Progress is a two-day conference that draws providers from across the state, eager to learn the latest in that year’s chosen five or six subspecialties and to catch up with long-time friends and colleagues. Often it is scheduled the same week as the University of Iowa’s Homecoming or another home football game. Progress is thus a natural time for state chapters of professional societies to also handle chapter business.

The Iowa Chapter of the American College of Physicians (ACP) is one of two internal medicine societies to meet last week. Besides handling chapter business, two important tasks lay before ACP members. The first was to determine which of three resident Doctor’s Dilemma teams would move on from the regional to the national competition in Los Angeles at the end of April next year.

Serving as Alex Trebek for a second year in a row, ACP Chapter Secretary Joseph Szot, MD, handled the questions while teams from University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics (third-year residents Nick Arnold, MD, and Amanda Heuszel, MD; and second-year resident Desmond Barber, MD), MercyOne–Des Moines, and UnityPoint–Des Moines demonstrated the depth of their knowledge on a series of wide-ranging questions. But in the end, the University of Iowa residents proved an unstoppable force, never once slipping in the scores.

The other decision to be made was which of four residents would follow the winning Doctor’s Dilemma team to southern California in April. Guests and a panel of three judges heard the following presentations:

• “Don’t Stop Bleeding”
  Dustin Uhlenhopp, DO
  Mentor: Abdelaziz ElHaddad, MD
  MercyOne – Des Moines

• “A Case of Arthritis That You Will Not Forget”
  Pablo Welig, MD
  Mentor: Giancarlo Diaz-Zamora, MD
  MercyOne – Mason City

• “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”
  John Rieth, MD
  Mentor: Manish Suneja, MD
  University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

• “Hold Me Tight, or Don’t”
  Casey Wang, MD
  Mentor: Zeeshan Jawa, MD
  University of Iowa-Des Moines

Each concise and well-documented presentation contained a mix of rigor, awareness of audience, and novel approach. It was clear to see how they each had reached this stage of the competition. The judges had their work cut out for them.

While the judges deliberated, the chapter had one final bit of business, the recognition of outstanding ACP members. The Chapter Excellence Award, which is given as a mark of honor and recognition for achievement by a senior physician who has made significant contributions to internal medicine in the state went to Craig A. Shadur, MD, FACP. Shadur was first introduced by colleagues Steven Craig, MD, and Mark Belz, MD.

While reflecting on his career, Shadur said:

The Laureate Awards are given in recognition of a physician’s achievements and excellence in internal medicine in the state, distinguishing themselves through scholarship, research, or outstanding clinical care. This year’s recipients were Tyler Schwiesow, MD, FACP, and Jeydith A. Gutierrez Perez, MD, FACP.

In accepting his award, Schweisow said:

In accepting hers, Guiterrez Perez said:

Between those two awards presentations, the judges had returned with a final tally. After careful consideration, the winner and Iowa standard-bearer at this year’s ACP national meeting was John Rieth.