Geoffrey McLennan, MBBS, FRACP, PhD, was a Professor of Internal Medicine, Bioengineering, and Radiology when he passed in 2010. He was a founding member of the Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging, serving as director from 2005 to his death. He also served as director of Interventional Pulmonology Services for the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Occupational Medicine.
On Thursday, October 10, the 12th annual McLennan Lecture was delivered by Pradeep Singh, MD, Professor of Medicine and Microbiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Singh was a faculty member of Iowa’s Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine until 2005 and a graduate of both the department’s residency program and its Pulmonary & Critical Care Fellowship. Though he has been in Seattle for nearly two decades, Singh has maintained a connection to his former home, most recently through a collaborative research project with Iowa researchers.
The combination of Singh’s return to Iowa and the annual honor of McLennan’s impact on academic medicine meant a packed house in Medical Alumni Auditorium. One of the audience members was McLennan’s wife, Christine, and one of his last PhD mentees, current Radiology faculty member Jessica Sieren, PhD. The hour was kicked off by Pulmonary Division Director David Stoltz, MD, PhD, who recognized McLennan’s legacy and Singh’s achievements at Iowa and since.
Singh’s presentation titled “Bugs on the Move: How Lung Infections Respond to Restored Host Defenses in Cystic Fibrosis” demonstrated how his team at Washington and Iowa’s has built on decades of breakthrough discovery to continue to advance treatment for people with CF. The cross-institutional research has focused on persistent lung infections in people who have otherwise had their cystic fibrosis essentially cleared. Singh showed both how the Pseudomonas aeruginosa not only migrates from highly damaged lung tissue but mutates into more resistant strains.
After, Singh took questions from the engaged audience and then posed for a few photos with Christine, Sieren, and other colleagues. His visit also included time with pulmonary fellows and other members of the department and college throughout the rest of the day and evening.
