In a couple weeks, we will enter the next phase of the search for our department’s permanent chair. The finalists for the role have been identified and scheduled for campus visits. As part of their interview process at this stage, each candidate will deliver a public presentation and take questions from the audience. We have posted the schedule in its current form here. There you will also find the schedule of candidates interviewing for another essential position, that of director for the UI Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. I hope you will attend as many of these sessions as possible and provide your feedback to the search committees. It is important for the candidates to have engaged and sizable audiences for their presentations, and it is important for each search committee to have a large sample of responses to weigh afterward. These presentations are for all of us to get a chance to see each candidate, to get a sense of what their priorities are, what their vision might be for the department in the short- and long-term future. One of the key elements they will discover and what makes us such a strong department among our peers is that Internal Medicine does not shy away from doing hard things if they are the right things. By the end, they will have also learned more about us and why the future is bright at Iowa.

Despite the increased difficulty nationwide in obtaining federal funding for new research projects, particularly the traditional R01-driven, solo-PI model, our department has continued to increase its total draw of extramural research funding every year. Last year, we received great news on several career development grants and NIH R01s submitted by our researchers. Even though the biggest jump from FY22 to FY23 was in clinical trials (an astounding $33.8M to $42.6M), we also saw an increase by more than $3M in VA-funded awards. Clinical trials of innovative and advanced therapies have dramatically increased over the last few years because clever people, especially in our Hematology-Oncology division, seized the opportunity for greater efficiency through collaboration. A similar story of collaboration and mentorship could be told about our VA researchers, particularly among the health services research set. With a new fellowship to formalize the training process, a steady focus on our rural veterans, and a deep well of experience and wisdom, Iowa’s reputation as a center for HSR&D research has been solidified. Our new Vice Chair for Research Dr. Chad Grueter has already begun to build similar models in other areas of our research enterprise, fostering new conversations between our experienced scientists and those at the start of their careers.

The chair candidates will see that our efforts in the clinical mission are bearing fruit. We continue to meet increasing patient demand, finding creative ways to swim upstream against space constraints, staffing issues, and other logistical snarls. As we build on the successes we find in our integration and growth of the Downtown Campus, we will refine our ability to grow strategically. The establishment of a new compensation model, based in part around clinical productivity, helps us grow in the directions where it is most appropriate. It also gives our faculty members greater autonomy in deciding what kind of career they want to build within academic medicine. Lastly, better data on all aspects of our clinical mission means better forecasting, which also lends weight to our decisions with institutional leadership.

Many of our faculty members devote significant effort to training our residents and fellows, which is part of what makes our department so well-known and respected for its education. Whether it is innovative ideas in our residency like the now-common X+Y schedule, our pre-Day One evaluation of our incoming interns’ skill levels, or our longitudinal ultrasound curriculum, there is no shortage of reasons why our interview seasons are filled with incredible candidates every year. Our training programs remain strong because the wonderful leaders in our education group emphasize the nurturing of young talent into increasing levels of leadership. The pipeline of resident to chief resident to fellow to assistant and associate program directors is visible and pays dividends in keeping our programs connected to what matters most to trainees.

In each of these missions, the thread that binds them all and what makes them world-class are the people who make it happen, each of them committed and passionate about striving for excellence. Together, we have done hard things—whether it is introducing a new compensation plan or a policy for completing compliances—not just because they are right but because we would never be satisfied with the mediocre. That urge can be seen in our department’s leadership team and in our support services. Our vice-chairs are experts in their field and trusted advisors on topics from how to run internal medicine at the downtown campus to starting a new research seminar. Our revamped HR group has been up to the task of welcoming more than 20 new colleagues from the downtown campus at once, and our administrative group provides expert support for all our operations. People like Vice Chair for Clinical Services Dr. Kim Staffey or HR Director Kaila Boothroy or members of our in-house Design Center or our DEI committee, each of us arrives here every day with concern for our challenges and then builds and delivers creative solutions.

These members and so many others make this department a great place to work already, but we are always looking for ways to improve, whether that is by implementing plans through the Strategic Engagement Action Committee or just nominating someone for the monthly Honor Roll. No one, if they truly see all this during their visit and understand just how unique it all is, would be able to walk away from the chance to work with such tremendous people.