Emergency training lab hits the road
Emergency care providers across Iowa can now learn how to prepare for medical emergencies in their own hometowns. The Mobile Emergency Treatment Center—housed in a specially equipped 40-foot motor home—provides interactive training with anatomically accurate mannequins in a realistic ambulance setting. Participants learn to make good decisions and act quickly during realistic patient care situations. Launched by the University of Iowa’s Emergency Medical Services Learning Resources Center, the mobile training center is made possible by donations given through the UI Foundation. For more information, contact Lee Ridge at 319-353-8434, e-mail loren-ridge@uiowa.edu, or visit www.uihealthcare.com/emslrc.

New CEO appointed
Gordon D. Williams, former executive vice dean and chief operating officer and vice chancellor for operations at the Duke University Health System, has been named interim CEO of University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, beginning Jan. 1, 2008. He succeeds former senior associate vice president and CEO Donna Katen-Bahensky, who resigned to become president and CEO of University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics. Jean Robillard, MD, vice president for medical affairs, said Williams will provide strong leadership until a permanent replacement is named.

Hope Lodge construction begins
The American Cancer Society broke ground July 12 on the Russell and Ann Gerdin American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Iowa City, near Carver-Hawkeye Arena. This "home-away-from-home" will provide free, non-medical lodging for cancer patients and their caregivers.  For more information about the Hope Lodge campaign, call Marcia Holley at 888-266-2071, extension 7104.

Clubfoot book free online
It may not be a bestseller but Congenital Clubfoot: Fundamentals of Treatment is a "must-read" for health care professionals worldwide who want to help children with clubfoot. Written by Ignacio Ponseti, MD, a University of Iowa Health Care orthopaedic specialist who developed the revolutionary non-surgical "Ponseti Method" of treatment, the $75 book can now be accessed online, free. Users must register at www.ponseti.info/pia/. The online version is made possible by the UI Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation and Ponseti International. Registered users also will have access to new materials as they become available.