Entering the world of collegiate sports can be a big leap for any athlete. But for Iowa State University volleyball player Kiersten Schmitt, those challenges were magnified by a mysterious and excruciating condition in her calves that prevented her from playing at full force during her freshman season. The pain had dogged the 18-year-old through high school, but college-level training brought the…

Call it a parent’s intuition. Call it knowing that expert health care happens at University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Whatever you call it, Atlas Coleman’s family is forever grateful that a second opinion meant an early diagnosis for their baby’s rare, aggressive cancer. Stacy and Neal Coleman took their son to the emergency room after Atlas suddenly became…

For Keegan Wells, nursing is a family affair. “Both my mom and my grandma were nurses,” says Wells, RN, BSN, a telemetry nurse at University of Iowa Health Care’s downtown campus. “It was my grandma who always said she thought I’d be a good nurse.” While his grandmother died several years ago and his mother has retired, both had several nursing jobs in the Iowa City area during their careers,…

Candida auris, or C. auris, is a name you might not yet be familiar with but is an increasingly common topic in the news. So, what is it? To learn more, we talked to infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist Karen Brust, MD. C. auris, or Candida auris, is a type of yeast that can cause severe illness. It can easily spread among patients in health care facilities, but lately we've seen that…

If your shoulder hurts so much that you struggle to perform daily activities or even sleep at night, shoulder replacement might be your best option for relief. If you’re considering shoulder replacement, it’s important to consult a highly experienced surgeon, advises University of Iowa Health Care orthopedic surgeon Brendan Patterson, MD, MPH. “Patients should visit a surgeon with specialized…

A young boy’s family believes fate combined with expert health care saved his life, overcoming a rare cancer. Carter Schmidt had been healthy until he was 9 months old, when his mother, Tiffany, and his day care provider noticed he was pale, lethargic, and not eating. A blood draw taken at his local doctor’s office showed a high white blood cell count and low red blood cells. It also indicated a…

Atrial fibrillation (Afib) is an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) that starts in the upper chambers of the heart. As many as 6 million Americans have Afib, which develops as an abnormal, rapid heartbeat when the upper chambers beat rapidly and out of sync with the lower chambers. This makes it harder for the heart to pump blood efficiently throughout the body. Patients with Afib often describe…

Many fans of professional or college sports know sport psychology professionals can assist athletes with the games’ mental aspects. But many don't know that this resource is available—and helpful—for the casual athlete, too. Michael Berrebi, PhD, LMHC, a counselor and sport and performance specialist with University of Iowa Sports Medicine, shares how people can improve their performance and…

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.