The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is one of five original academic units of the Medical Department, making it the first combined obstetrics and gynecology department in the country.

A lectureship in ophthalmology and otology is established, with E. F. Hagen, MD, as the first lecturer.

The University of Iowa becomes a founding member of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Jennie McCowen, MD, graduates with honor and begins as assistant physician on the staff of the facility known at the time as the State Hospital for the Insane in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. McCowen would later serve as a private practitioner in Davenport, Iowa and establish the Iowa State Society of Medical Women. Today, one of the four student learning communities in the Carver College of Medicine is named in her honor.

John C. Shrader, AM, MD, LLD

The Department of Pathology and Bacteriology is added to the Medical Department. The department is led by Walter L. Bierring, MD.

William D. Middleton, MD, becomes dean.

The first university-based teaching hospital west of the Mississippi River open—a 50-bed hospital built at a cost of $55,000.

The first dermatologist joins the medical faculty.

James R. Guthrie, AM, MD.

Edward A. Carter, MD, becomes the first Black male graduate of the College of Medicine. Carter would go on to practice medicine in Buxton, a coal-mining community in south-central Iowa.

Lee Wallace Dean, MD.

The Department of Pediatrics is established, with Albert H. Byfield serving as head of the department and the first trained pediatrician on the medical school faculty.

Bundy Allen, MD, becomes the first radiologist at Iowa and establishes himself as a leader in his field. Bundy would go on to serve as the first editor of Radiology, the premier journal of the specialty.

The practice of urology begins at Iowa, led by Nathaniel G. Alcock, MD, who was recruited to enhance genito-urinary education. A formal Department of Urology is established in 1922, led by Alcock, who becomes a pioneering resectionist and contributor to the study and practice of transurethral surgery.

The Iowa Child Welfare Research Station is established—one of the first centers in the country to use scientific methods to study the development of healthy children.

Originally the Psychopathic Hospital and later the Psychiatric Hospital, the building served as an inpatient facility until 1990. As the Medical Education Building, it includes a teaching laboratory, research labs, faculty offices, and the Carver College of Medicine’s Graduate Program in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science.

The Department of Psychiatry is established, with Samuel T. Orton, MD, as chair of the department. Orton, who also serves as director of the newly established Iowa Psychopathic Hospital, would become known as a pioneer in the study of learning disabilities. His research on children with reading problems later leads to the creation of the Orton Society, now known as the International Dyslexia Association.

The Department of Neurology is established, making it the third oldest department of its kind in the nation and the first established west of the Mississippi River.

Mary Ross, MD, becomes the first American physician to complete residency training in anesthesia.

Under the direction of College of Medicine Dean L.W. Dean, MD, the Department of Ophthalmology and Department of Otolaryngology are established as independent academic units. Prior to their establishment, ophthalmology and otolaryngology functioned under the rubric of the eye, ear, nose, and throat service, which included head and neck surgery. Under the new administrative structure, Cecil S. O’Brien, MD, is hired as head of the Department of Ophthalmology, and Dean oversees the Department of Otolaryngology.

Funded by the state of Iowa and a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, Medical Laboratories initially contained the university’s medical library and the Iowa State Board of Health Laboratories. Research labs and administrative and faculty offices now are housed in the facility.

John T. McClintock, MD, ScD.

The 900-bed General Hospital opens, greatly increasing clinical teaching opportunities for students and trainees.

Houghton becomes Dean

Ruth Jackson, MD, begins her orthopedic training at Iowa. She later becomes the first female board-certified woman orthopedic surgeon in the country.

College of Medicine researchers lead groundbreaking studies in blood coagulation and coagulopathy treatments.

Rubin H. Flocks, MD, begins residency training in the Departmemnt of Urology. Working together, Flocks and urology department chair Nathaniel G. Alcock, MD, became pioneers in the field of urology with their collaborations—particularly those that led to mapping the blood supply to the prostate as well as innovative prostatic surgical techniques. In the 1940s, Flocks developed the radioisotopic treatment of prostate cancer, leading to modern brachytherapy. Flocks became the second chair of the department in 1949. Today, one of the four student learning communities in the Carver College of Medicine is named in Flocks' honor.

Ewen M. MacEwen, MD.

A residency program in the Department of Dermatology is established under the leadership of Ruben Nomland, MD.

An EEG (electroencephalography) laboratory is established at Iowa—one of the first six EEG labs to open in the U.S. Student and faculty members of the EEG lab include several future leaders giants of the field, including Lee Travis, John Knott, Herbert Jasper, Donald Lindsley, and Ernst Niedermeyer.

