University of Iowa Health Care is made up of nearly 17,000 faculty, staff, and students. The Office of Graduate Medical Education offers 29 residency programs and 84 fellowship programs with 800 residents and fellows and 1,200 faculty providers.
Each provider has a unique perspective and story to tell. Below are testimonials from three providers regarding their experiences with diversity on campus.
Mohammed (Femi) Suraju, MD, resident physician in general surgery, Department of Surgery
"Why Iowa? As the premier health care institution in the state of Iowa, UI Health Care offers an abundance of mentorship opportunities from leaders in the field of medicine with unrelenting desire to make a difference in the community.
I have been particularly thrilled by the close-knit community in my program, the growing immigrant population, and avenues to cater to the medically underserved population such as the Iowa Free Medical Clinic and the student-run mobile clinic. In addition, housing is cheap, there is no traffic, and there are always pockets of new restaurants to try in Iowa City and surrounding areas. I am very fortunate to be here!"
Alex Garza, MD, resident physician, Department of Internal Medicine)
Alex Garza is a graduate of the UI Carver College of Medicine.
“I chose to stay at Iowa to pursue a career in internal medicine because of the strength of our program. The rigorous yet well-rounded training will prepare me for a career in whichever area of medicine I choose (fellowship versus hospitalist medicine versus primary care). My passion to be a physician stems from my desire to serve underserved communities, namely Black and Latino patients. I have had the opportunity to care for many patients of different cultural backgrounds, which has enhanced my training experience.”
Lulit Price, MD, former chief resident, Department of Dermatology; (graduated 2018)
“The dermatology program at the University of Iowa is excellent. It is a friendly, collegial, hardworking department where residents get superb training all three years.
Faculty are nice, approachable, available, and really care about resident education. Faculty-led lectures are great, filled with clinical pearls and clinicopathologic correlation, as many attendings are also dermatopathologists. Dermpath and surgery training are very hands-on. We get exposure to a variety of conditions, rare and common, through our specialty clinics and inpatient consult service. We manage complex patients on most every systemic medication used in dermatology, so we feel comfortable managing such patients after graduation. I had never been to the Midwest before but I chose to go to the University of Iowa because I was impressed with the caliber of this well-rounded program, and the people were nice. I would definitely choose it again.”
Help make a difference
Mentorship is critical to help foster academic leadership and professional development of house staff trainees.
If you are an established faculty or staff member, there are a wide variety of ways you can help make a difference for others here at UI Health Care. Consider offering your time to mentor a house staff member from a group underrepresented in medicine.
If you are a current resident or fellow from a group underrepresented in medicine and would like to be paired with a mentor, please email us at gmeoffice@uiowa.edu. We will do our best to connect you with the right resources.