Community impact

Hawkeyes make a difference all along RAGBRAI route (and beyond)
From the west to the east, the University of Iowa and its alumni provide expertise in areas as varied as health care, education, and law.

Iowa engineering students save West Burlington $60,000
Emma Oelmann and Blake Misfeldt developed a preliminary design for a trail in West Burlington, Iowa, for their senior design project.

UI Health Care's North Liberty campus: Building for Iowa
UI Health Care's North Liberty campus, which opened at the end of April, features a medical center and services that meet the needs and expectations of Iowans.

UI experts use data in fight against cancer
A public health team from the University of Iowa is collaborating with partners across the state to share county-specific cancer data with residents in each of Iowa’s 99 counties.

Training emergency care providers for all of Iowa
For more than two decades, the UI Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant Residency Program has addressed the specialty training gap for PAs working in rural emergency departments.

UI hosts 2025 state robotics competition
More than 70 high school robotics teams from across Iowa convened in Coralville, Iowa, to showcase their skills and creations at the FIRST Tech Challenge Iowa Championship.

Playwright brings Iowa historical figure to life
University of Iowa’s Arts Share, the Muscatine Art Center, and the Stanley Center commissioned Iowa Playwrights Workshop student Cianon Jones to write a play about Alexander Clark, a longtime Muscatine resident and early leader in the fight for equal rights in the state.

Carr provides care for community where she was born
University of Iowa medicine alum Wanakee Carr finds meaning in the care she provides as a doctor practicing obstetrics and gynecology in the Des Moines area. She describes helping bring a new child into the world as “such a beautiful experience.”

Uniting passions for agriculture and mental health
University of Iowa doctoral student Aubrey McEnroe aims to bring mental health services to the rural Iowa community where she also intends to continue the legacy of her family farm.

Helping small towns meet wastewater needs, affordably
Craig Just at the University of Iowa has sought an affordable wastewater solution for small towns. Now, through Just’s research, partnerships, and persistence, a pilot system in Dow City appears poised to meet federal wastewater treatment regulations. The technology would then be available for hundreds of small towns in Iowa.

Empowering mothers to overcome addiction
University of Iowa efforts to support pregnant women with substance use disorders are helping to deliver vital health care, provide treatment resources, and keep families together.

Building a rural health care pipeline
The Carver Rural Iowa Scholars Program is preparing doctors to serve the smaller-size communities where they are needed most, closing health care gaps in Iowa.

Iowa grads share new film at their Quad Cities theater
Directing and screenwriting partners Scott Beck and Bryan Woods say a class they took at the University of Iowa about nonverbal communication continues to inspire their screenwriting — even in a film with as much talking as “Heretic.”

Working to safely bring automated driving to rural roads
Researchers at the Driving Safety Research Institute at the University of Iowa have completed more than three years of testing to learn the challenges automated vehicles encounter when operating on rural roads.

Newspaper acquisition benefits Iowa journalism students
In addition to helping two community newspapers stay afloat, the purchase of the “Solon Economist” and the “Mount Vernon–Lisbon Sun” by “The Daily Iowan” is giving University of Iowa students more on-the-job training — and a taste of journalism practices in a small town.

Prepping schools for cardiac emergencies
The Project ADAM: Iowa Heartland program based at University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital has designated 16 schools in eastern Iowa as Heart Safe schools and has provided training to UI athletic programs.

UI alum innovating health care delivery in southeast Iowa
Maria Story, MD, has launched two significant programs while working with Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center: one bringing a home hemodialysis option to southeast Iowa for the first time, and one to help primary care physicians follow patients with chronic illness more effectively and efficiently from home.

Hawkeyes make a difference all along RAGBRAI route
From the west to the east, the University of Iowa and its alumni provide expertise in areas as varied as health care, education, and law.

Students seek to bridge rural-urban health divide
A group of graduating students from the University of Iowa College of Public Health have laid a solid foundation for a student organization that focuses on reducing health disparities in rural communities — like the ones they call home.

UI helping Iowa’s community hospitals improve cancer care
By establishing the Iowa Cancer Affiliate Network, the University of Iowa aims to support community hospitals across the state in the delivery of comprehensive cancer care to rural Iowans.

Hawkeyes leading the way in health care administration
The University of Iowa College of Public Health trains its students to meet the challenges and opportunities associated with working in the health care field. Meet two Hawkeyes who are putting what they learned into practice in rural Iowa health care facilities.

A third generation provides dental care in Fort Dodge
In deciding to be a dentist, Amy Seehusen became yet another generation of her family to attend the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and practice in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Building healthier communities throughout Iowa
The Business Leadership Network in the UI College of Public Health has backed health and wellness initiatives in small to mid-sized towns across Iowa, providing grants and expertise that allow these community efforts to flourish.

