More than half the patients treated by UI Hospitals and Clinics kidney specialist John Stokes, MD, have diabetes, the leading cause of kidney failure in the United States.

Stokes, professor of internal medicine and director of nephrology, knows diabetes is the biggest public health crisis of the 21st century—due primarily to an increasing rate of obesity—and nearly 25 million U.S. children and adults live with the disease. He knows the death rate for diabetes has been climbing for more than 20 years. And he knows he is powerless to turn the tide on his own.

Soon after joining the UI Carver College of Medicine in 1978, Stokes launched a personal partnership with The Fraternal Order of Eagles. The international philanthropic organization funds research into life-threatening diseases. Stokes successfully applied for annual $5,000 grants from the Eagles, attended state conventions to accept the awards, and joined the Eagles' Iowa City chapter, or aerie.

"It was common at the state conventions for members to tell me their aerie had an idea for a state project involving the University—for example, they wanted the burn center to be the target, or the children's hospital, or diabetes. I would help them make the connections to the people at the University. They trusted my advice, and I was very happy to help," Stokes said.

At the 2006 convention in Grinnell, Grand Worthy President-elect Bill Loffer of Nebraska told Stokes that the Eagles should fund a diabetes research center. "At that point, my brain started going about 10,000 miles an hour. I said, 'Bill, that's a great idea and the Eagles should do it,' " Stokes said.

Good Timing

The timing couldn't have been better. The University was planning the UI Institute for Biomedical Discovery to house high-quality, high-reward interdisciplinary research leading to treatments and cures for an array of complex illnesses.

Stokes connected Loffer and the Eagles with:

• Michael Artman, MD, Physician-in Chief of the UI Children's Hospital and professor and head of UI Department of Pediatrics
• Paul Rothman, MD, Dean of the UI Carver College of Medicine
• William Sivitz, MD, professor and director of endocrinology and metabolism

Loffer said the Eagles could raise millions of dollars for research leading to a cure for diabetes, and the university representatives suggested that the UI Institute for Biomedical Discovery could serve as a home for the research. Because the institute was to be built with state, federal, University, and other private funds, the Eagles' contribution could fully support endowed chairs and fellowships for diabetes researchers, grants for innovative research ideas, and money to recruit leading scientists.

The vision was born.

In March 2008, about a dozen Eagles returned to Iowa City to meet again with Artman, Rothman, Sivitz, and Stokes, along with Michael Welsh, MD, founding director of the UI Institute for Biomedical Discovery.

During a March 2008 visit, Stokes said the Eagles were able to see the faces of our doctors, "and see the caring we have for our patients." The Eagles' Board of Grand Trustees approved sending the proposal to the membership for a vote.

Skeptical Eagles

Many Eagles voiced skepticism about:

• The amount to be raised—$25 million in five years, the largest fundraising effort in the organization's history
• Iowa as the site for the research center.

There would be one final pitch for the membership's vote delivered by Stokes and Dennis Gilhousen, who chaired the committee that recommended the UI-Eagles partnership to the board.

Stokes described the clinical effects of diabetes—blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, stroke—and the impact the Eagles' support could have on research to prevent these traumatic outcomes. Gilhousen, an ordained minister from Kansas, closed the presentation.

"When we opened it for discussion, the first guy who commented said, 'I have diabetes, and this is the best thing I've heard about. Here's my check.' It was an extraordinarily electrifying moment."

By unanimous vote, more than 700 delegates endorsed the $25 million campaign for The Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center at The University of Iowa.

"We are at a pivotal moment in history when there is great promise for making very real progress in treating and preventing diabetes," said Jean Robillard, MD, UI vice president for medical affairs. "This visionary gift from The Fraternal Order of Eagles has enormous potential for helping us find a cure for this devastating disease."

For more information:

Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center