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1960s
Bill Kuntz (68MD) shared: “It’s great just to be ‘around’ at 85!" He also says it has been “the joy of his life watching Caitlin Clark tear down the rafters between the Atlantic and the Pacific!”
Bill Scott (64MD, 70R) was named to the first KidSight Medical Advisory Board.
1970s
Richard Dehn, MPA, PA-C (76PA), received the 2024 Lifetime Achievement in PA Education Award.
Dennis Knudsen (76MD) joined Southwest Medical Center in Liberal, Kansas, as an obstetrician-gynecologist.
Arnold Menezes (74R) was profiled by the American Medical Association about the innovations he has witnessed over his 50-year career as a neurosurgeon with University of Iowa Health Care.
Michael Welsh (74MD, 77R) received the Iowa Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Pioneer Award.
1980s
Dianne Atkins, MD (83F), was awarded the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award in Cardiac Resuscitation Science by the American Heart Association.
Thomas Baer (89MD) was named the Iowa Family Physician of the Year by the Iowa Academy of Family Physicians.
John Chase (80MD) published his second book, Searching for John DeWitt: How 80 Forgotten Letters from the Trenches of WWI Revealed Timeless Lessons of Honors and Courage. The book is based on letters written by Chase's grandfather during World War I.
Joe Cullen (86MD, 91R) discussed his research on how high-dose intravenous vitamin C can enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer patients on the Outperform Cancer podcast.
John Dooley (84MD, 88F) joined Hammond-Henry Hospital in Geneseo, Illinois, where he will serve in the pain management clinic.
Katherine Mathews (81MD, 89F) led a case study on a pair of twin girls born at seven months gestation who were administered gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy. Two years after treatment, the girls showed normal motor function.
Paul Ruggle (80MD) retired from the Newton (Iowa) Clinic in 2022 and has been doing family practice locum tenens assignments du ing the winter months in New Zealand or Hawaii. His two sons are both UI medical school graduates: Adam (14MD) is a psychiatrist, and Brian (12MD) is a family medicine physician.
Richard Shields (85PT), PhD, FAPTA, was spotlighted by the American Physical Therapy Association for his work on the PT Graduation Questionnaire.
Kirk Strawn (88MD) was profiled in his neighborhood newspaper about Walter Productions, the arts and culture nonprofit and retail venture he runs in Phoenix with his wife, Mary. Strawn practiced medicine for 20 years and then started a health care company, which he ultimately sold to Blue Cross-Blue Shield.
Norma Ward (80MEDT) says “70 is now the new 50!” and is enjoying spending time with her nieces and nephews and hosting monthly tea gatherings at her home.
1990s
Dapka Baccam (95MD) joined the team at Van Diest Medical Center in Webster City, Iowa, where he will provide endoscopy and colonoscopy services.
Robert Behrens (97MD) joined the staff of Van Diest Medical Center in Webster City, Iowa, as an oncologist and hematologist.
David Brown, MD (93R, 95F) is the director of research for Retina Consultants Houston. He recently gave a virtual keynote for the biopharmaceutical company Clearside Biomedical.
Michelle Dietz (99MD) was appointed chair of geriatrics for MetroHealth System in Cleveland, Ohio. She also serves as program director for the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program and the inpatient consulting physician in Geriatrics and Palliative Care.
Michael Flaum (90F), UI professor emeritus of psychiatry, joined Iowa Public Radio's River to River to discuss how psychedelic-assisted therapies may show promise in treating anxiety, chronic pain, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Lois Geist (90F), University of Iowa associate provost for faculty and professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, was named interim UI vice president for research.
Shawn Griffin (94MD) was named one of Modern Healthcare's “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.”
Jeff Jordan, MD (98R) gave a talk about ongoing research on the impacts of winter storm surges in Camden Harbor in Maine. Before his medical career, Jordan supervised the construction of Navy nuclear submarines and surface ships. He has a degree in nautical science.
Bruce Rowe (94MD) authored the book Everything Under the Sun about his experiences with a focus on health care heroes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Diva Salamão, MD (98F) is a professor of pathology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. She has authored more than 140 peer-reviewed articles and 14 book chapters and was a major contributor to the last two editions of the World Health Organization classification of tumors of the eye.
Yolangel Henandez Suarez, MD (92R) was appointed executive vice dean of the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, a newly established medical college in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Bernhardt Zeiher, MD (96F) was appointed to the board of directors for Abeona Therapeutics.
2000s
Satjit Adlakha, DO (07R) joined Memorial Physician Clinics in Pascagoula, Mississippi, as an interventional cardiologist.
Sara Brenner (06MD), MPH, was named acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Brenner previously served as the chief medical officer for in vitro diagnostics at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
Jeremy Cauwels (02MD), chief medical officer at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, will join a panel discussion on workforce shortages at the American Medical Group Association's Large Group Executive Summit in Austin, Texas.
