Memorial services for Dr. Richard G. Lynch, MD, former chairman of pathology, will be held Sunday at McBride Hall in the McBride Hall Auditorium starting at 3:30 p.m. A reception will follow from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Museum of Natural History Hall of Birds.
Lynch, an internationally internationally recognized experimental immunologist, died Oct. 12, 2009, at his home near Solon, Iowa.
Fall health plan enrollment has begun. Some changes this year:
When you get your care here, all members of the UI family benefit. For more information, visit www.uihealthcare.com/enroll/.
University of Iowa leaders remembered the lasting legacy of Ignacio Ponseti, M.D., University of Iowa professor emeritus of orthopaedics, whose pioneering non-surgical, low-cost clubfoot treatment has benefited tens of thousands of children worldwide. Ponseti died Sunday afternoon, Oct. 18, at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, following a sudden illness. He was 95.
Just days before his death, Ponseti was at work in his university office. His gentle methods and soft-spoken compassion were a hallmark of a six-decade commitment to helping children, and belied a sometimes tumultuous, even dangerous, early career in medicine.
“Dr. Ponseti was a tireless leader with great passion for his field,” said Jean Robillard, M.D., vice president for medical affairs with UI Health Care. “His pioneering work in the treatment of clubfoot changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of children worldwide, and the training he provided other medical professionals ensures that future generations of children will also be helped. He truly personified the UI Health Care vision of world-class people and world-class medicine for Iowa and the world.”
The fruits of his efforts
Although he retired in 1984, Ponseti returned to work in 1986 in consultative practice and continued to treat patients, teach and conduct research.
His greatest accomplishments came in the ensuing decades as the clubfoot treatment that he developed and bears his name, the Ponseti method, became widely accepted and used worldwide, thanks in great part to the outreach efforts by families of children he and colleagues had treated at the UI.
“Dr. Ponseti was my mentor, colleague and friend; truly my orthopedic father,” said Stuart Weinstein, M.D., UI professor of orthopaedics, who had worked with Ponseti since 1973.
“Personally it’s a great loss for me and all of us who trained and worked with Dr. Ponseti, but through his students, his legacy will continue; we have that obligation. The entire university community can take pride in all he achieved,” said Weinstein, who also holds the Ignacio V. Ponseti Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery.
A passion for science
Ponseti also devoted his time and intellect to advance basic research behind deforming diseases such as scoliosis, clubfoot and hip dysplasia. He established the first connective tissue biochemistry lab dedicated to this effort.
Ponseti’s research into collagen chemistry opened up the field of cell and molecular research in connective tissues, said Jody Buckwalter, M.D., professor and head of the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation who holds the Arthur A. Steindler Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery.
“In his more than six-decade career, Dr. Ponseti was a role model for compassionate patient care but also for seeking a deeper understanding of the causes of deformities in children,” Buckwalter said. “He’d often come into the office with a new idea for studying a genetic defect, for example, that might be responsible for clubfoot. He had an inspiring passion for science, and using science to improve treatment of children.”
Formative years in Spain
Ponseti was born June 3, 1914, on the Spanish island of Minorca. As a teenager, he worked summers in his watchmaker father’s repair shop, learning skills of precision and developing patience that would serve him well in the years that followed.
Ponseti entered medical school in Barcelona in 1930 and completed his degree in 1936, just before the start of the three-year Spanish Civil War. Volunteering to serve as a medical officer with the Loyalist army, he spent the war in the Orthopedic and Fracture Service treating battle wounds. By 1939, General Francisco Franco’s fascist army had gained control, and Ponseti, fearing imprisonment or worse, chose to leave Spain.
His escape was not a solo effort, however. Ponseti also arranged a risky evacuation for the nearly 40 wounded men in his care. He worked for three days and nights to set their fractures, and then, with the help of local smugglers, he transported the wounded by mule over the Pyrenees mountains to safety in France.
A refugee makes a career
Finding himself with no home or citizenship, Ponseti left France for Mexico, where he served as the community doctor for Juchitepec, a small town south of Mexico City. There, he successfully treated typhoid patients with hydration and bean puree.
