In the most recent rankings released by US News & World Report, and for the first time, University of Iowa Health Care was listed among the “high performing” institutions in the nation and #1 in Iowa for its adult diabetes and endocrinology care. This was not why the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism gathered in the backyard of Division Director Ayotunde Dokun, MD, PhD, FACE, to celebrate, but that alone would have been a very good reason.

Instead, as Dokun revealed in post-dinner remarks, the reasons for the evening’s celebration were numerous. Ten faculty members have joined the division in the last year, eight were promoted to new roles, five had milestone anniversaries, and three were recipients of division-sponsored Service Awards. Though that covered a good portion of the evening’s attendees, everyone in the division, Dokun made clear, had come through a difficult 2020 and ’21, and that effort deserved recognition as well.

After a social hour of refreshments, introductions, and conversation, colleagues and their significant others sat down to small tables to break bread. Some work talk inevitably surfaced, but mostly, if one made their way around the yard, the snippets of overheard conversations revealed the guests steering away from academic medicine. Instead, hometowns, hobbies, family, life in Iowa City, pets, and the like offered colleagues the chance to get to know each other better, and over entrees and dessert everyone took it.

Dokun offered special thanks to the two responsible for organizing the event, brand new Division Administrator Danielle Allen and recently promoted Administrative Services Specialist Laura Deines. Dokun closed the formal presentation of awards and recognitions by thanking everyone for attending and for their sustained commitment to fulfilling the mission of the division, each doing their part and contributing to a whole greater than the sum.