Long-views and legacy

I am often reminded of the 155 years that have brought this department and UI Health Care to our present moment. Two losses in this last week have reminded me in very concrete ways of the effort and sacrifice of our predecessors. Although Doris Abboud did not have a formal appointment in this department, as the wife of Dr. François M. Abboud, Internal Medicine’s longest-serving chair and this university’s longest-serving faculty member, Doris had a front-row seat for decades to Internal Medicine’s successes, its challenges, and its growth. She was no passive observer, though. She was a key contributor to Frank’s argument that Iowa is a place to grow, both your career and family. The growth of Internal Medicine in the last quarter of the 20th century under Dr. Abboud’s leadership owes as much to Doris’s support, the stability and love she provided Frank, and the community she embodied. As I said in a brief message to the department late last week, our thoughts remain with Frank and the rest of the Abboud family.

One of many of Dr. Abboud’s remarkable recruits in the early 80s was Dr. Bob Ashman, the first director of our Rheumatology Division. Though this division’s membership has since found a natural combination with our Allergy/Immunology faculty, the foundation that Dr. Ashman set during his decades of leadership are still visible today. It was under his leadership that the first Rheumatology Symposium was held, showcasing the latest updates in clinical diagnosis and treatment as well as future directions for research. Communication of cutting-edge discovery and expert education for regional and national physician-scientist rheumatologists leapt forward here under Dr. Ashman, and less than two weeks ago, that symposium was held for the 36th time.

I should also mention another recent loss last month in Dr. Daryl Granner, whose impact not just on diabetes research but on education and mentorship will be felt for decades to come. Dr. Granner was instrumental in securing the $25M pledge from the Fraternal Order of Eagles, which catapulted the UI’s Diabetes Research Center onto the global stage, where it will remain.

Photo for reflection
I cannot be 100 percent certain that the “east amphitheater” depicted in this 1883 photo from Hardin Library archives is our very own Medical Alumni Auditorium, but you can see the similarity, can’t you? This photograph is 143 years old. It was taken fewer than 20 years after the end of the Civil War. Buildings in East Coast cities were just beginning to be wired for electric lights, penicillin was still more than 40 years away, but medical students filled these benches to learn what our faculty had to teach them. What could those lessons have been? Yesterday, our faculty and trainees filled the same room in this photo—or one just like it—to learn about the impact of nicotine on hypertension and inflammation from our Cardiology colleague Dr. Sal Harwani. What learning will get shared in this room in the next century? It is both humbling and exciting to situate ourselves in the centuries-long timeline of science. We make our discoveries, pass on what we learn, and human knowledge expands. What an honor to contribute to this noble project.

Also worth noting that one of Dr. Harwani’s most influential research mentors, Dr. Abboud himself, was in attendance yesterday for Grand Rounds. Wonderful to see him!

Upi’s “Oh, WOW” moment
Earlier this week I was fortunate to attend the university’s 2026 Faculty and Staff Awards celebration. This comprehensive event featured a couple noteworthy recognitions among a host of achievements. Dr. Martha Carvour was presented with the Office of the Vice President for Research’s Award for Distinguished Achievement in Publicly Engaged Research. This is separate from another, national award she received earlier this year for her work, detailed here. Dr. Mike Welsh was recognized at this event for his receipt late last year of the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award. Also recognized was Dr. Stanley Perlman, who joins Dr. Welsh as only the third active Carver College of Medicine faculty member to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences last year. Membership in this organization is one of the most prestigious acknowledgements of achievement for a scientist in the United States. Congratulations to our three colleagues and all the others, whose contributions to our profession and to human health received well-deserved recognition!