MSTP Faculty Committees
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee, chaired by the Director, is responsible for advising the MSTP leadership on all aspects of Program policy and management. Members of the Executive Committee are active and informed MSTP participants who have a broad involvement in educational, research and clinical programs at the University. The Executive Committee meets twice yearly to discuss issues pertinent to the MSTP training, including the evaluation and approval of MSTP faculty appointments, graduate and clinical requirements, and new program initiatives.
The Executive Committee has a diverse membership including:
Ted Abel, PhD – Professor & Head of Pharmacology
Lori Adams, PhD – Associate Professor of Biology; Director of the Iowa Biosciences Academy & the Latham Science Engagement Initiative
Alex Bassuk, MD, PhD – Professor & Head of Pediatrics
Betsy Chrischilles, PhD – Professor & Head of Epidemiology
Pamela Geyer, PhD – Professor of Biochemistry; MSTP Co-Director
Darren Hoffman, PhD – Assistant Professor of Anatomy & Cell Biology; Responsible for MSTP Evaluation & Assessment
Steven Lentz, MD, PhD – Professor of Internal Medicine; MSTP Director
Denise Martinez, MD – Associate Professor of Family Medicine; Associate Dean of the Office of Cultural Affairs & Diversity Initiatives
Nitin Karandikar, MD, PhD – Professor & Chair of Pathology
Peg Nopoulos, MD – Professor, Chair & DEO of Psychiatry
Amal Shibli-Rahhal, MD, MS – Professor of Internal Medicine; Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Curriculum
Hanna Stevens, MD, PhD – Associate Professor of Psychiatry; Chair of the MSTP Admissions Committee
David Stoltz, MD, PhD – Professor of Internal Medicine & Division Head of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Occ Med; Director of the PSTP
Steven Strack, PhD – Professor & Vice Chair of Neuroscience & Pharmacology
Daniel Tranel, PhD – Professor of Neurology; Associate Dean of the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies
Steven Varga, PhD – Professor of Microbiology & Immunology; Associate Dean of the Graduate College
George Weiner, MD – Professor of Internal Medicine; Director of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center
Two student representatives elected from the student body, one from the first three years of training and one from latter years. These students provide a trainee’s perspective, provide transparency and facilitate communication between MSTP leadership and trainees in the program.
Admissions Committee
The Admissions Committee, chaired by Hanna Stevens, MD, PhD, is charged with the evaluation of MSTP applications and recruitment of accepted candidates. The committee consists of 23 faculty members and 3 MSTP student members.
The Admissions Committee broadly represents graduate training opportunities at the U of Iowa. Currently, the committee includes faculty members representing twelve of the 15 graduate training programs, of which ten (43%) are full professors, eight are associate professors (35%), and five (22%) are assistant professors. The distribution of faculty rank provides an opportunity for exposure of junior faculty laboratories to applicants while maintaining institutional memory for candidate evaluation. Women represent 43% (10/23) of the Admissions Committee faculty members and underrepresented minority faculty members represent 13% (3/23). Twelve (52%) members of the Admissions Committee are physician-scientists.