Elmer DeGowin, MD, develops reliable blood preservation and shipping methods.

The Department of Bacteriology, which today is the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, is established.

Under the leadership of Elmer DeGowin, MD, the University of Iowa establishes the first blood bank in the nation to use preservative agents for long-term storage.

Buffered aspirin is developed at the University of Iowa. When dietitian Kate Daum, head of the Department of Nutrition, complains of a headache to William D. “Shorty” Paul, she declines aspirin because it upsets her stomach. So Paul, a professor of rehabilitation, adds a buffer to the aspirin; the remedy relieves Daum's headache without making her nauseous. Bristol-Myers later learns of Paul’s remedy and eventually markets the product as Bufferin. A antacid verson of the producet, Rolaids, is introduced years later.

James Bradbury, PhD, a leader in the field of female reproductive endocrinology, becomes the first basic sciences researcher to receive a full faculty appointment in a clinical department. Bradbury and William C. Keettel, MD, were among the first to describe the pathophysiology of polycystic ovary syndrome, the most common endocrinopathy in women.

Everett D. Plass, MD, and Willis Brown, MD, establish one of the first Papanicolaou smear (also known as a Pap test) community screening programs in the United States.

University Hospital School, the first program on a college campus devoted to children and young adults with disabilities, opens its doors. Known today as the Center for Disabilities and Development at UI Stead Family Children's Hospital, it continues to improve the health and independence of people with disabilities.

The Radiation Research Laboratory is established, focusing on safety and dosimetry related to the diagnostic and therapeutic uses of radiation.

Carlyle Jacobsen, PhD, executive dean of the health sciences, assumes administrative leadership of the College of Medicine following Dean Ewen MacEwen's death.

Adolph Sahs, MD, chair of the Department of Neurology, joins three of the nation's leading neurologists to establish the American Academy of Neurology.

Mayo H. Soley, MD.

Following Dean Mayo Soley's death, UI President Virgil Hancher appoints a five-member executive committee, led by Robert T. Tidrick, MD, to carry on the work of the dean's office.

Willis M. Fowler, MD.

Ignacio Ponseti, MD, is appointed to direct the clubfoot clinic, where he develops the nonsurgical technique that would become the gold standard for treatment known as the Ponseti Method.

Stuart Cullen, MD, chief of anesthiosology, is the first to use xenon—an odorless, colorless gas—as a surgical anesthetic. Two years earlier, wool pants cause an explosion of diethyl ether in an operating room, perforating the anesthetist's eardrum and causing a pharyngeal laceration in the patient. The incident motivates Cullen to begin researching inert gases as anesthetizing agents.

The world's first cryobank for frozen semen is established at Iowa, based on work by Jerome Sherman, PhD, and Raymond Bunge, MD, in the Department of Urology. As a doctoral student, Sherman discovered and described the technique for freezing and storing human semen. Bunge facilitated the world's first successful human pregnancy from frozen sperm.

Norman B. Nelson, MD.

The Cleft Palate Research Program, the first multispecialty rehabilitative program for patients with cleft palate, is established. Dean Lierle, MD, develops the first comprehensive, multidisciplinary cleft lip and palate clinic, bringing together specialists in surgery, orthodontic dentistry, and speech pathology.

The College of Medicine establishes the western hemisphere’s first institute of agricultural medicine and environmental health to study farm- and workplace-related injuries and illnesses.

The Iowa Lions Eye Bank is founded by Alson E. Braley, MD, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology. Dedicated to the restoration and preservation of sight through the recovery, processing, and distribution of ocular tissue for transplantation and research. The Iowa Lions Eye Bank is a national leader in the eye banking industry.

Following the first corneal transplant procedure in Iowa in 1954, physicians from the Department of Ophthalmology are the first in the nation to enlist state highway patrol officers to transport donor eyes to them for corneal transplantation. The department later becomes the first to train morticians to remove corneas for transplantation.

Thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon Johann Ehrenhaft, MD, and colleagues develop one of the first heart-lung machines to circulate, oxygenate, and filter blood during open-heart surgery procedures. Ehrenhaft first uses the machine while successfully repairing a ventricular septa defect in a 5-year-old girl.

Iowa researchers particpate in the first National Institutes of Health-funded, multicenter, prospective, randomized trial for a neurological disease.

The J. Marshall Fund for Dermatology is established by the family of a grateful patient. The fund later grew to a nearly $4 million endowment supporting dermatology research.

