We are pleased to present the next in our weekly series introducing you to Internal Medicine’s Advanced Practice Providers. In addition to sharing information about where they work in the department, we asked them each to tell us a little bit about their “Why” (the sustaining pull for their work) and what relaxes them. (Read previous weeks’ installments).

Brooke Harrison, MSN, ARNP
Immunology

Service: Allergy/Immunology/Complex Disorders

Time with Internal Medicine: 4 years

Hometown: I am originally from Quincy, IL, but happy to now call Solon, IA, my home. GO SPARTANS!

My “WHY”: I have been a nurse in various areas of healthcare for 17 years before joining the Allergy/Immunology team at University of Iowa in 2018. Since then, I have become dedicated to the specialty of allergy/immunology given its wide spectrum of allergic diseases and immune dysregulation. I am fortunate to work with a very dedicated team (shout out to everyone behind the scenes in nursing/scheduling/pharmacy/PA department etc) who work seamlessly to help our patients navigate the healthcare system. But most of all, the patients I see every day are what keep me inspired!

What relaxes me: Floating in my kayak on Lake McBride at sunrise or tuning out while listening to a podcast. (If you haven’t already, check out Tell Me What Happened, The Moth, and This American Life.)

Brooke is high on the humane scale, and our patients think of her as their primary provider; they go to her first for advice. She keeps me on the straight and narrow.

– – Zuhair Ballas, MD

Read what patients say about her:

• The best part of the experience is that my provider really listened to my concerns and discussed options to help improve symptoms.
• I really, really liked Brooke Harrison. I don’t think I’ve ever had someone explain things so well!
• Best provider experience I have had at UIHC. I felt listened to and understood for the first time. She answered my questions and provided me with information. She looked into different testing options for me and explained how and why her thoughts and decisions were made. She included me in the decision of what to test for.
• Nurse Practicioner Brooke Harrison was absolutely amazing! Took time to diligently listen to me, have great conversation about my experiences, and clearly explained their findings and next steps. I look forward to working with her moving forward.
• Brooke went out of her way to provide me with information and answer my questions. She did a fantastic job and I thank her so much!