2024 Distinguished Alumni Awards

Distinguished Alumni Awards

The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine bestows upon its outstanding graduates.  

Established in 1998, this awards program recognizes our former students, colleagues, and friends who have transcended their fundamental roles as health care providers, scientists, and educators to become influential participants in the advancement of the art and science of medicine. Excellence in these areas brings pride and distinction to the University of Iowa and the Carver College of Medicine.

Award for Achievement

Honors University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine alumni for significant professional accomplishments in science, medicine, and/or education.

Portrait of Paul McCray

Paul McCray Jr., MD

81MD, 84R–pediatrics, 88F–pediatric pulmonology

Paul McCray performed fundamental research to understand airway innate immunity and respiratory infections, including SARS, MERS, and COVID-19. He developed innovative animal models of coronavirus lung disease and cystic fibrosis to study pathogenesis and therapies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a mouse model of coronavirus infection that McCray had previously developed became one of the most scientifically useful vehicles for studying the virus and testing vaccines and treatments. He discovered the human and mouse beta-defensin gene clusters that protect the lung. He used this knowledge of host defenses and virus entry mechanisms to advance therapeutic gene delivery to airway epithelia. The Roy J. Carver Chair in Pulmonary Research, McCray has served as a role model and mentor to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, pediatrics trainees, and junior faculty at Iowa. Read more

Award for Service

Honors University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine alumni for meritorious service in a professional capacity or in the broader community.

Portrait of Barbara McAneny

Barbara L. McAneny, MD, MACP, FASCO

77MD, 80R–internal medicine

Barbara McAneny’s dedication to health advocacy is the cornerstone of her career. Elected President of the American Medical Association in 2017, she focused her tenure on empowering patients and providers alike as she worked to resist large health corporation mergers. As she created the New Mexico Cancer Center, she founded the New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation, which has lifted the burden of non-medical expenses for underserved patients undergoing treatment for serious illness for more than 20 years. She also led oncology practices across the U.S. to create efficiencies in health care delivery that reduce unnecessary hospitalizations with a $19.5 million award from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Through all her leadership roles, she has been a champion for affordable, accessible health care for all. Read more

Award for Early Career Achievement

Honors University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine graduates of the past 20 years who have achieved early distinction in their field.

Portrait of Amber Brooks

Amber K. Brooks, MD

05MD

Amber Brooks’ career is guided by two passions: serving patients living with chronic and complex pain and advocating for compassionate, quality care for all. She is an associate professor of anesthesiology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the department’s vice chair of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Through her clinical research, she has cast light on bias and stigma in pain medicine and the healing power of movement. Brooks has led efforts to build health equity into the curriculum for medical learners, and her next goal is to create a training program to boost innovation in the field of addiction medicine through modern data science methods. As of August, she now serves as vice dean for strategic initiatives. Read more

Award Ceremony

Award recipients will be recognized with a special ceremony and dinner during Medicine Alumni Reunion Weekend, Sept. 12–14, 2024. For more information, please contact UI Health Care Outreach and Engagement at 1-319-335-8886 or email medicine-alumni@uiowa.edu.