The first Midwest Anesthesia Residents Meeting is organized by William Hamilton, MD, and Jack Moyers, MD. In 1968, the meeting becomes known as the Midwest Anesthesia Residents Conference (MARC), now one of the largest gatherings of anesthesia residents in the world.

Robert Hardin, MD, began his five-decades-long career at Iowa in the 1930s. He assisted in pioneering research by Elmer DeGowin, MD, on the preservation, banking, and transfusion of blood. After military service during World War II, he returned to Iowa and developed a national reputation in diabetes research and treatment. In 1964, Hardin assumed additional responsibilities as the university's vice president for medical services and oversaw the construction of a health science library and the Bowen Science Building. The Hardin Library for Health Sciences, which opened in 1974, is named in his honor.

The Graduate Program in Radiation Biology is established.

Clarence G. Strub in the Department of Anatomy established what is known today as the Deeded Body Program, which coordinates anatomical donations to the University of Iowa for health sciences education and research.

Samuel J. Foman, MD, publishes Infant Nutrition, which becomes the definitive academic and medical resource on the topic.

Edward Mason, MD, describes gastric bypass surgery as a treatment for morbid obesity, ushering in the modern era of bariatric surgery.

Richard Lawton, MD, performs Iowa's first kidney transplant procedure. Lawton also performed the first kidney dialysis in Iowa (in 1957 at the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center), and he would go on to establish the Iowa Donor Network.

William Ricke, MD.

The General Clinical Research Center was established to support high-quality human subjects research. The GCRC received continuous NIH funding from 1969-2007, at which time the funds transitioned to the new NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award program. In 2007, the GCRC became part of the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS) and renamed the ICTS Clinical Research Unit. A new 20,000-square-foot facility opened in 2010, specifically designed to meet investigators’ needs for a convenient physical site for clinical and translational research studies.

Ronald Lauer, MD, and colleagues launch the Muscatine Study, the longest-running study of heart risk factors in children in the U.S.

John Eckstein, MD, a 1950 graduate of the college, became known for his work in cardiovascular research and service, which included serving as president of the American Heart Association. As dean, he made significant improvements to the college's research enterprise. Today, the Eckstein Medical Research Building bears his name.

Twelve students are accepted into the first class of the Medical Technologist Program.

Robert Rakel, MD, becomes the first chair of the department.

The American Council on Education issues a report on graduate schools in which the Department of Pharmacology (now Neuroscience and Pharmacology) tied for first in the top group with three other schools.

Originally called the Basic Science Building, the structure was renamed in 1981 to honor former UI President Howard Bowen. Today, the building houses Carver College of Medicine's basic sciences departments: anatomy and cell biology, biochemistry, microbiology, molecular physiology and biophysics, and pharmacology.

The first chair for child psychiatry in the nation, the Ida P. Haller Professorship in Child Psychiatry, is created.

The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, approved the formation of a physician assistant program, and the College of Medicine was awarded a five-year contract from the Federal Bureau of Health Manpower (BHME). Ten students were enrolled for August, 1972. The program received its initial Accreditation in March 1975 by CAHEA and has remained fully accredited since that time. Today, the Department of Physician Assistant Studies and Services is consistently ranked as one of the nation's top programs.

The Iowa Statewide Perinatal Care Program is developed by neonatologist Herman Hein, MD. The team conisted of Hein, along with an obstetric nurse and a neonatal nurse. An obstetrician consultant also collaborated with the team, which initially visited all hospitals in Iowa that provided maternity services. This led to the establishment of perinatal referral centers throughout the state—allowing pateints to receive the best care available as close to their homes as possible.

Known today as the Francois M. Abboud Cardiovascular Research Center, the center was the UI's first major multidisciplinary, biomedical research initiative. Since its inception, the center's investigators have made major contributions to the study of cardiovascular disease—leading to greater understanding and management of heart disease, stroke, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and obesity.

A paper in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry by faculty member Nancy Andreasen, MD, PhD, was one of the first modern studies to report an association between creativity and manic-depressive illness.

Katherine Halmi, MD, publishes her first paper on anorexia. Halmi would become known as a pioneer in the field of eating disorders research.

Florence Battle Shafiq, MD, was the first (documented) Black female graduate of the College of Medicine.

William Panje, MD, applied the first Free Flap Transfer procedure, which repairs defects of the oral cavity following tumor removal. This results in a significant decrease in hospitalization for this group of patients.

Hospital Dentistry Institute assists with the development of ultrasound technique for instillin gsteroides in the temporomandibular joint and other areas of myofacial pain.

