Patient Care
We have been recognized by many publications including U.S. News and World Reports and Ophthalmology Times as one of the best eye departments in the United States. Our clinicians bring not only their medical knowledge and compassion to our patients, but also the academic difference.
The “academic difference” at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics begins with a belief that the very best health care is delivered in a multi-faceted environment of care and compassion, of learning and discovery, of development and refinement.
New and innovative ideas blossom when teams of physicians, researchers, nurses, therapists, technologists, and other health care professionals take a multidisciplinary approach to patient care.
We have a great faculty who do a wonderful job of taking care of our patients, enjoy teaching, and produce innovative research. Our faculty is diverse, with wide-ranging clinical and research interests. Some of our faculty are internationally known and have been with us for many years. We also have bright young faculty who bring new interests and enthusiasm to the practice and teaching of ophthalmology.
Education
Our residency program is at the top of many medical students' lists, getting over 400 applications each year to fill 5 positions. Since the department came into existence in 1925, we have emphasized training of academic clinicians and research in ophthalmology. Our residents and fellows come from schools all over the U.S. and from Canada and have broad interests and abilities and a variety of educational and professional backgrounds. Many have advanced degrees outside of medicine. Having worked with dedicated and experienced faculty at a modern, up-to-date facility of world renown, our residents are well prepared to choose any of the exciting paths available to them: private practice, fellowship training in a subspecialty, and/or an academic career. Approximately half of our graduates enter private practice immediately upon completion of their residency. Others pursue an academic career or follow up with a fellowship before going into practice.
Not only do we educate residents and fellows, our web sites such as gonioscopy.org and eyerounds.org take our educational experience outside our walls and into the world.
Research
We also have a first-rate basic research component in addition to our other strengths. Our researchers have attracted considerable funding from the NIH, the VA, and private foundations, and financial support for our research grows annually. Unlike some university research units, our basic researchers are integrated into the general department. This enables clinical observations to be translated quickly to the laboratory and turned back again to the clinic. For example, clinical observations about a family with congenital glaucoma led to the identification of a genetic marker for this condition. The identification of patients with unusual forms of keratitis using new instrumentation led to collaborations with the ocular pathology and molecular ophthalmology laboratories to identify the organism as Acanthamoeba. The development of new methods for visual field testing are facilitated by the availability of a diverse patient population. The tight integration of our clinical mission with our researchers gives us an advantage in both arenas.
Our researchers have active collaborations within the Carver College of Medicine. Having a a bioinformatics group on campus is an advantage for the Molecular Ophthalmology Laboratory. The presence of world-class researchers in biostatistics and epidemiology benefit everyone in ophthalmology.
Our collaborations aren't restricted to the College of Medicine. Our researchers collaborate with almost every academic unit at the University of Iowa (biomedical and electrical engineering, computer science, education, liberal arts, law, and the National Driving Simulator on our campus).
Our researchers have been successful, in part, because of our past investments in infrastructure. All our faculty have access to state-of-the-art photographic services. In the early days of computer networking, our research and development support team developed a departmental computer network which has grown over the years to accommodate advances in learning and technology.
Not only do we collaborate with each other, we collaborate with other national and international institutions of higher learning. Data from our research units are sent to researchers throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. ). The C.S. O'Brien Library not only houses books and journals, but provides a complete resource for electronic data retrieval and management. Having a solid infrastructure permits our clinicians and researchers to concentrate on their patients and ideas instead of working on how to get something done.
The result of having an ophthalmic research unit as part of the clinical department on the campus of a major public research university provides us with a intellectually stimulating and cost-effective environment. The result is a patient care, teaching, and research atmosphere that is as congenial as it is productive.
Iowa? A great clinical department, a superb place to learn, and a first-rate research team!
