Distinguished Alumni Awards

William K. Hamilton (’43 BA, ’46 MD, ’51 R)

Award for Service

The anesthesia specialty has changed a lot since William K. Hamilton first entered the field more than 60 years ago. A pioneering researcher, educator, leader and administrator, Hamilton didn’t just witness those changes, he helped create them.

Hamilton’s influence is felt at both The University of Iowa, where he was professor and the first chair of the department from 1958 to 1967, and at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), where he was professor and chair of the department of anesthesia for 16 years and served as vice dean, associate dean for clinical affairs, and associate dean for postdoctoral education. Since 1992, he has been professor emeritus at UCSF.

His impact is still felt at the UI. Due largely to his efforts, what was once the UI Anesthesia Division is now a department, and his work to organize efforts between UIHC administration and the Departments of Medicine and Surgery resulted in the UI Hospitals and Clinics’ first intensive care unit. In 1967, Hamilton was recruited to the UCSF where he stayed the remainder of his career.

“What I’m most proud of is the continued development of two departments at two very fine universities,” he said. “I’m also very proud of the relationships I now have with ex-residents who trained with me throughout the United States. My day-to-day joy comes from that more than anything else.”

Hamilton has been recognized with many honors and awards, including the teaching award from the 1965 UI senior medical class, the Royal Society of Medicine Medal, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists Distinguished Service Award. A distinguished professorship in anesthesia was established in his name at UCSF, and in 1996, he received the UI Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award for Achievement.

“I’m very proud of the UI medical school, and to be recognized by that institution,” he said. “To be judged by your own peers is probably the nicest honor to have had.”

Jay D. Horton (’84 BS, ’88 MD)

Award for Early Career Achievement

A senior honors research project on cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism blossomed into a career for Jay D. Horton, associate professor of internal medicine and molecular genetics and Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Chair in Obesity and Diabetes Research at University of Texas Southwestern (UT).

The Fairfield, Iowa, native remembers how working with Jeffrey Field, MD, UI professor of internal medicine, was a great opportunity for a third-year medical student. “I didn’t anticipate how much fun it would be,” he said. Although research projects are now an important part of the curriculum, at that point it was a senior elective. “It was a big sacrifice on the part of the faculty member to supervise a research project. Field was a great mentor.”

For his part, Field remembers Horton as “a very hard working, conscientious student; tenacious; who approached his research project with enthusiasm and energy.” Noting his international reputation in the field, Field said that his scholarly accomplishments “are those of a seasoned investigator.” After Iowa, Horton went to the University of Texas for his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in gastroenterology, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship as a Howard Hughes Investigator for Physicians.

Horton’s research focuses on the molecular mediators of steatosis and has found that primary transcriptional regulators of cholesterol metabolism also are key regulators of fatty acid synthesis and composition in liver. The laboratory is seeking to determine how these transcriptional regulators contribute to the development of steatosis in various disease processes such as diabetes, obesity, and beta-oxidation defects.

A second area of interest is determining the function of PCSK9, a protein that is involved in determining plasma LDL cholesterol levels through its ability to post-transcriptionally regulate the expression of the LDL receptor in liver. He and his collaborators previously found that the lack of a key protein involved in cholesterol regulation resulted in low-density lipoprotein, more than 50 percent lower in mice, suggesting that inhibiting the same protein in humans could lead to new cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Horton has received a number of honors and awards, including an Industry Research Scholar Award from the American Gastroenterology Association, and American Heart Association Established Investigator and PEW Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences.

Horace Loh (’65 PhD)

Award for Achievement

Horace Loh, a pioneer in exploring the biochemical mechanisms of morphine addiction, jokes that he has been “hooked on” his work for more than 40 years. Loh is an internationally respected investigator and educator who has made significant contributions to understanding the neurochemical mechanisms of opiods, particularly morphine, and has expanded knowledge about narcotic addiction and its treatment potential.