Tanner Colegrove (01MD) was appointed chief medical officer of MagMutual, the nation's largest mutual medical professional liability insurer.
Nabeel Hamzeh, MD (02R) is part of a multidisciplinary team within the Carver College of Medicine that recently earned a two-year, $575,000 grant from the Ann Theodore Foundation to study cognitive dysfunction in people with sarcoidosis.
Ingrid Lizarraga (07R, 13F) joined KCRG to discuss rising rates of breast cancer in younger women. She also emphasized the importance of genetic testing and routine screenings.
Yi-Horng Lee (03R) joined the staff of the Saint Peter's University Hospital in New
Jersey as a pediatric surgeon.
Nicholas Mohr (06MD) gave a keynote address at the American College of Emergency Physicians 2024 meeting in Las Vegas. His topic was an overview of telehealth in acute unscheduled care.
Victoria Moss (06MD), a board-certified dermatologist, joined Vanguard Skin Specialists in Colorado.
Rebecca A. Myers (08MD) was elected president of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine.
Phinit Phisitkul (06F) launched a scholarship for undergraduate students across the U.S. interested in how technology and innovation can improve patient care.
Stephanie Radke (09MD, 22MPH) was interviewed by KFF Health News for an article on the declining number of labor and delivery units across the nation.
Erin Shriver, MD (06R), spoke with the American Medical Association about the possible risks of allowing optometrists to perform scalpel eyelid surgery, an example of "scope creep" that the AMA says could threaten patient safety.
Moshe Wald (05F) discussed the safety and efficacy of vasectomies for the American Medical Association’s “What Doctors Wish Patients Knew” series
2010s
James Alstott (13MD), assistant professor of nephrology at the University of Wisconsin, serves on the American Board of Internal Medicine's nephrology item-writing task force.
Rob Burnett (18MD) joined Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush in Chicago.
Shannon Findlay (14MD, 17R) and Terese Whipple (16MD, 21F) were jointly awarded the Excellence in Quality Award in the 2024 University of Iowa Physicians Clinical Awards.
Will Flanary, MD (17R)–known as Dr. Glaucomflecken to his 2.3 million TikTok followers–and his wife, Kristin, treated 90 medical students to a VIP meet-and-greet after their live comedy show at the Englert Theater in Iowa City.
Dan and Amy Halfman (11DPT) opened their own physical therapy clinic, Aspire Physical Therapy, in Ankeny, Iowa, in July 2024.
Pavlina Kemp (10MD, 11R, 14R) was named to the first KidSight medical advisory board.
Kaitlyn McCune (16MD) was hired as an OBGYN at InterMed in Portland, Maine.
Patrick McGonagill (10MD) was awarded the Patient Satisfaction and Service Excellence Award in the 2024 University of Iowa Physicians Clinical Awards
Emma Mohr (12MD-PhD), assistant professor of infectious diseases at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, was awarded this year’s Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society’s Young Investigator Award.
Fabiana Policeni (09F, 14F, 15F) contributed to a story for the American Medical Association about a newly implemented breast imaging modality at UI Health Care called contrast-enhanced mammography.
Brigit Ray (11MD, 14R, 16MME) was named to the “40 Under 40” list by the Corridor Business Journal.
Evelyn Ross-Shapiro (19MD, 22R) joined Iowa Public Radio's Talk of Iowa to discuss how to stay active through menopause in a story about a 57-year-old super marathon runner.
Dimah Saade, MD (13R, 17F), presented at the American Neurological Association annual meeting on next-generation treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Ryan Steinberg, MD (18R), a urologist with UI Health Care, discussed kidney stones for the American Medical Association’s for an article on “What Doctors Wish Patients Knew” series.
Joshua Stilley, MD (13R), was appointed to the Missouri State Advisory Council on Emergency Medical Services.
Amanda Swanton (17MD, 17PhD) contributed to an article on “What doctors wish patients knew about erectile dysfunction” for the American Medical Association.
Andrea Weber (12MD, 12MD, 15MME, 17R) contributed to a story on rising drug overdose death rates in Iowa.
Christoper Winters (19MD) joined the staff at Gundersen Decorah (Iowa) Clinic as a general surgeon. He will also provide services in the Iowa communities of Waukon, West Union, and Cresco.
2020s
Emmanuel Akintoye, MD (21F), assistant professor of cardiovascular medicine at Yale School of Medicine, was appointed associate director of the school's advanced cardiac imaging fellowship.
Divya Ashat, MBBS (21F), provided expertise for an article on HealthCentral about the stages of Crohn's disease.
Jay Blomme (20MD) joined the staff of Mahaska Health in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Sarah Costello (24MD) spoke with the American Medical Association about how to successfully navigate Match as a parent in medical training.
Natasha Gautam (23F) joined the faculty of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in Buffalo, New York.
Daisy Hanshaw (21MD) joined Washington County Hospital and Clinics in Washington, Iowa, as a family medicine physician.