While in Mexico for two years, Ponseti met Dr. Juan Farril, a professor of orthopedics at the University of Mexico who had trained in the United States. With Farril’s assistance, Ponseti arranged to study with Dr. Arthur Steindler, then chairman of orthopedics at the University of Iowa. In 1941, Ponseti moved to Iowa City.
Ponseti’s limited English and lack of a medical school diploma (due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War) almost stymied his entry into Iowa’s residency program. Fortunately, he was able to explain the situation — in French — to Carl Seashore, then dean of the UI Graduate College, who helped resolve the problem.
After completing his residency in 1944, Ponseti joined the orthopedics faculty at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where he remained for the next four decades treating patients, teaching and conducting research. He retired as professor emeritus in 1984, but returned to the university in 1986 to a consultative practice in orthopedics, working until the week he died.
Developing the Ponseti method
Ponseti’s work on clubfoot started very early in his UI career in the 1940s. It was obvious that without treatment, children with clubfoot faced a lifetime of debilitation, and even possible amputation. But the surgical treatments used at the time had significant limitations. With nearly 200,000 children born each year with the condition, the need to find a more effective treatment was imperative.
During his first year as a graduate fellow, Ponseti reviewed the outcomes of Steindler’s clubfoot surgical treatment used between 1921 and 1941. Analysis showed that surgical treatment often resulted in stiff, fixed ankles. Moreover, although the treated children could walk, they almost always had a limp.
Ponseti’s extensive examination of the anatomy and biology of infant feet, led him to believe that physical manipulation and casting might be a more successful approach. In 1950, Dr. Carroll Larson, then head of orthopedics at the University of Iowa, put Ponseti in charge of the clubfoot clinic, where he developed the eponymous method that would slowly but surely revolutionize clubfoot treatment.
The Ponseti method involves the careful manipulation of muscles, joints and ligaments held in a series of casts and braces to reposition the foot back to normal. It has become the “gold standard” for clubfoot treatment, after decades of positive follow-up results and numerous international peer-reviewed studies showing success rates as high as 98 percent.
However, for the first 40 years after developing the technique, only Ponseti and a handful of orthopedic surgeons used the method, treating more than 2,000 children. Frustrated by the under-use of his technique, Ponseti and colleagues who had used the technique began making a concerted effort in the 1990s to communicate the method and its successful results to as wide an audience as possible.
Raising global awareness, with the help of parents
Ponseti’s book, “Congenital Clubfoot: Fundamentals of Treatment,” published by Oxford University Press in 1996, describes his experience with the method and includes patient studies confirming the success of the approach. A string of peer-reviewed articles, including multi-decade follow-up studies, also helped raise awareness and professional acceptance of the method.
By early 2000, the Internet became an effective grass-roots medium, especially among the parents of successfully treated children who advocated the Ponseti method to other families searching for the best treatment for clubfoot. In particular, a Yahoo listserv started in 1999 by Teresa McLaughlin, whose son Jakob had been treated by Dr Weinstein with the Ponseti method, was critical in spreading the word of the method to families who could benefit from it.
Over the past decade, these educational and advocacy efforts have resulted in the Ponseti method being considered the mainstream treatment for clubfoot in North America today. The technique is increasingly used to help children with clubfoot from underdeveloped regions of the world. In August 2006, the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed the Ponseti method. In addition, the Ponseti International Association for Advancement of Clubfoot Treatment, founded in 2006 at the UI, is devoted to clubfoot education, research and improved access of care, including helping health care professionals learn about and adopt the method.
Ponseti is survived by his wife, Helena Percas-Ponseti, whom he married in 1960 in Iowa. Dr. Ponseti shared a love of art with his wife, who was originally from Spain as well. Her story of his life, “Homage to Iowa: The Inside Story of Ignacio V. Ponseti,” was published in 2007. Dr. Ponseti also is survived by his son, Bill Ponseti. Arrangements for a celebration of life are pending.
The College has set up a condolences page here.
Click here for photos of Dr. Ponseti.
