The below is a message from Diana Jalal, MD, FASN, Chief of Medicine, Iowa City VA Health Care System (ICVAHCS).
It is my absolute pleasure to announce William (Bill) Sivitz, MD, emeritus professor in Endocrinology and Metabolism, as the winner of the DiBona Award for Academics in Service of the ICVAHCS.
Dr. Sivitz obtained his medical degree from Hahnemann University in Philadelphia in 1972, after which he completed residency training at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, and fellowship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Dr. Sivitz’s clinical service to US Veterans started in 1980 when he joined Huntington VA Medical Center, West Virginia, as Staff Physician. Dr. Sivitz joined ICVAHCS and the University of Iowa in 1987. Since then, he provided outstanding clinical care to veterans as an endocrinologist and an internist, he established a high-impact research program, and he served as the section chief of endocrinology at the ICVAHCS. He left behind a legacy of excellence in clinical care, especially in the area of diabetes, and was recognized as one of America’s Top Doctors between 2008 and 2022.
Under his leadership, the ICVAHCS has established a strong collaborative team that includes APPs, pharmacists, and dietitians to provide advanced diabetes care, incorporating new technology into patient care. It is notable that the Endocrine Oncology Program led by late Dr. Thomas O’Dorisio was established with Bill’s support to treat veterans with neuroendocrine tumors within and outside of VISN23.
As a researcher, Dr. Sivitz has been quite prolific. He has more than 110 publications to date including those in the New England Journal of Medicine. He has been continuously funded by NIH, VHA, and other funding organizations. His research program spans the spectrum from the bench to the patient. He has been an active member of the DCCT/EDIC Study Group since 1987 and the Iowa Site PI since 1989. The study is a monumental clinical study that established the importance of glycemic control for prevention of microvascular complications in diabetes. He has also served as a member and Iowa Site PI of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) and is currently serving as Iowa Site PI for GRADE (Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study) trial. Dr. Sivitz’s contribution as Site PI has been highly significant for the success of these clinical studies and was recognized with the Julio Santiago Award for Best Performing Clinic among the DCCT/EDIC in 2010 and 2023. At the bench, Dr. Sivitz’s work has increased our understanding of mitochondrial dysfunction in diabetes.
Please join me in congratulating Bill on all of his accomplishments.
Dr. Sivitz will deliver the annual DiBona Award Lecture at Internal Medicine Grand Rounds on May 14. The title of the lecture is “Type 1 Diabetes 150 years: Past, Present, Future.”