The University of Iowa Department of Surgery faculty and staff take pride in providing leading-edge patient care, advancing the field of surgery through first-rate research, and delivering superior education and training to the next generation of surgeons.

The department’s surgeons and medical professionals address a wide variety of complex medical issues, from matching donors with recipients in the Organ Transplant Center to providing continuous care for both adult and pediatric trauma victims in one of the state’s two designated Level I Trauma Centers and a certified regional Burn Treatment Center. Specialists provide critical surgical support among comprehensive, multidisciplinary teams for the treatment of cancer, gastrointestinal and colorectal diseases, and vascular ailments, as well as advanced surgical care for the smallest pediatric patients. Skilled plastic and reconstructive surgeons manage complex reconstructive issues resulting from deformities, traumatic injuries, or cancer excision in both adult and pediatric patients, in addition to surgical and non-surgical cosmetic services for adults.

Education

Research

About Us

The department provides critical and unique resources for Iowa. 

Years ago, surgery faculty at Iowa performed the world’s first gastric-bypass surgeries for morbidly obese patients. Today, the department continues its commitment to innovative surgical procedures and techniques in all areas, such as minimally invasive and robotic surgery, while offering advanced technologies like the positive pressure isolation room and state-of-the-art hydrotherapy facility for burn patients.

Patient care in the UI Department of Surgery is informed by basic science and clinical research—translating the latest discoveries from the laboratory bench to the patient’s bedside as well as into every aspect of education and training. Fellows, residents, and medical students are exposed to revolutionary medicine and surgical techniques that will enhance their skills, and the department’s faculty value the opportunity to shape today’s learners into tomorrow’s best and brightest surgeons.

>41K

Department of Surgery Visits

35

consecutive years ranked as one of the best academic hospitals in the U.S.

# 1

Iowa's #1 hospital as ranked by U.S. news & world report

News

'C' To Believe

Friday, April 18, 2025

UIHC Kenny Lab Published in Cell-Press

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Carver College of Medicine Events

27th Annual Optometric Conference

Friday, May 9, 2025 8:00am to 4:00pm
Levitt Center for University Advancement
Each Spring faculty at the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences present a full-day conference for optometric practitioners. This conference will provide the optometric practitioner with information that will assist him/her with diagnostic dilemmas and patient questions that are encountered daily. This activity will also provide information about current and expected diagnostic and treatment options for a variety of eye diseases. Finally, this activity will provide...

Hawk-IDDRC Seminar Series: Elizabeth Berry-Kravis, MD, PhD; Rush University Medical Center

Friday, May 9, 2025 12:00pm
Virtual
Please join us for the Hawk-IDDRC Seminar Series Elizabeth Berry-Kravis, MD, PhD; Rush University Medical Center Professor, Departments of Pediatrics, Neurological Sciences, Anatomy and Cell Biology Director, RUSH Pediatric Neurosciences F.A.S.T. Center for Translational Research Friday, May 9, 2025, noon CST in the Pediatric Conference Center JCP2415 More information to come!  
Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Seminar, Kenneth (Ken) Walsh, PhD promotional image

Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Seminar, Kenneth (Ken) Walsh, PhD

Tuesday, May 13, 2025 9:30am to 10:30am
Bowen Science Building
Dr. Ken Walsh, Lockhart B. McGuire Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Hematovascular Biology Center at the University of Virginia, will present a seminar entitled, "Clonal Hematopoiesis: Genomic Instability Linking Aging to Cardiovascular Disease"

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