Colleagues,
September is Women in Medicine Month, and I want to take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude to all the women faculty in our department and across campus for the remarkable work they do. Despite women matriculating into medical school at equal rates to men for years, they remain underrepresented in academic medicine. That is why it’s especially important to highlight exemplary women who have built inspirational careers, like our own Dr. Isabella Grumbach. Dr. Grumbach’s career is a testament to clinical, research, and educational excellence. Over the past three years as our interim Chair and DEO, she has worked tirelessly to cultivate an environment of fairness, transparency, and inclusion within the department. During times of change and uncertainty, she provided steady guidance and was always willing to listen to the voices of others, ensuring a collaborative and thoughtful approach. Her calm demeanor, balanced temper, and unwavering pursuit of excellence have been a true inspiration to junior faculty, offering a model of leadership that many aspire to follow. We are deeply grateful for her dedication and the lasting impact she has made on our department.
Among those contributions, Dr. Grumbach has supported the Engagement and Belonging Committee’s efforts to engage with the community and promote awareness around addiction and recovery. The Overdose Awareness Day event at FilmScene in partnership with the UI ARC, Community and Family Resources, and other community partners, featured powerful stories that deepened our understanding of the opioid crisis, more than 80 people attended. Today, September 13, the Internal Medicine residents took part in a lecture about reducing stigma in the health care community —a critical step toward compassionate patient care. Lastly, to close out the events for Recovery Month, we are hosting “United for Recovery,” an awareness and educational event on Friday, Sept. 27 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in the MERF Atrium. We invite everyone to join us alongside our community partners as we continue to raise awareness, promote recovery, and stand together for a healthier future.
Please see below for many other offerings and opportunities to engage across the department, campus and community.
Reminders
- Tuesday, Sept. 17 | 12:00-1:00 p.m. CST | GH 316 (Marcus) or Zoom
Join the Women in Medicine roundtable discussion with Faculty Senate leaders via the Zoom link or in person. Open to all. - Friday, Sept. 20 | 9:00 a.m.-12 noon | SE 628 GH or Zoom: Engagement and Belonging Office Hours: Drop in at Dr. Gutierrez’s office, join via Zoom, or make an appointment. This is an opportunity to bring up any issues or concerns in a confidential manner, or share your ideas on how the department can help you thrive.
- Monday, Sept. 23 | 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | Courtyard Marriott in University Heights
OneIowa’s LGBTQ Health and Wellness Conference – make sure to register! - Friday, Sept. 27 | 4:30-6:30 p.m. | MERF Atrium
United for Recovery event - Friday, Oct. 4 | 1:30-3:00 p.m. | UCC 17
Students and their faculty mentors will present their work in the global health realm and will discuss their working collaboration and research focus.
Senators heard presentations on academic freedom and free speech from Ann Byrd, Deputy General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel and Joe Yockey, Associate Dean for Research and Professional Development, College of Law at the September 17 Faculty Senate meeting. Following the presentations, Senators participated in small-group discussions to practice determining what types of faculty speech, inside and outside of the classroom, are covered by the university’s academic freedom policy and federal free speech law. Here’s the link to the feedback survey from yesterday’s meeting.
Similar presentations across campus are scheduled for the following dates and times; registration is required:
- Monday, Sept. 23, 12:00-1:00 p.m., 2520D UCC (Old Capitol Mall)
- Friday, Sept. 27, 12:30-1:30 p.m., C217 CPHB (College of Public Health)
- Monday, Oct. 14, 12:00-1:00 p.m., 2520D UCC (Old Capitol Mall)
- Friday, Oct. 18, 12:30-1:30 p.m., S162 CPHB (College of Public Health)
The University of Iowa is hosting a Latino-Native American Alumni Alliance Reunion from Friday, Sept. 27 to Sunday, Sept. 29 to celebrate 50+ years. The reunion will feature speakers, activities, networking events, and more.
This month’s AAMC webinar is on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 1:00 p.m. EST, and will address the importance of foundational equity skills and why they are critical to organizational cultures of safety, inclusion, and wellbeing.