The Rural Hemophilia Program is established, providing comprehensive, community-based support and care coordination for children acros Iowa with special hemophilia needs.

Gary Buettner, PhD, and Larry Oberley, PhD, originate the first free radical theory in cancer research. Their landmark paper has been cited more than 1,000 times.

The first pancreas transplant in Iowa is led by faculty members Robert Corry, MD, Dai Nghiem, MD, and James Schulak, MD—paving the way for the development of liver and pancreas transplant programs at Iowa in the early 1980s.

James Hartley, MB, BCh, BAO, MPH, and John Donelson, PhD, published the 6318 nucleotide sequence of the yeast 2 micron plasmid—the largest piece of eukaryotic DNA analyzed at the time.

Edward Mason, MD, and colleagues developed one of the most common surgical treatments for severe obesity.

Known today as the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, the center received National Cancer Institute designation in 2000; in 2001 it was recognized as one of the nation's Comprehensive Cancer Centers. The center is dedicated to bringing the finest cancer care and research to Iowa and beyond. A $25 million gift in 2000 from the Holden family of Williamsburg, Iowa, and recent gifts of more than $2 million from University of Iowa students participating in the annual Dance Marathon are examples of the remarkable support Holden has received from all parts of Iowa and the country.

The Bone Marrow Transplantation Service within the Department of Internal Medicine was established and led by faculty members John S. Thompson, MD; James Armitage, MDr; Lynell Klassen, MD; and Thomas Parsons, MD.

Otolaryngologist William R. Panje, MD, invents the neolarynx, or “voice button,” enabling people to speak after removal of the larynx.

An otolaryngology team, led by Bruce Gantz, MD, was the first in the state to apply cochlear implant technology to restore hearing to an adult patient.

Isotretinoin, a revolutionary treatment of severe cystic acne, was based in part by research performed by John S. Strauss, MD, chair of the Department of Dermatology.

The world’s third regional cerebral blood flow tomography system was established at Iowa. The system illustrates changes that may be produced by stroke, tumors, migraines, seizures, and other forms of disease in the brain and nervous system.

The transplant team was led by faculty members Robert Corry, MD; Dai Nghiem, MD; and James Schulak, MD.

Iowa researchers led by Antonio Damasio, MD, PhD, determine the precise area of brain damage responsible for the memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

The heart transplant team was led by faculty members Loren Hiratzka, MD; Ronald Meng, MD; and Maryl Johnson, MD.

The cochlear implant center at Iowa has received continuous National Institutes of Health funding since 1985. Its current NIH funding renewal continues through 2023.

Otolaryngologist Bruce Gantz, MD, was the first in the world to implant a multichannel cochlear implant in a congenitally deaf child.

Faculty member Doug Behrendt, MD, peforms Iowa's first first pediatric heart transplant

Jennifer R. Niebyl, MD, becomes the first female of the department, making her only the fourth woman in the country to chair an obstetrics and gynecology department.

Faculty member David Kapelanksi, MD, performed the first lung transplant and heart-lung transplant procedures in Iowa.

A faculty member at Iowa since the 1950s, James Clifton, MD, was the founding chief of the gastroenterology division in the Department of Internal Medicine. He served as the department's chair in the 1970s; later, he would establish a center for digestive diseases.

Microbiology faculty member Mark Stinski, PhD, discovered the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter, which has been used by research labs around the world and by pharmaceutical companies to facilitate high expression of proteins. The patent for the CMV promoter has generated over $160 million in royalties, which have helped the UI recruit and retain faculty and establish the Stinski Endowed Chair in Microbiology and Immunology, and the Stinski Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Kevin Campbell, MD, and colleagues reported the strongest evidence to date that the loss of the protein dystrphin renders muscle more susceptible to deterioration—a significant clue to the disease process of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Iowa neurologists develop Brainvox, a technique that combines magnetic resonance imaging, applied mathematics, and computer technology to create a 3-D reconstruction and analysis of the brain.

Faculty member Youmin Wu, MD, performed the pediatric liver transplant procedure.

Faculty members Michael Welsh, MD, a Howard Hughes Medical investigator, and Joseph Zabner, MD, used gene insertion techniques to successfully correct the defect in human cystic fibrosis (CF) cells in a laboratory culture. This was the nation's first, though temporary, application of gene therapy for CF.

Richard Lynch, MD, joined the UI in 1981 as chair of the Department of Pathology, a position he held until 1999.

