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Leadership Message
The Department of Surgery has a long and rich tradition on the University of Iowa campus. It was one of eight academic departments when medical education at Iowa began in 1870, and the department chair—Washington Freeman Peck—also served as the first dean of our medical school. For over 150 years, the department’s faculty and staff have been leaders in providing high-quality surgical care and consultation; advancing the field through research and innovation; and educating and training future generations of skilled and compassionate surgeons. Many first-in-Iowa surgical procedures—in organ transplantation, robotics, and minimally invasive operations, for example—were performed by Department of Surgery faculty. Today, the department’s faculty and staff serve as a valuable resource for the state, nation, and world.

Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH
University of Iowa Vice President for Medical Affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean, Carver College of Medicine
UI Health Care holds a unique position across the state and region as Iowans look to us to provide care and expertise for the most complex medical conditions. Our university campus includes our medical center, Stead Family Children's Hospital, and the NCI-designated Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. Our downtown campus, part of our health system since January 2024, serves southeast Iowa. Demand for our patient care services continues to grow. We have major capital projects in the planning or construction stages that will transform how and where we provide care, conduct research, and deliver education and training in the coming years. A new medical campus in North Liberty is scheduled for completion in 2025, and construction of a new inpatient tower on our university campus is slated to begin next year. Once completed, these new facilities, along with other renovation and expansion projects, will go a long way in helping meet the health care needs of Iowans.
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