Weiren Liu (21MD) was featured in a Des Moines Register story about custom-decorated radiation masks meant to ease stress and anxiety for pediatric patients.
Anne Meis (21MD) joined the staff at Pella (Iowa) Regional Health Center and will practice family medicine with obstetrics in Pella and Knoxville.
Wanda Pfeifer (22MME) was named to the first KidSight medical advisory board.
Kai Rogers (21MD-PhD) was awarded the Future Leader Transfusion Medicine and Biotherapies Fellow Scholarship Award from the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies.
Alix Sharp (24MD) shared her concerns with the Cedar Rapids Gazette on the topic of Iowa's looming physician shortage. She will stay in Iowa for residency training.
Adeyinka Taiwo, MBBS, MSc, FRCP (20F), received a $150,000 grant from the NIH Diabetes-Docs: Physician-Scientist Career Development Program to study metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in persons with Type 1 diabetes.
Anna Wilcox (23MD), currently a resident physician at Genesis Health System in Davenport, Iowa, was profiled by Iowa State University, her undergraduate alma mater, about her path to medicine and passion for diabetes research and care.
IN MEMORIAM
Janet Badding (76MD) lived in Oak Park, Illinois, and went into private practice family medicine. She later joined the University of Illinois, where she continued until retirement. Badding died Sept. 12, 2024.
Jerry Barnett (59MD, 62R) practiced anesthesiology at Mercy and Lutheran Hospitals. Barnett died July 20, 2024. He and his wife spent many winters living in Honolulu after his retirement. Jerry was also an avid hunter of game and morel mushrooms and played the rhythm bones.
Charles Bendixen (66MD) of Flagstaff, Arizona, died Nov. 5, 2024.
Willis Dankle (55MD) served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps on the Panama Canal. He then began private practice in Cresco, Iowa, served as the Howard County medical examiner, then moved to Clear Lake, where he practiced until retirement. Dankle died Aug. 23, 2024.
Richard Farrior, MD (53R) served in Korea before returning to Tampa, Florida, to practice alongside his brother at Tampa General Hospital. He practiced facial plastic surgery until the age of 77. Farrior died Oct. 13, 2024.
Ralph Hoover(57MD) became a captain in the U.S. Army after receiving his medical degree. He practiced over the years in Waterloo, Iowa, as well as Freeport and Lake Forest, Illinois. At age 59, he earned a Juris Doctor and founded a firm specializing in health care law. Hoover died June 9, 2024.
Leo Landhuis (59MD) served as director of the University of Missouri Lions Eye Bank and as the organization's national president. He innovated surgical procedures and educated many medical students. Landhuis died Nov. 19, 2024.
Debra Susie-Lattner (83MD) completed residency at Northwestern University and later earned an MBA at the University of Tennessee. She practiced as a physician for 18 years before moving into hospital administration and retiring in 2020. Susie-Lattner died July 17, 2024.
James Moermond (65MD) served as a family physician for 48 years with Aspirus Langlade Hospital in Antigo, Wisconsin, and achieved the rank of captain in the U.S. Army. Moermond died Aug. 13, 2024.
Joan B. Nickol-Tauke (58MD) was one of only three women in her medical school class. She was in private practice for 32 years as an ophthalmologist and the first female surgeon in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Nickol-Tauke died July 11, 2024.
John C. O’Connor, MD (87R, 88F) worked at Pathology Associates in Dubuque, Iowa. He also served as chief medical examiner of Dubuque County. O’Connor died Oct. 22, 2024.
Richard Pfohl (57MD) practiced internal medicine in Minnesota until retirement. He specialized in diabetes and endocrinology and served as president and medical director of the Nicollet Clinic/Park Nicollet. Pfohl died Jan. 1, 2025.
James Ruben (89F) was a pediatric ophthalmologist with Permanente Medical Group and co-authored the first U.S. publication on laser surgery treatment of eye disease linked to premature birth. He also was a pioneer in intraocular lens placement for cataract surgery in children. Ruben died Aug. 27, 2024.
Joe Sisson (79MD) was an international expert on cilia and invented a software used worldwide to analyze cilia motion. He led the University of Nebraska's Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine from 1997 to 2001. Sisson died Jan. 5, 2025.
John Tyrrell (47BA, 50MD) received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his service in World War II. He practiced in Duluth, Minnesota, before moving back to his hometown of Manchester, Iowa, to open his own practice. Tyrrell died Nov. 30, 2024, at age 100.
Virginia White (72MD) served as an endocrinologist with the Department of Veteran's Affairs for 25 years. She loved travel, reading, sewing, photography, board and trivia games, and baking, and she was an advocate for those with Down syndrome. White died Nov. 28, 2023.
Susan Yates, MD (81R) moved to Massachusetts after residency, joining Williamstown Medical Associates as their first woman physician. She practiced obstetrics and gynecology in Williamstown until 2017. She later went on trips to Haiti to provide care and medical training in rural areas. Yates died May 13, 2024.