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.

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.

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.

Join Drs. Joseph Szot, Scott Larson, HyungSub Shim, and Jeff Reist as they discuss new therapeutic agents for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and their role in management of the disease. Continuing medical education credit offered for listening.

Jenny Stegen (02PA) got exactly what she needed at the University of Iowa to return home to northeast Iowa and give back to her community—an education in a top-notch physician assistant training program.

Magnotta has been awarded funding from the National Institutes of Health to understand how changes in the brain’s metabolism could lead to neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Jordan Williams, ATC, will graduate from our Physician Assistant Studies and Services program in December. He has made advocacy a focus of his career and education as he makes the transition from certified athletic trainer to PA.

A new study suggests that certain drugs commonly used to treat enlarged prostate may also decrease the risk for dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

Join Dr. Clancy and Dr. Donaldson as they discuss heat-related illnesses-prevention, early interventions out in the field, and diagnostic and emergency resuscitation measures. CME credit is available.

Kloe Thomas is passionate about rock climbing, enjoying the outdoors, and riding her motorcycle. Now she's applying her adventurous spirit to physician assistant school.