This year, the Department of Internal Medicine had a record number of participants in University of Iowa Health Care’s Executive Leadership Academy (ELA). Designed as an enterprise-focused intensive program for appointed and emerging leaders, ELA hosts approximately 30 individuals who complete self-identified projects to increase the effectiveness of operational, research, or clinical teams.

Participants start the program in August, meeting almost every month for day-and-a-half sessions on Fridays and Saturday mornings. Each session takes a deep dive into themes presented by established leaders in the hospital ecosystem, designed to improve or inform various parts of project management and leadership. The program culminates in May, when the final two-day session is held, this time filled with project presentations given by individuals in the cohort.

This year, project presentations were held in the Medical Alumni Auditorium on Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4, 2024. Participants were awarded with certificates of the program completion following their presentations by ELA program lead Theresa Brennan, MD, FACC, clinical professor in Cardiovascular Medicine and Chief Medical Officer for UI Health Care, along with Samantha Mitchell, MFA, MA, program manager. A private celebration was held for the cohort at SpareMe in downtown Iowa City on Saturday evening. Chief Executive Officer Bradley Haws, MBA, and Vice President of Medical Affairs, Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, and other hospital leaders were also in attendance.

This year’s Internal Medicine participants:

Christina Charis-Donelson, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, General Medicine
Presentation: IRL GEN MED: Medicare Annual Wellness Visit Initiative FY2024

Amy McDonald, Senior Business Analyst
Presentation: Recognizing UI Consult Line Efforts

Claire McGranahan, Associate Editor
Presentation: Communicators’ Hub: A tool for everyone in University of Iowa Health Care

Jamie R. Paul, Division Administrator, General Internal Medicine
Presentation: 360-Degree Interdisciplinary Review

Kristine Yumul-Non, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Cardiovascular Medicine
Presentation: Cardio-Obstetrics in Iowa: Empowering Hearts, Ensuring Futures

In addition to the ELA, UI Health Care also offers the Quality Leadership Academy (QLA), which runs concurrently, led by James Murphy, MD, UI Health Care’s Chief Quality Officer. The QLA is designed specifically for residents and fellows in the Carver College of Medicine.

Each year, the application window for ELA is open from March through April, while QLA accepts applicants through July.

Past ELA participants from Internal Medicine, 2014-2023:

• Kimberly Delcour
• Kristin Goedken
• Christopher Iverson
• Usha Perepu
• Andrew Bryant
• Friederike Fischer
• Mariko Hagiwara
• Douglas Laux
• Yousef Zakharia
• Hilary Humphrey
• Danielle Allen
• Yuya Hagiwara
• Greg Hamilton
• David Bush
• Muhammad Furqan
• Jeydith Gutierrez
• Ethan Kuperman
• Evelyn Perry
• Allison Wynes
• Amy Yoder Dowden
• Tara Clark
• Vicki Kijewski
• Brad Manning
• Herbert Berger
• Elaine Demetroulis
• Jennifer Goerbig-Campbell
• Anne Kwitek
• Michael Voigt

Click here to see a comprehensive list of all the program’s past participants.