Iowa researchers—led by Val Sheffield, MD, PhD, and Ed Stone, MD, PhD—publish research on Bardet-Biedl syndrom in Nature Genetics expanded scientific understanding of the role of primary cilia in conditions such as diabetes and obesity.

Faculty member Jeffrey Murray, MD, and colleagues published a paper in Science on the collaborative work of three large groups that resulted in a comprehensive human linkage map—achieving one of the first major goals of the Human Genome Project.

The VAD team consisted of doctors and nurses trained specifically in advanced cardiac therapies.

Robert Kelch, MD, came to Iowa from the University of Michigan, where he served as chair of Michigan's pediatrics department. In 2001, Kelch accepted additional duties when he assumed the role of UI vice president for statewide health services, a position that became vice president for health affairs in 2002. Kelch was instrumental in efforts that led to curriculum revisions, greater public and private support for new facilities, and the creation of UI Health Care, the entity representing the Carver College of Medicine, UI Hospitals & Clinics, and UI Physicians.

Carol Scott-Conner, MD, PhD, MBA, was only the second female in the U.S. to lead an academic department of surgery when she arrived at Iowa.

Now an annual event that serves as an important part orientation week for first-year medical students, the White Coat Ceremony calls attention to the importance of the doctor-patient relationship. Students are ceremonially “cloaked” with their first white clinical coat; they also recite the Oath of Hippocrates.

College of Medicine researchers mapped several genes responsible for various macular diseases, which gave scientists valuable insight into a leading cause of blindness in older Americans.

Kevin Campbell, PhD, and his laboratory expanded understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in muscular dystrophy.

The first center of its kind in the U.S., the center was renamed the Carver Family Center for Macular Degeneration in 2006 through the generous support of the family of Roy J. Carver Sr.

UI researchers, led by Ed Stone, MD, PhD; Val Sheffield, MD, PhD; and Wallace Alward, MD, report in the journal Science their work in identifying a gene responsible for primary open-angle glaucoma, the most common form of glaucoma.

James Howe, MD, and collaborators described the genetic mutation responsible for a rare polyposis syndrome. They will eventually extend their work with a subsequent unique genetic discovery in 2001.

The Family Medicine-Psychiatry residency programs allows for physicians to be board-certified in both specialties.

Cynda Johnson, MD, MBA, becomes the first female chair for the Department of Family Medicine.

UI Carver College of Medicine Learning Communities are established to enhance the activities, opportunities, and relationships students encounter beyond the formal curriculum. Each medical and physician assistant student is assigned to one of four communities along with interested faculty and staff. Students assume leadership roles and each community is supported by a faculty director, professional coordinator, and staff member.

At the time it was established, the program was the first in the world to combines the disciplines of cancer biology, radiation biology, and free radical/redox biology.

The FRRBP (Free Radical and Radiation Biology Program) represents the first PhD program in the world that combines the disciplines of cancer biology, radiation biology, and free radical/redox biology.

This service provides the faculty, staff, and students with access to online microscopic images. These images can be resized and annotated to enhance the learning experience for students.

Psychiatry Nancy Andreasen, MD, PhD, received the honor from President Bill Clinton for her integrative studies of the mind, brain, and behavior—joining behavioral science with neuroscience and neuroimaging technologies in order to understand processes such as memory and creativity, and mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

The Department of Family Medicine starts the network with 150 participating primary care providers.

Established as Coming to Your Senses and today known as KidSight, the program is a collaboration between the Lions Club of Iowa and the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science dedicated to detect and and treat vision impairments in young children.

Neonatologist Edward Bell, MD, establishes the Tiniest Baby Registry, a listing of the smallest babies in the world known to survive.

At the time it was built, the Medical Education and Research Facility (MERF) represented the largest capital project in the University of Iowa's history. Home to the Office of Student Affairs and Curriculum, MERF houses the college’s Learning Communities for medical students; Office of Facilities Planning and Management; Medical Scientist Training Program; lecture halls and classrooms; clinical skills suites; Sahai Medical Education Center; Roy J. Carver Molecular Science Research Center; Roland and Ruby Holden Cancer Research Laboratories; and the Institute for Vision Research.

In recogntion of $90 million in total support—including $63 million in new gift commitments in 2002— from the late Roy J. Carver; his widow, Lucille A. Carver; and the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust of Muscatine, Iowa, the Board of Regents approved the naming of the medical school as the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. Carver (1909-1981) was an industrialist, sports enthusiast, and philanthropist whose generosity made an indelible mark on colleges, programs, and services across the University of Iowa.

