Exhausted, confused, and overwhelmed. Those were the words used to describe how one mother and her son felt when illness landed them in the hospital. But a promise made—and fulfilled—by their nurse Kayley Wallace helped both patient and mom feel comforted and cared for with dignity. Wallace, BSN, RN, CMSRN, has a strong focus on patient-family centered care on the medical/surgical unit at the…

Atrial fibrillation (Afib) is the most common type of arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat). Because it can lead to blood clots and stroke, it's important to seek specialized and personalized treatment. Traditionally, the condition was treated with medication to either keep people in Afib and slow down their heart rate to a safe level, or to shift their heart back to a normal rhythm. While medications…

When Alexina Teubel first got an MRI of her lumbar spine at her local health care provider, she was told she had a few minor disc protrusions but was fine otherwise. But Teubel, a professional track runner and cross-country and track and field coach at the University of Northern Iowa, knew the cause of her back pain was more severe. She’d been training to compete in the steeplechase at the 2022…

Eight-and-a-half ounces. That’s roughly the weight of two sticks of butter, a roll of quarters, or the cell phone you may be using to read this story. It’s also how much Evelyn Eilers weighed when she was born 17 weeks early at University of Iowa Health Care in September 2023, making her the smallest surviving infant in the U.S., and one of three tied for third-smallest in the world, according to…

As a University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine student on her pediatric nephrology rotation, Lyndsay Harshman (11MD, 14F, 18MS) noticed something about her young patients. Many children who had undergone kidney transplant later struggled to adhere to their medications—a difficulty that could lead to devastating health outcomes. Harshman, whose interest in children’s brain development began…

The Wound and Vein Center at the UI Health Care Medical Center Downtown has long been a leader in wound care with a true dedication to helping give hope and healing to those with complicated and chronic wounds. The Wound and Vein Center was recently honored with a Healogics President’s Circle Award, one of only 34 wound care centers recognized nationally, as well as the Robert A. Warriner III…

Imagine you’re standing in the middle of a glacial expanse on the coast of Antarctica. It’s a balmy minus 18 degrees Fahrenheit with windchill, but with your snug parka on, you can feel the sun doing its darndest to warm your cheeks. In the distance, the peak of Mount Erebus, the world’s southernmost active volcano, exhales an icy breath into the crisp blue sky. The frozen sea is beginning to…

Today I sat in the waiting room with my tween daughter, hurrying from home to be on time. Normally, I pull out my phone and read endless work emails or scroll through another high-drama news story. Sound familiar? I feel like I am a hamster on a wheel, worried if I slow down, I may not be as put together as I hope to be. I stepped off the “wheel” and looked at her ever growing, sweet face. I…