Class of 1970 Commemorative Biographical Book

P E T E R D E N S E N

Narrative: Professional:

At the stroke of midnight on July 1, 1970, I, along with several other of our classmates, began an internal medicine residency on the Osler Medical Service of our alma mater. Eight years later, residency training was behind me along with a two-year stint as a GMO in the Air Force and three years of fellowship training in Infectious Diseases at the University of Virginia. Five years at Boston University led, much to Ellie’s and my amazement, to an unanticipated move to the University of Iowa. Who’d a thunk that would happen to dyed-in-the-wool New Englanders? In Iowa City, where we have now lived for 37 years, I happily pursued all three legs of the metaphorical academic stool – Ellie relishes the effect on others when she says, “the clap put bread on our table.” I prefer the notion of long-term NIH/VA support for investigations of genetic abnormalities involving complement and PMN. Can you guess who gets the laughs? In 1992, somewhat out of the blue, I was invited to lunch with the Dean and emerged as the Dean of Students and Curriculum. A number of you, most notably Bob Adler, Rodger Steeper and Merton Suzuki; wrote to the Dean to question his judgment in placing a fox in charge of the chicken coop – but hey, what more can one ask of loyal classmates but the telling of the truth? Overall, I spent 25+ years in higher medical administration including an extended stint as interim head of internal medicine and another as executive dean for the college. I “retired” at the end of 2018. I’ve received my share of recognition for patient care and research but at Iowa, I’m most associated with novel curriculum change, medical education and faculty and student development. Awards that have meant the most to me are: the Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, The Distinguished Mentor Award, and the Ron Arky Award from the national medical Learning Community Institute – an organization I helped create. Personal: Ellie and I were married in 1968 at the start of our third year. At graduation, like many other spouses, she received her “Doctor of Midwifery” from Henry Seidel (as far as I know, all spousal recipients were women – a reflection of the times).

Ellie has been an exceptional life partner whose unyielding support has provided meaning to my life and ensured success in my career. She has been a committed mother who has raised two successful sons, Gregory and Bradley, and a devoted grandmother to four darling granddaughters – finally more women in her life! Together, we share a passion for summers on Mount Desert Island in Maine, made all the more memorable by the raucous laughter of the “girlies” during their visits. And, there we enjoy long walks on the carriage trails, photography, reading and a reflective existence. Looking back – memorable moment. Selecting one moment is akin to being limited to a single dish at a smorgasbord; I refuse the challenge! At the macro level, I am indebted to Hopkins for the medical education it provided. My memory is a curriculum that placed an emphasis on primary data, learning how to think about problems, integrating information, and the importance of being a life-long learner. Yes, we read 2000-page text books in many courses – some running concurrently, but we were given time in the day to do it and every summer was elective. This is a far cry from today’s curricula in which every hour is accounted for, information is provided in power point form and the summer between first and second year is referred to as “the last free summer of your life.” I may be an anachronism but I prefer thinking/retention to the memorization/purge approach. What professors we had; from Barry Wood to Phil Tumulty – to name just two of the many on my personal list. And, what contact we had with them, e.g., once weekly evening discussions at Robbie Robinson’s house as he facilitated our way through surgery and Cope’s “The Early Diagnosis of the Acute Abdomen” – such contact is no longer

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