Jean Robillard's appointment as dean was a return to Iowa—he was a faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics for two decades, which included serving as vice chair and director of the pediatric nephrology division, before becoming chair of the pediatrics department at the University of Michigan in 1996. As dean, Robillard, MD, oversaw the construction of the Carver Biomedical Research Building—the second component (along with the Medical Education and Research Facility) of a three-stage plan to transform the medical school campus.

The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, approved the request by Carver College of Medicine leaders to establish an academic department in emergency medicine, had existed as an indepedent program in the college since 2000.

Led by faculty member Jeffrey Murray, MD, researchers from eight countries reported the identification of a genetic variation that increases the risk of a baby being born with a cleft lip and palate—a finding that helped explain 10 to 15 percent of all cases of the common form of the birth defect.

The University of Iowa was the first medical center in the U.S. to install BabySIM, an infant patient simulator to train anesthesiologists and other health professionals in the care of critically ill babies.

Department of Surgery professor John Meehan, MD, performed minimally invasive robotic surgery to repair a congential diaphragmatic hernia on a 6-day-old Iowa girl—the smallest patient in the world to undergo a robotic surgery procedure.

The Carver Biomedical Research Building—supported with a $10 million gift commitment from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust—provides laboratory space for investigators in pediatrics, internal medicine, molecular physiology and biophysics, otolaryngology, surgery, and ophthalmology. The facility also is home to the Iowa Institute of Human Genetics as well as powerful nuclear magnetic resonance imaging equipment.

UI Interim President Gary Fethke named Carver College of Medicine Dean Jean Robillard, MD, as the university's vice president for medical affairs. In addition to his duties as dean, Robillard oversaw greater intergration of the college, UI Hospitals & Clinics, and the faculty practice group. During his tenure, UI Health Care experienced steady growth in patient care volumes, external research funding, and philanthropic support, plus broader statewide health care partnerships and campus-wide research collaborations.

Based in the Carver College of Medicine, the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science partners with all 11 colleges on campus, with special emphasis on bench-to-bedside research, clinical trials, and community partnerships between the academic medical center, Iowa health care providers, and the rural patient population.

Established as collaborative venture of the Carver College of Medicine and the UI College of Engineering, the Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging (IIBI) is dedicated biomedical imaging and analysis as well as translational medical research. Today, the IIBI brings together more than 40 faculty members and over 60 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

University of Iowa and Carver College of Medicine leaders announced a $25 million gift commitment from the Fraternal Order of Eagles—a nonprofit philanthropic organization with nearly 1 million members worldwide—to fund a new center dedicated to diabetes research at Iowa. The gift provides funding for endowed chairs and fellowships for diabetes researchers, provide seed grants, and help recruit leading scientists in diabetes research and translational medicine.

After serving as chair of the Department of Internal Medicine for four years, Paul Rothman, MD, was named dean of the Carver College of Medicine. During Rothman's tenure, the college experienced growth in research programs, established a branch medical campus in Des Moines, and began the planning process for implementing a revamped medical curriculum.

After years of planning and collaboration among Carver College of Medicine and university officials (led by Vice President for Medical Affairs Jean Robillard, MD), UI leaders announced the establishment of a new, interdisciplinary research institute that will bring together scientists from across the university. in spring 2009, faculty member and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Michael Welsh, MD, was named the director of the new institute, which will foster research that advances understanding of the fundamentals of human biology and disease and lead to applications that improve human health. In fall 2009, UI leaders announced a $26.4 million gift commitment from longtime university benefactors John and Mary Pappajohn of Des Moines, Iowa, to support the institute and contribute to the construction of a new research building. John Pappajohn, an Iowa venture capitalist and philanthropist, and his wife, Mary, are among the university's most generous supporters. Their generous philanthropic support led to the naming of the Pappajohn Pavilion at UI Hospitals & Clinics, the John and Mary Pappajohn Clinical Cancer Center, the John Pappajohn Entrpreneurial Center, and supported other areas such as Hawkeye Athletics, Hancher Auditorium, the UI Museum of Art, and more.

The Institute for Vision Resarch, based in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, is committed to preventing and curing blinding eye diseases. This is an interdisciplinary and collaborative effort, spanning four UI colleges and eight academic departments.

Debra Schwinn, MD, was the first female dean of the Carver College of Medicine. At the time of her appointment, she was one of only 20 female medical school deans in the U.S. Schwinn, an anesthesiologist and a nationally known researcher in molecular physiology, succeeded Paul Rothman, MD. Interim Executive Associate Dean Donna Hammond, PhD, professor of pharmacology, served as acting dean for several months prior to Schwinn's arrival.

