Over the last year 10 faculty members within Internal Medicine have retired or are about to retire at the end of this academic year. We asked each faculty member’s Division Director to speak briefly about their impact on the department and on the Carver College of Medicine. We are grateful for their contributions.

Ann Broderick, MD

Richard Hoffman, MD, MPH, Director of the Division of General Internal Medicine
Dr. Broderick played an instrumental role in the creation and development of the Supportive & Palliative Care Program and the Palliative Care Fellowship Program at UIHC. Upon her retirement and transition to Emeritus Professor, Dr. Broderick assumed the position of Director of Palliative Care at the Iowa City VA, where she is introducing the benefits of supportive and palliative care to our nation’s veterans.

Peter Densen, MD

Daniel Diekema, MD, MS, Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases
Peter Densen’s career at Iowa has spanned more than 35 years, involved patient care, NIH- and VA–supported research and holding multiple leadership positions, including Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Curriculum, Interim head of the Department of Internal Medicine, and Executive Dean. He led the College of Medicine through a dramatic overhaul of its curriculum, including the the innovative development of the Medical Learning Communities. Over the years, Densen’s educational contributions resulted in multiple teaching excellence awards, including the inaugural UI President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence in 2004 and the UI Carver College of Medicine Distinguished Mentor Award in 2014.

Gregory Doelle, MD

E. Dale Abel, MD, PhD, Director of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Greg served with distinction in our division for 19 years. He led the growth and development of our ambulatory clinical programs based at the Iowa River Landing (IRL). Greg was a passionate advocate for his patients and deeply committed to ensuring the highest quality in diabetes care and to enhancing the operational efficiency of the clinic. His presence and leadership at IRL will be missed.

Kristi Ferguson, PhD

Richard Hoffman, MD, MPH, Director of the Division of General Internal Medicine
Dr. Ferguson served as the Director of the Office of Consultation and Research in Medical Education from 1994-2018. During her tenure, she played an instrumental role in the development of the program and defining its mission and vision as well as introducing the Masters in Medical Education degree and the Certificate in Medical Education Program.

Allyn Mark, MD

Barry London, MD, PhD, Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine

Dr. Allyn Mark has served this institution for 50 years and has transformed not only the college, the department, and this division, but every physician’s understanding of hypertension and obesity as well. As accomplished an investigator as he is, his true passion has been in education, earning the university’s Distinguished Mentor Award in 2013. He has served in many leadership roles, including directing this division, as Associate Dean for Research, and as Co-Founding Director of the UI Obesity Research and Education Initiative. His influence and impact over the decades can be seen in almost every corner of the work we do today. He continues his efforts to strengthen the university’s weight management program by working closely with the recruitment of providers and providing input in clinic operations.

Thomas O’Dorisio, MD

E. Dale Abel, MD, PhD, Director of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Tom’s passion for patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is responsible in part for developing one of the largest referral practices for NETs in the United States, which recently received a Center of Excellence designation – the only such recognized program in the United States. Tom has been devoted to his patients, who think the world of him, in terms of his attention to all their clinical needs and to supporting them through complex therapeutic regimes. When he attended on the consult service, Endocrine fellows were “well-fed.” Thanks for the hundreds of bagels over the years, Tom, that sustained our trainees!

John Rachow, MD, PhD

Richard Hoffman, MD, MPH, Director of the Division of General Internal Medicine
Dr. Rachow was a dedicated and compassionate geriatrics physician with additional training in Rheumatology who spent his career traveling thousands of miles throughout Eastern Iowa to provide primary care to patients residing in rural nursing homes. Dr. Rachow also held the role of Medical Director at a variety of nursing home facilities and played an integral role in ensuring Iowa’s aging population received high-quality patient care.

William Sivitz, MD

E. Dale Abel, MD, PhD, Director of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Bill has served the Endocrine Division in many capacities over his long tenure at the University of Iowa. These include serving as Division Director, and also in leading the Endocrine section at the Iowa City VA. In addition to being an active clinician and a committed teacher for our Endocrine Fellows, Bill was also an accomplished basic and clinical investigator. He made seminal contributions to our understanding of the contribution of mitochondrial energetics to diabetes and its complications. He was also the site principal investigator for landmark NIDDK-funded clinical trials such as the DCCT and the GRADE study, the results of which have and will continue to shape treatment guidelines for type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Michael Voigt, MD

David Elliott, MD, PhD, Director of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Dr. Voigt joined the faculty in 1996 as Medical Director of Liver Transplant. He has had a crucial role in shaping the Liver Service and Liver Transplant at Iowa. He has trained hundreds of fellows and residents in the care of patients with advanced liver disease and pre- and post-liver transplant. His impact stretches far beyond our institution and it has been an honor to work alongside him. He has extensive plans for an enjoyable retirement and I enviously wish him the best!

Nicholas Zavazava, MD, PhD

Scott Vogelgesang, MD, Director of the Division of Immunology
Dr. Zavazava has been a successful physician-investigator who helped bridge the educational, research, and clinical components of the Division of Immunology. He also played an integral role in the HLA/Tissue-Typing Laboratory at the Iowa City VA as the Associate Director. The HLA Laboratory plays a vital role in organ transplantation both at the Iowa City VA and UIHC. He was one of the Iowa pioneers of gene therapy and regenerative medicine.