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Kimberly Ephgrave, MD Medical Scholarship

Kim EphgraveThis scholarship was established in memory of Dr. Kim Ephgrave who was the Associate Dean in OSAC for many years. Karen J. Brasel, MD, MPH, received a medical degree from The University of Iowa in 1991. She established this named fund in 2007 to honor an outstanding surgical educator and mentor who has had profound influence on countless University of Iowa medical students. Based on a shared sense of commitment to the underserved and disadvantaged in our own backyard, this fund is to be used to support University of Iowa medical students with financial support to assist them in completing community-based medical experiences in economically disadvantaged areas within the United States. This scholarship is intended to help students become familiar with the culture, social, and medical problems of the community they choose to serve.

Kimberly Ephgrave, MD

Kim joined the faculty of the Department of Surgery at The University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1986, rising through the academic ranks to Professor in 1995. She was a beloved teacher, compassionate clinician, prolific scholar, and innovative administrator during her career. She was recognized as Teacher of the Year by the junior class five times during her career and won the Department of Surgery Staff of the Year award, the Collegiate Teaching Award, and the Association of Surgical Education national teaching award. She supervised the research of 26 trainees, ranging from high school students through residents. Countless former students and residents cite the centrality of her example of integrity, compassion, and intelligence in their own development as physicians. She was particularly influential among women trainees, and was recognized with the Olga Jonasson Distinguished Member Award from the Association of Women Surgeons, which she served in a number of capacities, including as president.

Karen

Kim served in a number of administrative roles, including clerkship director and associate residency director for the department of surgery and, from 2002 through 2006, associate dean for student affairs and curriculum for the Carver College of Medicine. In all of these roles, she put trainees first and her devotion to their development guided all of her decisions.

Dr. Ephgrave was devoted to high quality care for patients from all backgrounds. Her practice was guided by a sophisticated understanding of the medical literature, which she continued to read up to days before her death, tempered by her wide experience. She was listed among Best Doctors in America in six different years.

During her career, Kim published some 72 peer reviewed articles on topics ranging from stress ulcer prophylaxis to disciplinary differences in faculty professionalism. Her interest in research was fundamentally pragmatic and oriented toward the improvement of practice, both clinical and educational.