Hawaiian-born wrestler mobilizes Hawkeye community
Nanea Estrella is grateful for Iowa fans’ support for her neighbors in Lahaina, Hawaii, whose community was devastated by wildfires. That outpouring reinforces the Tippie College of Business student’s decision to be a Hawkeye.

Medicine alum answers call to serve western Iowans
Ericka Muhlbauer sees her family medicine practice in Carroll as a way to repay her community for helping her achieve her dream of being a physician.

Bringing advanced pharmacy care to rural southeast Iowa
Mylo Wells always knew he wanted to return to his Iowa hometown as a pharmacist. The University of Iowa gave him the skills he needed to serve his community and open his own pharmacies.

The MBA program that knows no boundaries
With online and in-person options, the Iowa MBA is the top-ranked offering in Iowa, training business leaders in counties across the Hawkeye State (and beyond).

Family of doctors provide family care in rural Iowa towns
Four members of the Ahrendsen family graduated from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and now practice in Clarion and Storm Lake, Iowa.

Small town a perfect fit for family of doctors
When residents of Clarion, Iowa, go to the doctor, it’s possible they will be seen by one of three members of the same family—Jon Ahrendsen or his daughter and son-in-law, Andrea and Michael McLoughlin.

Finding fulfillment in family medicine
Elizabeth Dupic’s goal was always to practice family medicine in a small town — like her father and sister before her. After she graduated from the University of Iowa, she found a perfect fit in Storm Lake, Iowa.

A new mindset on mental health
With demand for mental health services surging in Iowa and across the nation, especially among young adults, the University of Iowa is working to create a culture of well-being.

Iowa students help create Maquoketa neighborhood
The original designs for a 10-home “pocket neighborhood” that opened in fall of 2022 were created by University of Iowa engineering students, as part of a project associated with the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities.

Leaving a legacy of helping children
As a first-year student, Karah Kluck helped establish a free assistive technology consultation program at the University of Iowa for families of children with reading disabilities. The program continues to provide guidance to families from Iowa and beyond.

Dance studio dream takes shape in Iowa grads’ home state
Amanda Gustafson and Aunica Harvey are teaching hundreds of Iowa children to dance in their own studio, which they opened soon after graduation with help from the University of Iowa’s John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center.

Tackling food insecurity among pregnant women
One in five pregnant women face food insecurity. Upstream Initiative, a student-run program in a high-risk pregnancy clinic at University of Iowa Health Care, aims to improve health outcomes by addressing the issue head-on.

Back home, rooted in family medicine
David Janssen, who graduated from MOC-Floyd Valley High School in Orange City, received a medical degree from the University of Iowa and returned to his roots in northwest Iowa to practice family medicine. He says his goal is to take care of residents, so the community can thrive.

Iowa Watershed Approach marks five years of success
Five years after the Iowa Flood Center at the University of Iowa helped the state win $97 million to address chronic flooding, the results are in: Under the guidance of regional watershed management bodies, 800 structures have been built across Iowa to reduce flooding and improve water quality.

An Rx for a satisfying career
When a love of chemistry led Andy Spurgin to study pharmacy, the PharmD program at the University of Iowa introduced him to a world of career possibilities. Practicing in his small Iowa hometown, however, turned out to be his calling.

Improving outcomes for children with hearing loss
University of Iowa researchers have been following 300 children with hearing loss for nearly 14 years, and their findings are changing lives, the field of audiology, and public policy.

Playing a key role in crucial research
Evita Woolsey came from California to the University of Iowa to pursue her interest in speech and hearing science. Through her involvement in an NIH-funded research project, the undergraduate is assessing children across the state and making connections with researchers on campus and beyond.

Iowans saving lives of strangers around the world
For 40 years, the Iowa Marrow Donor Program has led the way helping those in need get the lifesaving transplants they require. And it wouldn’t be possible without the kindness and selflessness of Iowans, especially the young adults on campuses across the state.

A half-century’s worth of heart discoveries
The University of Iowa’s Muscatine Heart Study has shown us that what we do as children has an impact on our cardiovascular health as adults. Five decades on, the study is still going strong.

A continuum of care for children who need it most
The University of Iowa operates more than a dozen Child Health Specialty Clinics across the state, serving thousands of Iowa children with special health care needs each year and connecting their families to essential resources.

Critical care in the air
A train accident in small-town Iowa easily could have taken a young father’s life in 2018, but a quick response from a University of Iowa medical helicopter gave him a fighting chance. He is one of thousands who have been treated by the AirCare team since 1979.