennessee. 

Corrine Ganske (77MD) of Des Moines, Iowa, was named president of the Iowa Academy of Family Physicians. Ganske serves as the president of the board of Eyerly Ball, a UnityPoint-affiliated community mental health center. She also serves on the board of directors for UnityPoint-Des Moines. 

1980s

Tamara Gholson Bavendam (81MD, 86R) earned Luther College's 2022 Distinguished Service Award. She recently retired from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, where she served as a senior adviser for women's urologic health. 

Matthew Cooper, MD, MBA (89R), discussed leadership, accountability, and teamwork on the "High Performance Zone" podcast, hosted by John Foley. Cooper is a cardiac surgeon and chief medical officer and director of global safety at 3M Health Care. 

1990s

Mark Corkins, MD (92R), is division chief of pediatric gastroenterology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. He has become a go-to source on infant nutrition for national media outlets. 

Stacey Neu (96MD) of West Des Moines, Iowa, was named the 2022 Iowa Medical Educator of the Year by the Iowa Academy of Family Physicians. Neu is a faculty member of the Iowa Lutheran Hospital family medicine residency program. 

2000s

Daniel Runde (09MD, 16MME), clinical professor of emergency medicine at Iowa, received the 2022 Patient Care Partner Award, presented by the Iowa Pharmacy Association, for his cooperation with pharmacists in both the UI emergency department and Mobile Clinic. 

2010s

Matthew J. Fuller (10MD), associate professor of emergency medicine at the University at Utah, received the 2022 Distinguished Humanitarian Award from the University of Utah School of Medicine. The award recognizes his work in emergency medicine development and public health, with projects in Peru, Syria, Vietnam, and on the Navajo Nation. 

Allan Welter-Frost (14MD, 17R), who specializes in the full spectrum of clinical cardiac electrophysiology disease processes, has joined Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital. 

Allison Songstad (16PhD) was promoted to lead NanoString University, the online academy of NanoString Technologies. Songstad uses teaching skills learned during her PhD program at Iowa to implement online courses for over 15,000 participants, which include graduate students, medical professionals, professors, and biotech and government scientists. 

Kyle Flippo (17PhD) authored a Cell Metabolism paper on the potential of the hormone FGF21 to reduce alcohol abuse. The paper was recognized as a 2022 Leading Research Achievement by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. Flippo now works in the laboratory of Matthew Potthoff in the UI Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology.   

Jenna Lund (18MD) joined the Essentia Health-Duluth Clinic as an obstetrician-gynecologist.  

In memoriam

Edward Remington Duffie Jr. (55MD) practiced pediatric cardiology for 20 years and served as medical director for children's hospitals in Oakland, California, and Denver, Colorado. He later worked in the private sector as corporate vice president of medical affairs at Becton, Dickinson, and Company in New Jersey. He died Sept. 25, 2022

Hugh L. Wolff (55MD, 63R)  moved to San Antonio, Texas, after residency training. He practiced medicine for 25 years and served as clinical professor at UT Health San Antonio. Wolff died Dec. 23, 2022.

William J. Rowe, MD (59R), served as a captain in the Air Force before beginning his private practice in Toledo, Ohio. He performed research on the cardiovascular implications of endurance training and also studied spaceflight and hypertension in astronauts who inhaled moon dust. Rowe died Sept. 18, 2022.

Thomas Gartin (61MD) founded the Family Practice Medical Clinic in Palm Desert, California, where he practiced for 38 years. He died Nov. 9, 2022.

Nicholas P. Rossi, MD (62R), was a professor of cardio-thoracic and vascular surgery in the Carver College of Medicine for 62 years. He helped perform the first kidney transplant in Iowa in 1969. He and his wife, Helen Rossi, were great supporters of the department and were instrumental in creating the Helen K. Rossi Volunteer Guest House and the Nicholas P. Rossi Professorship in Cardiothoracic Surgery. He died Nov. 5, 2022. 

John Owen Mullen (68MD) interned with the Navy and served as a surgeon in Vietnam. He then served the community of Huntington, West Virginia, as an orthopedic surgeon for 32 years. He died Aug. 5, 2022

Charles Gates Jr. (72MD) started North Idaho Urology in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and practiced until he was 70 years old. He died Nov. 28, 2022.

Thomas Stevens, MD (74F), was drafted into the Army and served in Vietnam and Tacoma, Washington. After his fellowship training at Iowa, Stevens and his family moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where he worked as a professor of ophthalmology at UW Madison Hospital and Clinics for 44 years. He died Dec. 26, 2022.

Napoleon Carter (77MD) founded the Eye Care Rehab Clinic in Longview, Texas, and he retired in 2004. He died Dec. 17, 2022

Frank E. Hammer Jr., MD (79R), of Keaau, Hawaii, was an anesthesiologist with the Hilo Medical Center and the Hilo Surgical Center. He was also a veteran of the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He died Jan. 3, 2020.

John Ceilley (00MD) served as a psychiatry and addiction medicine specialist for 15 years in Denver, Colorado. He died Sept. 25, 2022. 

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Fall foliage on the CCOM and UIHC campus on Saturday

2023 Alumni Reunion Weekend

Mark you calendars

Celebrate and reconnect with your medical school classmates, revisit campus, and hear from students, faculty, and leadership about the evolution of medical education at Iowa.

September 21-23, 2023