Name: Deb Strike

Title: Nurse Coordinator

Focus Area: Clinical Care

Email: deborah-strike@uiowa.edu

Office Number: 319-356-3345

Campus Address: 21251 PFP

I have served as the Nurse Coordinator for the cleft team since 1999.

In this role I interact with the patients, parents and families, colleagues in nursing, physicians at UIHC and in the community, researchers, speech pathologists, audiologists, dental clinicians, teachers, as well as others that touch the lives of these children and families.

I assist with the preparation & editing of EPIC notes for clinic, the flow & scheduling of the cleft clinics, making sure that patients are able to see the necessary team care providers during their visit. I follow up with recommendations from clinic and assist with coordination of future appointments to avoid numerous trips to Iowa City. I round on patients from the in-patient areas, both as newborns and post-surgical patients at discharge to coordinate follow-ups after surgery. I provide education to families receiving a prenatal diagnosis and assist with feeding newborns. Twice a year I travel with the team to Spencer, IA for an outreach clinic to serve and support children and families in the western part of Iowa and surrounding states.

Over the years I have interacted with and coordinated patients for research conducted by faculty from the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Liberal Arts and Dentistry. Within the College of Medicine alone there have been studies by researchers from the departments of Otolaryngology, Surgery, Hospital Dentistry, Pediatrics, Genetics, Pediatric Psychology and Psychiatry, among others. I would like to continue to be engaged in research projects in any way that I can.

I have had the opportunity to participate in 5 medical missions to Guatemala with Iowa M.O.S.T. (Miles of Smiles Team), to provide surgery and education to patients, families, and local care providers. I feel that everyone should do something like this in their life if they are able because what you get back is so much greater than what you give.

 

 Even though having a cleft or other craniofacial birth defect is not usually life threatening, it is life changing. The families that I interact with need education, guidance, and someone to listen to their concerns. In my role I help facilitate these efforts for families and the subspecialties that these children may encounter. I am very passionate about the care of these children and like the variety my job provides. I feel that this position is critical for the clinical mission and continued research provided by our cleft/craniofacial clinic.