For more information:
“Be Remarkable” Profile of Ponseti
How the Internet helped advance the Ponseti method
An oral history of the Spanish Civil War by Ponseti
Ponseti International Association
In addition, tributes are being posted at two Facebook pages — at The Dr. Ignacio Ponseti Appreciation Society and at the Ponseti International Association Club:
Richard G. Lynch, MD, an internationally recognized experimental immunologist and former chairman of pathology at the University of Iowa College of Medicine, died on Monday, Oct. 12, 2009, at his home near Solon, Iowa.
Dr. Lynch was born April 9, 1934, in Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of James and Helen (Henderson) Lynch. He attended Bishop Loughlin High School and Brooklyn College, and also served as a weatherman in the U.S. Navy from 1952 to 1956 during which he participated in seven atomic bomb tests in the Marshall Islands at Bikini.
Upon his return, he completed his education at the University of Missouri and the University of Rochester College of Medicine. After a residency in pathology at Barnes Hospital (Washington University) in St. Louis, he began his research in tumor immunology, remaining on the faculty as a teacher, clinician and scientific investigator until 1981.
He came to The University of Iowa in 1981 as chairman of pathology and held that position until 1999, also serving as interim dean of the UI College of Medicine from 1993 to 1994. Until his retirement in 2004, he directed a large research laboratory training more than fifty students, fellows, and residents, and was appreciated as a teacher, mentor scholar, and friend.
Dr. Lynch wrote the initial planning grant that resulted in NIH designation of Holden Cancer Comprehensive Center at the University of Iowa and served as a peer reviewer on numerous study sections at the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Alan Rabson, former deputy director of the National Cancer Institute, once stated that he knew of no one else in the country who had given more time to peer review for the NIH than Dr. Lynch. He was president of the American Society for Investigative Pathology and received the Rous-Whipple Award for his research. He served on the board of directors of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.
He loved the outdoors, especially birds, and spent much time photographing wildlife and traveling to birding destinations. After retirement, he began to write his memoirs, including his recollections of the Bikini atomic tests, which have been accepted for national publication.
In 1963, Dr. Lynch was married to Nancy Underwood in Rochester, N.Y. He is survived by his wife; daughter, Alison Abreu of Iowa City, Iowa; sons Brendan (Joan) of North Reading, Mass., and Matthew (Daniale) of Portland, Ore.; grandchildren Ishadeen Abreu, Joey Abreu, Veronica Abreu, and Luis Abreu, all of Iowa City, and a brother, James Lynch, of New Rochelle, N.Y.
Dear Colleagues:
We write today to note the passing of Richard G. Lynch, MD, on Monday, October 12, and express our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and many colleagues. Dr. Lynch was the head of the Department of Pathology from 1981-1999, a period of unprecedented growth and accomplishment in the department. He made many contributions to the excellent reputation we enjoy today.
Memorial services are pending at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Richard G. & Nancy A. Lynch Fellowship, c/o University of Iowa Foundation.
In addition, a special memorial service will be held on Sunday, Nov. 22, at McBride Hall in McBride Hall Auditorium starting at 3:30 p.m. A reception will follow from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Museum of Natural History Hall of Birds.
Douglas Van Daele, MD, FACS, has accepted the position of Chief Medical Information Officer for UI Health Care.
The Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) is responsible for supporting the development of clinical information systems that assist clinicians in the delivery of high quality patient care. Van Daele will dedicate 50 percent of his time to the role of CMIO and the remainder of his time to maintaining an active medical practice, providing patient care, and conducting research.
Van Daele is an assistant professor in otolaryngology—head and neck Surgery. He joined the faculty of the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine in July 2003. Van Daele also serves as the physician director of the Otolaryngology Clinic at UI Hospitals and Clinics.
Thank you for your interest in the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. It’s my privilege to be dean of this exceptional medical school, and my pleasure to tell you a little more about it.
At Iowa, our people are our strength. Our faculty are leaders in cardiovascular disease, brain imaging and neurosciences, orthopaedics, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, and Huntington’s disease. We have the only center of its kind devoted to studying age-related macular degeneration, and the world’s largest center devoted to cochlear implant studies.