The LGBTQ Clinic—led by Katie Imborek, MD, clinical associate professor of family medicine, and Nicole Nisly, MD, clinical professor of internal medicine—is Iowa's first clinic established to specifically serve the health care needs of the LGBTQ community.

The Iowa Institute of Human Genetics provides opportunities to make progress in the discovery and translational phases of human genetics and advance personalized genomic medicine.

The Stephen W. Dezii Translational Vision Research Facility is dedicated to producing gene therapies and stem cell-based therapies for currently untreatable human eye diseases. It's the only laboratory of its kind in the United States.

The New Horizons curriculum is comprised of a “triple helix” model of three educational strands: Mechanisms of Health and Disease; Medicine and Society; and Clinical and Professional Skills. The strands are interwoven to ensure the continuity and revisiting of material across the four years of medical education. Through innovation, integration, and individualization, the goal of the curriculum is to develop enduring attitudes, skills, and knowledge that prepare students to be skilled practitioners, effective communicators, and lifelong learners.

A second $10 million gift commitment from Jerre and Mary Joy Stead (following a $10 million gift in 2011) is used to create endowed pediatric faculty positions, support pediatric research, and fund support services for patients and families. In recognition of the Steads' total philanthropy of $20 million, the pediatrics department is named the UI Stead Family Department of Pediatrics.

The John and Mary Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building houses active centers dedicated to respiratory, auditory, neuroscience, cardiovascular, and diabetes research.

Launched by Nkanyezi (Kanya) Ferguson, MD, faculty member in the Department of Dermatology, the Ethnic Skin Care Clinic offers specialized medical and cosmetic care services for patients of color.

The Department of Emergency Medicine's ED-REP (emergency department research enroller program) provides a framework to screen patients to identify those who may qualify for clinical research studies.

A transformational $45 million grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust established the Iowa Neuroscience Institute at the University of Iowa. Based in the Carver College of Medicine, the institute was formed as a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary center dedicated to research on diseases and conditions that affect the brain and nervous system. Ted Abel, PhD, was recruited to the UI to lead the Iowa Neuroscience Institute and build a collaborative community of scientists and clinicians.

In a change to the UI Health Care leadership structure, UI Vice President for Medical Affairs Jean Robillard, MD, assumed a combined role as vice president and dean of the Carver College of Medicine. Debra Schwinn, MD, who had served as dean since 2012, became associate vice president for medical affairs.

An internationally renowned pathologist and transfusion medicine specialist, Brooks Jackson, MD, MBA, came to Iowa from the University of Minnesota, where he served as vice president for health sciences and dean of the medical school. Jackson, who led landmark clinical trials on the prevention of mother-to-child transimmsion of HIV, served as chair of the pathology department at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine from 2001 to 2014.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center's metabolics facility expanded existing capabilities in the study of metabolites, or small molecules.

Ronald Weigel, MD, PhD, MBA, the E.A. Crowell Jr. Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery, was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. The academy elects no more than 70 national and 10 international members annually.

Peggy Nopoulos, MD, became the first female chair of the Department of Psychiatry. Nopoulos leads an internationally recognized Huntington's disease research program.

The fellowship was designed to train physicians on how to direct and manage emergency response systems.

IDx, a spinout company founded by Department of Ophthalmology faculty member Michael Abramoff, MD, PhD, received Food and Drug Administration authorization to market its artificial intelliegence system known as IDx-DR—the first and only AI-based diagnostic system for the autonomous detection of diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness.

The Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Iowa was one of the first three U.S. cancer centers to start treating cancers with MR-linac technology, which combines the latest magnetic resonance imaging capabilitiies with radiation treatmetn to deliver unparalleled accuracy in attacking tumors.

In its 2019 rankings of “Best Employers for Diversity,” Forbes ranked UI Health Care No. 24 overall among 500 large employers nationwide and No. 2 in its Healthcare & Social category.

Faculty in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, in partnership with the Iowa Department of Public Health, received a five-year, $10 million grant from the federal Health Resources and Service Administrationo to improve maternal care outcomes in the state.

The Carver College of Medicine unveils its Wall of Scholarship, which honors faculty members who published research articles have been cited more than 1,000 times in subsequent research papers, based on at least two of three recognized academic citation indices: Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science. Twenty faculty members were part of the inaugural group of honorees.

