Match Day—March 15 this year—is a shared annual experience that links medical graduates across the years. It is a time of ending and beginning, a time when the soon-to-be physicians open the atlas of their careers for the first time to discover where their professional journeys will begin. For the Class of 2007 Match Day was greeted, just as it was for us, with excitement mixed with nervousness about the outcome, and some trepidation about the future.

No one knows exactly what lies ahead for these new doctors but there is one thing about which I am extremely confident: Our graduates are well-prepared for their residency training through the first-rate medical education they receive at Iowa. Through its faculty and staff, the UI Carver College of Medicine invests considerable thought, energy and time in providing our students with the knowledge, skills, values and confidence to excel in their chosen fields.

In order for a medical education to maintain and increase in value, the college must continuously evaluate and improve the curriculum. In November, we welcomed Darrell Kirch, MD, president of the Association of American Medical Colleges, and our own Gerard Clancy (’83 BA, ’88 MD, ’92 R), president of the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa and dean of the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa College of Medicine, for the first Medical Education Day. Drs. Kirch and Clancy helped us examine how we educate our students, extolling the value of service learning, and pointed us in new directions in medical education.

The College’s educational excellence is not limited to the medical curriculum but extends to our postdoctoral programs, which were ranked #5 in The Scientist’s annual survey of postdoctoral programs. Our postdocs praised a tight support network including the research cores, seminars and workshops on grant writing and career advancement. Among the many pluses for our postdocs is access to a highly collaborative research environment.

Evidence of our investigative teamwork is an extraordinary project involving Thomas Wassink, MD, associate professor of psychiatry, and Val Sheffield, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics, as well as more than 120 scientists from over 50 institutions worldwide. Recently, the group announced discovery of unidentified regions of chromosome 11 and neurexin 1, which may play a critical role in autism spectrum disorders. Iowa’s autism research team will lead the follow-up work on neurexin to look for factors that may make children at risk for developing autism. Alumni can access the College’s peer-reviewed journal articles online.

It goes without saying that the goal of those conducting biomedical research within the College is to deliver cures to patients. In January, I was named vice president of medical affairs. My goal in this new position, which I will carry out on top of my duties as dean, is to better integrate planning and operations for the three patient care organizations: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, the Carver College of Medicine, and University of Iowa Physicians. To accomplish this, we have developed several exciting initiatives including: raising patient satisfaction levels, developing services and expanding resources.

While we pursue our goals in education, research, and service, our alumni continue to make us proud. Each year, we recognize select graduates with Distinguished Alumni Awards (DAA) in Achievement and Service. These awards are the College’s highest honor and recognize those who have exceeded their primary roles in health care. This year, we honor seven alumni. Their stories begin on page 8. For more information about the DAA awards and a list of past winners, visit the alumni Web site.

Signature

Jean E. Robillard, MD (’74 F pediatrics)

Dean, UI Carver College of Medicine

UI Vice President for Medical Affairs