Loh, a native of China, came to Iowa from Taiwan in 1960 after seeing the success of his friend, Yuan Chuan Lee (’62 PhD), who received the UI Carver College of Medicine Distinguished Alumni Award for Achievement in 2004. “He did so well that the Department of Biochemistry decided to enroll more Chinese students,” Loh said. “I benefited from his success.”

After earning his PhD, Loh went to the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) for post-doctoral training. Working with biochemical pharmacologist E. Leong Way, PhD, now an emeritus professor of pharmacology at UCSF, Loh discovered his interest in opioids and continued that work for the next 20 years as a faculty member in the UCSF psychiatry and pharmacology departments. In 1989, he left California to head the University of Minnesota’s Department of Pharmacology.

Loh has held leadership positions in professional organizations, including several NIH study sections and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and helped found the Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America. He currently serves as scientific advisor to the national governments of Taiwan and China and the regional government of Hong Kong.

“I feel very honored to be recognized by the school where I was trained,” he said. “This is more close to my heart than all the other awards I’ve received. It’s very special, and I’m very grateful.”

Allyn Mark (’57 BA, ’61 MD, ’67 R, ’69 F)

Award for Achievement

Allyn Mark acquired his loyalty to The University of Iowa and the Carver College of Medicine from an unlikely source: his father, a native Nebraskan who received his medical education in that state, but practiced medicine for decades in western and northern Iowa. Mark’s loyalty in turn proved a boon to the institution where he has served as a dedicated scientist, clinician, teacher and administrator.

The scientific achievements that distinguish Mark’s contributions have advanced knowledge of the brain’s role in regulating cardiovascular function and blood pressure, as well as the pathogenesis of hypertension and heart failure. Mark is nationally recognized not only for the originality of his research but also for translating basic research to humans and training a new generation of physician-scientists.

A central theme in Mark’s career is the scholarly creativity he has applied to his work. “One thinks of medicine as a profession you try to master and then practice,” he said. “But as a young physician I became enamored with the opportunity provided by medical research to pursue creativity and play with ideas.”

After joining the UI faculty in 1969, Mark quickly rose to leadership positions within the Department of Internal Medicine and the College. As a young faculty member he directed the Clinical Research Center, and later led the Cardiovascular Division for 19 years and served as associate dean for research for 11 years.

Mark credits much of his success to the collegiality he has enjoyed with both senior and junior colleagues in the Cardiovascular Center under the leadership of François M. Abboud, MD, (’61 R), a past DAA recipient. He counts as mentors many of the College’s luminaries from the past half-century, including Lewis January and John W. Eckstein, (’50 MD, ’54 R), also a past DAA recipient.

Mark said his interactions with colleagues and trainees and his engagement in national and international scientific societies have enlarged his world and given his career a continuing source of renewal and vitality.

Sarah Morgan (’81 MD, ’84 R)

Award for Achievement

During a typical week, Sarah Morgan, professor of nutrition sciences and medicine and associate dean of research compliance at University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB), will monitor research involving human patients, teach the concept of enteral formula feeding to medical students, see patients in the osteoporosis clinic, as well as conduct research on rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis.

A native Iowan, Morgan received her undergraduate degrees in food and nutrition sciences and dietetics from Iowa State University (ISU). Influenced by her mother, a home economist, and her father, an anesthesiologist, she discovered early on her interest in science, specifically chemistry, and food and nutrition science. Her father is Dale Morgan (’51 MD, ’56 R). They are the first father and daughter to receive a DAA from the College.

“It seemed like an excellent fit to blend science and home economics,” said Morgan. “At ISU, I was required to do a summer nutrition practicum, which I completed at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. It was a tremendous experience for me, and convinced me to become a physician.”

During her postdoctoral fellowship in clinical nutrition at UAB, she also completed a master’s degree in clinical nutrition. While taking a biochemistry course, the first scientific papers were being published on using methotrexate (an antifolate) to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Morgan was interested in the effects of methotrexate on folate metabolism in the body and hypothesized that patients taking methotrexate developed a folate deficiency, explaining some of the side effects. After 20 years of research on the topic, she is considered an authority on folate metabolism in rheumatic diseases and the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

Outside of the laboratory, Morgan, a highly respected educator and physician, sees about 30-45 patients per week at the Birmingham VA Medical Center, UAB Hospital and the Osteoporosis Treatment Clinic.

