The University of Iowa Department of Surgery faculty and staff take pride in providing leading-edge patient care, advancing the field of surgery through first-rate research, and delivering superior education and training to the next generation of surgeons.

The department’s surgeons and medical professionals address a wide variety of complex medical issues, from matching donors with recipients in the Organ Transplant Center to providing continuous care for both adult and pediatric trauma victims in one of the state’s two designated Level I Trauma Centers and a certified regional Burn Treatment Center. Specialists provide critical surgical support among comprehensive, multidisciplinary teams for the treatment of cancer, gastrointestinal and colorectal diseases, and vascular ailments, as well as advanced surgical care for the smallest pediatric patients. Skilled plastic and reconstructive surgeons manage complex reconstructive issues resulting from deformities, traumatic injuries, or cancer excision in both adult and pediatric patients, in addition to surgical and non-surgical cosmetic services for adults.

Education

Research

About Us

The department provides critical and unique resources for Iowa. 

Years ago, surgery faculty at Iowa performed the world’s first gastric-bypass surgeries for morbidly obese patients. Today, the department continues its commitment to innovative surgical procedures and techniques in all areas, such as minimally invasive and robotic surgery, while offering advanced technologies like the positive pressure isolation room and state-of-the-art hydrotherapy facility for burn patients.

Patient care in the UI Department of Surgery is informed by basic science and clinical research—translating the latest discoveries from the laboratory bench to the patient’s bedside as well as into every aspect of education and training. Fellows, residents, and medical students are exposed to revolutionary medicine and surgical techniques that will enhance their skills, and the department’s faculty value the opportunity to shape today’s learners into tomorrow’s best and brightest surgeons.

>41K

Department of Surgery Visits

35

consecutive years ranked as one of the best academic hospitals in the U.S.

# 1

Iowa's #1 hospital as ranked by U.S. news & world report

Carver College of Medicine Events

2026 Annual John Martin Rare Book Room Open House promotional image

2026 Annual John Martin Rare Book Room Open House

Wednesday, April 29, 2026 4:00pm to 7:00pm
Hardin Library for Health Sciences
Iowa Icons: Leaders, Innovators, and Trailblazers in the History of Iowa Medicine
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Seminar: Dr. Rajat Rohatgi promotional image

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Seminar: Dr. Rajat Rohatgi

Thursday, April 30, 2026 10:30am to 11:20am
Medical Education Research Facility

This event is open to the public.

Chemical homeostasis of the cytoplasm: how mammalian cells sense and mitigate ionic stress

Rajat Rohatgi, MD, PhD
Stanford University

Rohatgi Lab | https://rohatgilab.stanford.edu/

Faculty Co-Hosts: Miles Pufall, PhD and Jessica Tucker, PhD

Canceled

Internal Medicine Grand Rounds 4/30/2026

Thursday, April 30, 2026 12:00pm to 1:00pm
General Hospital

Building an ADPKD Center of Excellence at the University of Iowa: Integrating Patient-Centered Care and Emerging Therapies
Lama Noureddine, MD

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