In response to the global coronavirus pandemic and surging cases of COVID-19, Carver College of Medicine researchers scaled down laboratory research activities. For students, courses moved to online instruction, and clinical clerkships were temporarily suspended. Across the college and UI Health Care enterprise, building entrances were restricted; masks and face shields were distributed, and social distancing guidelines were implemented. Collegiate faculty were instrumental in responding to a surge in COVID-19 cases—establishing a separate clinic location and video screening capabilities for patients; providing virtual care to patients recovering at home; and participating in COVID-19 treatment and vaccine clinical trials.

Stanley Perlman, MD, PhD, is named the Mark Stinski Chair in Virology. This endowed position was established to honor and recognize research excellence in virology. Dr. Perlman is an international leader in virology research. He has studied coronaviruses for 38 years and has been interviewed in numerous news outlets during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bruce Gantz, MD, professor of otolaryngology and one of the world’s leading experts on cochlear implants, performs the world’s first robot-assisted electrode implant surgery. The robot system minimizes any potential damage to the inner ear by placing the implant with a precision and delicacy unachievable even by an expert surgeon. The system was created by Gantz’s colleague, Marlan Hansen, MD, professor and chair of otolaryngology, and Chris Kaufmann, MD, a former UI resident physician.

The Department of Physician Assistant Studies and Services celebrates 50 years in 2022 and is ranked as the nation’s top PA program (tied with Duke University). In fact, the program has been ranked No. 1 or No. 2 every year since U.S. News & World Report began ranking these programs in 1998. UI physician assistant students complete all their didactic coursework, and some of their clinical clerkships, alongside MD students at Iowa. It’s one reason why the program’s graduates score among the very best on the national certification exam for physician assistants.

Denise J. Jamieson, MD, MPH has been named vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa. She will begin Aug. 1.

Sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a rare but fatal complication of this seizure-causing condition. UI neuroscientists, led by Brian Dlouhy, MD, in the Department of Neurosurgery, find that stimulating a specific area of the amygdala in the brain provokes prolonged loss of breathing that continues even after a seizure has ended. It’s the first study to identify a site in the brain that can cause persistent apnea after a seizure — offering new insight into the mechanisms that underlie this probable cause of SUDEP.

Carver College of Medicine researchers receive a seven-year, $28 million Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant is focused on extending the reach and benefit of clinical and translational research into communities across Iowa by fostering multidisciplinary collaboration across the university and the state. Executive dean Patricia Winokur, MD, executive dean and co-director of the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS), leads the CTSA grant with Marlan Hansan, MD, professor and chair of otolaryngology. The award, which supports the ICTS and is the fourth renewal of this grant for the UI since 2007, is aimed at fostering strong partnerships between academic medicine and patients and providers in rural communities.

Carver College of Medicine researchers, led by Joseph Cullen, MD, professor of surgery, report that results from a randomized, phase 2 clinical trial show that adding high-dose, intravenous vitamin C to chemotherapy doubles the overall survival of patients with late-stage, metastatic pancreatic cancer. The findings mark another success for high-dose, intravenous vitamin C, which has overcome numerous hurdles in the 20 years that researchers at Iowa have persevered to demonstrate its benefit for cancer patients.

Kevin Campbell, PhD, professor and chair of molecular physiology and biophysics, receives the 2025 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University. Campbell receives the award for his collaborative research discoveries that revealed the biological causes of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and provided the foundation for breakthrough treatments for this and related muscular diseases.

Physician-scientist Michael Welsh, MD, professor of internal medicine, receives the 2025 Lasker–DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award for his research on cystic fibrosis (CF) that paved the way to new therapies that have transformed the lives of people with CF. Lasker Awards, known as “America’s Nobels,” are among the world’s most prestigious research honors. Welsh also receives the 2025 Canada-Gairdner International Award and the 2025 Yergin-New International Prize for Biomedical Research for his CF research.

Carver College of Medicine researchers receive a five-year, $10.7 million Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant from the National Cancer Institute to study new, targeted therapies for neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), which are rare, slow-growing cancers that can arise almost anywhere in the body. The University of Iowa is the only institution in the United States to have received a SPORE grant focused on neuroendocrine tumors, and it is the second NET SPORE grant awarded to Iowa researchers. The first NET SPORE grant, which ran from 2015 to 2022, built upon clinical and basic science expertise that coalesced at Iowa in the early 2000s. Co-principal investigators for the new SPORE grant are Dawn Quelle, PhD, professor of neuroscience and pharmacology, James Howe, MD, professor of surgery, and Yusuf Menda, MD, professor of radiology.