Please join Mentoring@Iowa on Wednesday, Oct. 9 from 9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. to help build an intentional mentoring culture across our campus.
For over 35 years, women in the State of Iowa have hosted The Way Up Conference to assist women in higher education institutions as they continue to develop their leadership and administrative skills and expertise.
The University of Iowa Addiction and Recovery Collaborative (ARC) is co-sponsoring the Into Light Exhibition in 2025 along with the Pentacrest Museums, creating portraits and stories of people who have died from the disease of drug addiction. Submit your story by Sept. 15 via the link in the headline.
Held this year on Thursday, Oct. 3 and Friday, Oct. 4, the subspecialties of focus this year are Cardiovascular Medicine, Nephrology, Pulmonary and Critical Care, General Internal Medicine, and Hospital Medicine.
Stop by and see the liveWELL team on Wednesday, Oct. 16 from 7:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on the main deck in the UI Field House to create meaningful connections and boost your well-being.
September events, celebrations, and holidays
- Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month: A month dedicated to raising awareness of blood cancers, which can affect the blood cells, lymph nodes, bone marrow, and other parts of the lymphatic system.
- National Recovery Month: Held each September to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the nation’s strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and communities who make recovery in all its forms possible.
- Suicide Prevention Awareness Month: We use this month to shift public perception, spread hope and share vital information to people affected by suicide.
- Women in Medicine Month: Each September, the AMA Women Physicians Section (WPS) honors physicians who have offered their time, wisdom, and support to advance women with careers in medicine.
- World Alzheimer’s Month: The 2024 themes will be, “Time to act on dementia, Time to act on Alzheimer’s.” The global awareness campaign focuses on shifting attitudes toward dementia, while highlighting the positive steps being taken by organizations and governments to develop a more dementia-friendly society.
- Sept. 15 to Oct 15: Hispanic Heritage Month: A time to celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The theme for 2024 is “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together.”
- Sept. 10: World Suicide Prevention Day: The triennial theme for World Suicide Prevention Day for 2024–2026 is “Changing the Narrative on Suicide” with the call to action to “start the conversation.” Changing the narrative on suicide is about transforming how we perceive this complex issue and shifting from a culture of silence and stigma to one of openness, understanding, and support.
- Sept. 11: Patriot Day: In the United States, Patriot Day occurs on September 11 of each year in memory of the people killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.
- Sept. 12: National Black Men Physicians Day: First celebrated in 2021, the day is meant to bring awareness to the need for increasing diversity in the health care workforce and give exposure to the health inequities that exist in medicine.
- Sept. 15*: Mawlid al-Nabi (Muslim): Muslims celebrate Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, and honor this day as they believe he is a messenger of God.
- Sept. 17: National Voter Registration Day: On this day each year, Americans from all over the country hit the streets for a day of coordinated field, digital, and media action focused squarely on growing our shared democracy.
- Sept. 20: HeForShe 10-Year Anniversary: HeForShe is an invitation for men and people of all genders to stand in solidarity with women to create a bold, visible and united force for gender equality.
- Sept. 21: International Day of Peace: Also officially known as World Peace Day, this a United Nations-sanctioned holiday dedicated to world peace, and specifically the absence of war and violence, such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in a combat zone for humanitarian aid access. The day was first observed in September 1982.
- Sept. 21–29: Mabon (Wiccan, Pagan): A day to celebrate the autumnal equinox, a day when the amount of sunlight and darkness is the same. This represents both balance and harmony.
- Sept. 23: International Day of Sign Languages: This day highlights the importance of sign language in the full realization of the human rights of people who are deaf, and promotes the preservation of sign language and advocates for the rights of deaf people worldwide to have access to education and information in their native sign languages.
- Sept. 23: Celebrate Bisexuality Day: This day exists to raise awareness about bisexuality and speak up about misconceptions about the community in the workplace and beyond.
Note: All holidays marked with * begin the prior evening. This is not an exhaustive list of cultural events and holidays celebrated in this month.
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