Lessons from a legend

Today officially marks one month for me in this new role. I can’t thank you all enough for the warm welcomes, the waves in the halls, the open and frank conversations, and the very helpful tips on surviving Iowa winters. You really have made me feel like I have been here so much longer than 30 days. Your quick acceptance is deeply appreciated, not just because it makes me feel like a part of this amazing group, but because it will make the work we do together in the years to come all the easier and all the more successful.

Thank you to everyone who attended one of the town halls I held throughout October. They gave me a chance to remind you where I’m coming from, and you have helped me better understand where Internal Medicine needs to go. I have gotten more insight into concerns about the current compensation model, and I have gotten a stronger sense of how deeply issues around education and time with trainees matters to you. Neither were great surprises, and these two issues weren’t the only thing I heard about at each forum, but hearing the passion from individuals . . . well, that sticks with me. These will not be the last open forums I hold. I hope you will make use of every opportunity to tell me what you care about. I need to hear it from you. I can’t put it any more plainly than that.

Upi’s “Oh, WOW” moment
Homecoming was last week and there’s nothing so “college” as a warm fall day, a parade, and (thankfully!) a Hawkeye football win.

But it’s also a time for literal home-coming, and it was great last week to see and hear from alumni and former faculty who were here to celebrate the university.

Some of you have been here long enough to remember Dr. Paul Rothman, who served as chair of this department and dean of the Carver College of Medicine before moving on to serve as dean of the medical school at Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Rothman took some time out of his visit to Iowa to meet with me and answer some questions about his time as chair and dean at Iowa. It was a valuable conversation. I learned a lot in a short span about Iowa’s history, its previous challenges, and how to put some of its current ones in perspective. He didn’t have to add a meeting with me to his packed schedule at Iowa, but he did it because he still cares about this department. It was important to him to see that the garden he tended nearly two decades ago is thriving. Iowa and Internal Medicine especially still matter to him! I’m starting to understand what it is about this place that produces that kind of loyalty and affection.

Photo for reflection

This is a photo, like in my last post, from my family’s trip to Norway last year. This is a fjord near the village of Gudvangen, and it maintains this glassy stillness despite the turbulence of the Atlantic Ocean it connects to nearly 100 miles away. I originally captioned it “Perflection,” and I come back to this photo when I want to think about how there is more than one way of looking at a situation. Sometimes we can get overwhelmed by thoughts of the past or the future, what is above or below, what is real or imaginary, instead of seeing everything outside the now as beyond our control. We can make plans for the future, and we can learn lessons from the past, like I did from Dr. Rothman last week, but we are always just dots going on a walk.

Finally
Speaking of homecomings and of legendary leaders, today the Abboud Cardiovascular Research Center celebrates 50 years of groundbreaking discovery, dynamic mentoring, and transformative clinical care. Congratulations to Dr. Frank Abboud on his legacy and his achievements, and to every one of you who have played a role in these decades of success. Thank you as well to those who have planned and are participating in today’s symposium, poster session, or tonight’s gala celebration. To the former members returning home to share their memories and good works with guests, I hope you re-cement the bonds that brought you back, so that the ACRC can continue its good work for another 50 years.

As we learn from—and celebrate—all these legends, let’s pay their good work forward and collectively plan how we’re going to elevate Internal Medicine to even greater heights!