Our ambitious researchers attract more and more funding every year, putting us among the nation’s top medical schools in NIH funding. Our dedicated instructors are shaping a compassionate, diverse and exceptionally bright next-generation of physicians and scientists, and our outstanding students take on the challenges of medical school with passion and integrity. Our expert clinicians treat patients with conditions ranging from the most common to the most complex in our state’s only tertiary health care center, and our committed staff — from nurses to secretaries, instructional technology experts to food and nutrition staff, housekeepers to research assistants — provide unparalleled support to help us succeed.
As dean, my philosophy is simple: We all must work together to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. That’s something we do well at Iowa, and its part of why the people of this state take so much pride in their hospital and college of medicine. I share that pride, and hope you also see it in all we do.
Sincerely,
Paul Rothman, M.D.
Dean, UI Carver College of Medicine
UI Carver College of Medicine Dean Paul Rothman, MD, will give his annual State of the College address on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 5:15 p.m. in the Prem Sahai Auditorium, Level 1, Medical Education and Research Facility. All faculty, staff, and students of the College are invited and encouraged to attend.
In the address, Dean Rothman will present the past year’s highlights and accomplishments in discovery, education, and clinical care, and address challenges and opportunities for FY 2010.
Elliott named interim head of gastroenterology-hepatology
Dr. David Elliott assumed duties as interim director of the UI Division of Gastroenterology-Hepatology, effect Aug. 1. The appointment comes after the resignation of Dr. Bruce Luxon, who is leaving to become head of internal medicine at Georgetown University.
Elliott’s research focuses on the mechanisms that control inflammatory reactions. His studies include the liver granulomas that develop in murine schistosomiasis; the role of the neuropeptide somatostatin in the regulation of the granulomatous response; and soluble mediators released by granuloma cells that affect inflammatory responses.
Hayreh awarded honorary fellowship
Dr. S.S. Hayreh, emeritus professor of ophthalmology and director of the Ocular Vascular Clinic, was awarded the Honorary Fellowship by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in Britain in June. The honorary fellowship is given to a person “who made notable contributions to ophthalmology.” Hayreh also is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Scotland.
UI Children’s Hospital faculty and staff help Jamaican children
A team of health professionals from UI Children’s Hospital will join others from Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines to provide a series of free medical clinics Sept. 14-19 for underprivileged children in the Ocho Rios area of Jamaica.
The team of medical volunteers includes pediatricians, surgeons, biomedical engineers, lab technicians, pharmacists, a dietitian-nutritionist, a pediatric nephrologist, a pediatric hematologist/oncologist, nurse practitioners and pediatric nurses. The group will also provide a series of educational conferences, lectures and hands-on training for local pediatric health care providers. The trip is organized through the Issa Trust Foundation, which is dedicated to “making Jamaica a healthy place to live.”
Christopher M. Adams receives Doris Duke award
Dr. Christopher M. Adams, assistant professor of endocrinology, was one of 14 physician-scientists selected to receive a 2009 Clinical Scientist Development Award from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The award is $135,000 per year for three years.
Adams was selected from a pool of 153 applicants for his project titled “Molecular Biology of Skeletal Muscular Atrophy.”
The west side of campus is about to catch up with the east in terms of online technology. Soon wireless Internet access will be available in the Bowen Science Building, the first of many instillations to come for CCOM campus buildings.
“Wireless expands the areas where students, faculty, and staff can access their data,” said Boyd Knosp, the CCOM’s Associate Dean for Information Technology. “This ability better enables collaboration between researchers or between students working together on class assignments.”
Many faculty members in Bowen had taken it on themselves to set up their own wireless networks to do work in labs or offices. However, having UI Information Technology Services install standardized wireless throughout the building will increase efficiency as well as security.
Wireless is now a standard addition for any new campus buildings, and is a target to be added to the old.
“We have a multi-year plan to install wireless in buildings that currently don’t have wireless on the CCOM campus,” said Knosp. “The plan, which will be reviewed annually, puts wireless in BSB in FY09 and Med Labs in FY10. Other buildings will be addressed after these installations are done.”
