Happy Fourth of July! I hope that for those of you with the day off that you eat an extra item from the grill for your colleagues working on one of our campuses delivering care. Thank you to those who sacrificed time with family and friends so your co-workers can have more time with theirs this long weekend. I believe there are as many ways to celebrate “America’s birthday” as there are citizens of this country. But on any holiday, it’s worth remembering its roots. Today we commemorate the date the Declaration of Independence was signed, an act of bravery however you slice it. Just a few dozen men, 56 delegates to that first congress, bound themselves together in service of something bigger when they put quill to parchment. Committing to a new project these days may have lower stakes than defying an empire, but we can still spot the admirable elements of their characters and we can find the same in ourselves, these 249 years later. Starting a new academic year is certainly not the same as launching a revolutionary war or telling a king that we have had enough. But just as the Declaration spells out, committing to a shared statement of principles can be a useful and clarifying exercise. Whether you are a New Year’s resolution kind of person or not, I hope you see this week and this pause as a chance to get centered and refreshed for the good work we will do in 2025-26. I look forward to sharing more about what this coming year will look like for our department at my next Quarterly Department Update on July 24 at noon in Medical Alumni Auditorium.

Photo for reflection

Hawaii is both the last state to join the Union and the last state to see the first light of a new day. To take this photo of the sunrise above the cloud-filled Haleakala Crater on Maui, you have to travel for a few hours to reach an elevation of nearly 11,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean. This journey is worth it, despite the cold and the 2 a.m. wake-up call. I hope the reason is evident in the shot. My last post talked about sunsets and, though beautiful, their light does not pack the same promise as a sunrise. A sunrise is not just a new day; it’s the fulfillment of expectation. It kept its word at sunset and returned. And as the light grows quickly, everything that has been obscured in shadow suddenly begins to glow. The chill, at least at lower elevations, starts to burn off, and you can feel the warmth on your skin. If you are normally a sunset kind of person, I recommend setting an alarm, finding a good spot with a lot of horizon, and watching how rapidly things can shift both around you and even within you.

Upi’s “Oh, WOW” moment
Things are shifting rapidly in the department too. This is my first academic year change-over at Iowa and the national reputation for excellence in education mixed with the community feel is well-earned. Just a couple days ago, our new fellows across all subspecialties got to spend a quality hour with each other and our departmental leadership team. On the surface it was an orientation, but they also spent a little time getting to know each other as well, finding commonalities and revealing some interesting facts. Those connections will serve them well on overnight consults. Our interns are all also up and running thanks to a comprehensive and well-paced orientation. This pre-Day One first day was a good mix of information, tone-setting, and even a bit of fun at the end of the day. Later in the week, they took part in the Clinical Skills Coaching exercise, which was formerly known as the OSCE. More information about this name change and the journey that this nearly 10-year-old standard-setting program to come soon. Happy Fourth and Happy New (academic) Year!