-
University of Iowa Physician Wins Lasker Award!
How about some good news? This just in, University of Iowa Physician-Scientist, Dr. Michael Welsh, wins the 2025 Lasker Award for his research on cystic fibrosis. His work and the work of two other researchers with whom he’ll share the award set the stage for the development of new drugs which saves the lives of…
-
Rounding@Iowa Podcast: “When to Suspect Atypical Recreational Substances”
There’s a new podcast in town from The University of Iowa Health Care and the title is “When to Suspect Atypical Recreational Substances.” This is a fascinating topic and the discussion ran for close to an hour, which is longer than usual because there’s a lot to say about it. The substances include a lot…
-
Got Vaccines Today!
Sena and I got our latest updated seasonal Covid-19 and flu vaccines today. Manpower was low at Walgreens so we ended up sitting for about an hour, but otherwise this was a routine trip. We’re thankful. We noticed there were a few people waiting—mostly our age. No word up yet on the CDC ACIP site…
-
Upcoming CDC Advisory Committee Meeting in September 2025-Or Not?
I’ve been checking the Centers for Advisory Committee schedule on their website for weeks and the only way I found out there is an upcoming meeting is on the Federal Register schedule. Sena found it in a news outlet story. As of this morning around 9 a.m., there was no announcement on the CDC website…
-
Community Psychiatry Podcast: Shelter House Iowa City, Iowa
I just discovered this Community Psychiatry Podcast site today. A couple of days ago Dr. Emily Morse, DO, of The University of Iowa Health Care gave a 20-minute interview that outlines how the psychiatry department leverages community psychiatry outreach to address the challenges those experiencing homelessness face. Introduction: “Emily Morse, DO, is a Clinical Associate…
-
In Memory of Leonard Tow, Founder of the Tow Foundation and Humanism in Medicine
I just found out that Leonard Tow died on August 10, 2025. In humility, I express my gratitude and respect for his creation of the Tow Foundation, a big part of that being the Humanism in Medicine Award, of which I am one of the many recipients over the years. I hope this great tradition…
-
Success of Johnson County Civil Mental Health Court in its First Year
I’ve been looking for other ways that Iowa addresses mental illness and its impact on homelessness and other adverse outcomes since my last post on the issue. It turns out that, despite Iowa ranking 51st out of all U.S. states for the low number of psychiatric beds according to the Treatment Advocacy Center statistics (in…
-
It Takes a Village to Tackle Homelessness: What’s Iowa Doing?
After I read Dr. Dawson’s post today “More on homelessness and violence as a public health problem,” it got me thinking about what the situation on homelessness of people with mental illness and substance use disorder is here in Iowa. First, I looked at the 2024 Iowa Homelessness Needs Assessment, which is a thorough report…
-
Extreme Heat Warning for I-80 Corridor
There’s an extreme heat warning from the National Weather Service for much of the I-80 corridor today and tomorrow. Heat indices of 95-110+ are expected. Cooling Centers in Iowa City, IA Cooling Centers in Coralville, IA Consider donating to the Iowa City Shelter House Beat the Heat drive!
-
Shout Out to Dr. George Dawson for Post “The Autocratic Approach to Homelessness”
I want to give a shout out to Dr. George Dawson for his post today “The Autocratic Approach to Homelessness” in reference to President Trump’s most recent executive order, “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.” As a retired psychiatrist, I look back and remember seeing the problem of the homeless mentally ill a lot.…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 