2002-2003 Annual Report: Our Caring Community

Fiscal Year in Review

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics 2002-03

July 2002

• U.S.News & World Report ranks University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics among "America's Best Hospitals; nine specialties rank among the nation's top 50
• University of Iowa Children's Hospital implements Baby CareLink®, a Web site that enables families to stay connected with their seriously ill babies and access educational resources online
• UI investigators receive a $6.8 million grant to continue research into how blood vessels function in the brain under normal and diseased conditions

August 2002

• UI surgeons introduce the da Vinci robotic surgery system, a revolutionary new minimally invasive method of performing surgeries for pediatric and adult patients
• A new leadership era begins at UI Hospitals and Clinics as Donna Katen-Bahensky officially begins her tenure as director and CEO
• Dottie Armens, R.N., receives the 2002 NurseWeek Nursing Excellence Award in the Patient Advocacy category

September 2002

• The 2002 Best Doctors in America database, a provider of information about the best medical care available, lists 144 physicians from UI Hospitals and Clinics
• Former Iowa football coach Hayden Fry and comedian Tom Arnold, an Iowa native, tour the newly named J. Hayden Fry Center for Prostate Cancer Research
• Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at UI, in conjunction with the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, receives a research grant worth $2 million per year over five years

October 2002

• Neurosurgeon Ken Follett, M.D., leads a $14 million national study to compare deep brain stimulation with medication therapy for treating patients with Parkinson's disease
• UI researchers participate in a study focused on increasing the supply of smallpox vaccine available to Americans in case of a bio-terrorism attack
• Linda Abbott, R.N., receives the 2001-2002 Board of Regents University of Iowa Staff Excellence Award

November 2002

• Jean E. Robillard, M.D., is named dean of the UI Carver College of Medicine, which partners with UI Hospitals and Clinics to provide patient care, teaching, and research
• Lyndsay Thomas, the UI Hospitals and Clinics patient who was trapped in her car for five days, recounts her accident and recovery on the "Oprah Winfrey" show.
• The Continuity of Care program completes its first year, providing care coordination for pediatric patients with complex medical conditions that require multi-specialty care.

December 2002

• UI officials break ground for the planned $39.6 million Center of Excellence in Image-Guided Radiation Therapy, scheduled for completion in the Fall of 2004
• Kohl's Department Stores presents University of Iowa Children's Hospital with more than $92,000 to benefit patients and families
• Orthopaedic surgeon Charles Clark, M.D., named the Dr. Michael Bonfiglio Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery

January 2003

• B.J. Hannon R.N., M.S.N., is named coordinator for Magnet designation, a prestigious award given to nursing departments that demonstrate excellence in nursing practice
• More than 1,000 nurses participate in a 24-hour potluck kicking off the initiative to seek Magnet designation
• The UI Dance Marathon Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Unit within University of Iowa Children's Hospital relocates to newly renovated space

February 2003

• A study authored by Stuart Weinstein, M.D., challenges the prevailing belief that late-onset idiopathic scoliosis, if left untreated, inevitably leads to severe disability
• UI Dance Marathon, sponsored by Children's Miracle Network, raises a record $607,385 to benefit cancer patients and their families at Children's Hospital. Of Iowa
• Research presented by Jack Stapleton, M.D., suggests that a virus that has tagged along harmlessly through human evolution improves people's chances of surviving AIDS

March 2003

• University of Iowa Children's Hospital surgeons become the first to use a revolutionary new surgical robot to assist the removal of a tumor in the adrenal gland of a pediatric patient.
• The University of Iowa's Virtual Hospital, one of the first 250 sites on the World Wide Web at the time of its creation in 1992, celebrates its 10th anniversary
• The Burn Treatment Center is re-verified with the highest level of distinction, "Accreditation with Commendation," identifying it as a "Center of Excellence"

April 2003

• The University of Iowa Research Foundation receives a patent for the first-known mutant chicken pox virus, which may help develop a new diagnostic test for chicken pox
• More than 150 Iowans learn about cancer discoveries at Mini-Med Schools sponsored by UI Health Care and held in various Iowa communities
• Staff Nurse Lisa Gerard, Children's and Women's Services, receives the Excellence in Clinical Practice Award from the Society of Pediatric Nurses

May 2003

• UI's Virtual Hospital Web site receives a "Nettie" award for Best Overall Site by MD NetGuide in its annual Awards for Excellence competition.
• Adrienne Drapkin, director of Project Art and the Medical Museum, is co-recipient of the UI's Catalyst Award, which honors individuals who promote diversity on campus
• Department of Orthopaedics receives approval to add and rehabilitation to its title, acknowledging rehab's vital role in caring for patients with disabilities and injuries

June 2003

• Robert Kelch, M.D., vice president for health affairs at UI, is named executive vice president for medical affairs at the University of Michigan effective in September 2003
• Ignacio Ponseti, M.D., receives the prestigious American Orthopaedic Association-Zimmer Award for Distinguished Contributions to Orthopaedics
• UI's DeGowin Blood Center participates in a test to screen blood donations for West Nile virus in an effort to keep the nation's blood supply free from the mosquito-borne illness