“I enjoy working in the Clinic, which I helped to develop and now manage. I provide nutrition support for patients in intensive care units, and am currently working toward accreditation of our DXA service (bone densitometry),” said Morgan.

L. Jackson (“Jack”) Roberts (’69 MD)

Award for Achievement

Jack Roberts, professor of pharmacology and medicine at Vanderbilt University, didn’t have to think twice in naming the endowed chair created for him. He chose to name it for T. Edwin Rogers, his undergraduate physiology instructor at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa.

“The reason I wound up in science is because of ‘Doc’ Rogers,” Roberts said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for him.”

Where Roberts is today is among scientific elite whose work has opened new fields of study and influenced hundreds of other investigators. Roberts’ best-known achievement is the landmark discovery of isoprostanes, compounds formed through free radical reactions that serve as biomarkers of oxidative stress in the body. The ability to measure isoprostanes in vivo has allowed scientists to trace the role of free radicals in the pathogenesis of a wide variety of illnesses.

Roberts’ other scientific contributions have led to the widely accepted use of low-dose aspirin to prevent myocardial infarction and niacin-induced vasodilation in patients being treated for hypercholesterolemia, and of antihistamines to treat gastric carcinoid syndrome and strombroid fish poisoning. His more than 300 published papers have had substantial influence in the biomedical scientific community. His discoveries and scholarship have earned Roberts numerous national awards and, most recently, Vanderbilt University’s prestigious Earl Sutherland Prize.

Yet for Roberts, the value of fundamental research lies in its potential to improve patient care. “My MD degree shows through my science all the time,” he said, adding that he doesn’t pursue questions that don’t have potential clinical relevance. He has patented a number of methods to apply his discoveries to clinical problems and he is a founding member of the Association for Patient-Oriented Research.

In addition to receiving the College’s distinguished alumni award in Iowa City in June, Roberts said he’s looking forward to the opportunity to drop in on his old teacher, Doc Rogers.

Russell Rulon (’60 MS, ’61 PhD)

Award for Service

As a fifth grader, Russell Rulon, professor emeritus of biology at Luther College, began working at Gurney’s Seed and Nursery Farm in Yankton, SD, during his summer break. He learned plant propagation and fruit tree grafting, and continued working there each summer. In his free time he enjoyed other activities, hunting, fishing, and taxidermy, all of which fueled his growing interest in biology. With excellent teachers in chemistry, biology, and physical sciences along the way, Rulon found his life’s work.

For 37 years, he diligently taught biology and physiology as a faculty member at Luther College, influencing hundreds of students through his dedication as a teacher, researcher and mentor. “I’ve stayed at Luther because I’ve been fortunate to have students who were very interested in the biomedical areas, were highly motivated, and enjoyed their laboratory work,” said Rulon. “My colleagues were dedicated team members who created the very best learning experience and environment for students. It’s been a thrill to see students learn and help them meet their long-term goals.”

Rulon served as chief health careers advisor from 1965-2000, mentoring hundreds of students on their decisions concerning health sciences professions. He consistently found himself advising students to spend time shadowing a professional, find a summer research opportunity, or work in a health care facility.

“I’ve had the privilege of advising and teaching 511 undergraduates who chose to go to medical school. Of this group, 215 went to The University of Iowa,” said Rulon. “I tell students pursuing a faculty position that it is a continuation of their education, not the end of their student life. A good teacher or professor must continue to be a student if they are to be good in the classroom and laboratory.”

As a testament to Rulon’s extraordinary contribution and commitment to Luther and his students, more than 900 alumni and friends pledged over $1 million to establish the Russell R. Rulon Endowed Chair in Biology in 2000. “I feel it is a strong endorsement of the educational experience of former students,” said Rulon. “Perhaps they sensed I truly enjoyed my work.”