Department faculty and staff were invited to return to the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame for its annual holiday party, the same location as last year’s event. Only this year, new department chair and DEO Upi Singh, MD, added a theme–“Dance the Night Away”–and a band–The Recliners, featuring some of its members doing double-duty as faculty guests and entertainers.

After guests had arrived and mingled a bit, Singh welcomed everyone and thanked them for welcoming her to the department just a couple months ago. She wished everyone happy holidays and expressed her hope that they would each get to take some time over the next few weeks to rest and recharge for the good work ahead in the new year. Everyone then helped themselves to the buffet dinner and array of desserts.

Singh, an avowed Taylor Swift fan, had prepared lyrics sheets for everyone and asked The Recliners to lead attendees in a crowd karaoke version of “Shake It Off.” Although the acoustics of the Hall of Fame made it challenging to hear each voice, a glance around the room revealed those who shared Singh’s appreciation for Swift.

The band then shifted to a mix of holiday classics and crowd-pleasing rock from the last few decades. Guests continued to mingle and browse some of the Hall of Fame memorabilia on hand.

Special thanks to Sherry Mattison and Nikki Carney for their hard work in organizing the evening!