Joan Lans

While David Lans, D.O.’81, always knew he would follow his father, Allan Lans, D.O.’58, into medicine, he also has always loved music, art and the humanities thanks in large part to his mother, Joan. A music major in college and an accomplished pianist, she frequently took her three children to museums and concerts and made music a vibrant part of their lives.

Sadly, a malignant fibroid tumor took Mrs. Lans’ life when she was just 50. Yet her family is keeping her love of music alive: They established the Joan Lans Endowed Scholarship Fund to provide annual awards to DMU’s osteopathic medical students with financial need and a demonstrated interest and/or involvement in music.

“It was a natural idea to put the scholarship in our mother’s name. That way, we could continue to give to DMU while honoring and memorializing her,” says David, a rheumatologist and general practitioner in New Rochelle, NY.

David and Allan Lans worked with DMU to honor a beloved person in their lives.

Allan Lans had been a general practitioner in New York for many years before becoming a psychologist. He and David have been consistent donors to DMU for years. With the Lans Scholarship Fund, however, they can consolidate their gifts and increase their impact on students.

David’s brother, Jared, an attorney, also has joined them in honoring their mother by making gifts to the fund.

“The fund is a wonderful way to honor and remember Mrs. Lans,” says Sue Huppert, DMU vice president for advancement. “Every time I hear the DMU Choir or String Orchestra perform,

I think about her and know we have a fund that will benefit those talented students.”

To learn how you can honor a loved one while investing in DMU students or programs, contact us at 515-271-1387 or at www.dmu.edu/donations/

DMU women's team

Every fall in Des Moines a battle rages between health care and the law, but we’re not talking in court. The annual Malpractice Bowl lets DMU students and Drake University law students take it out on the gridiron.

DMU got the ball rolling in 1998, inviting the Drake students to play a game in conjunction with DMU’s centennial celebration. Since then, the event has grown to include women’s and men’s games, trophies and a post-Bowl barbecue. Both DMU teams won this year’s Bowl, held Oct. 29.

“Sports in general brings a sense of camaraderie outside the classroom,” says Raquel “Rocky” Sugino, D.P.M.’14, student senator for her podiatric class and one of this year’s Malpractice Bowl organizers.

That doesn’t mean it’s buddy-buddy between the rivals. “The students are very competitive,” says Jeff Olson, D.P.M.’14, who helped coach and played on the DMU men’s team. “It can get pretty intense.”

Approximately 80 DMU students played this year, with many more students and other fans cheering from the sidelines. They included Des Moines physician and attorney Mark Ravreby, shown with the DMU women’s team in the photo above. Ravreby paid for the original Bowl trophy in 1998 but learned just a few weeks before this fall’s game that it had become an annual event. Pleased, he came to toss the coin for the women’s game.

“I’m just delighted that the students have kept it going,” he says.

DMU men's team

With him on this special day was his wife of five years, Frances, an elementary teacher from Clarion, IA. In the backseat were their three kids: Fay, three; Paul, two; and myself, nine months. Roy “Paparoyo” Fell graduated from Des Moines Still College of Osteopathy and Surgery, Class of 1954, and had just completed an internship at Des Moines General and Broadlawns hospitals.

As a DMU alumnus myself, I was part of his remarkable journey as was he a huge part of mine. He died on Feb. 20, 2011, at 87, a mere seven months after his wife of 60 years passed at age 82. The highs and lows of his 30-plus years as a rural medical professional offer insights into the chronic difficulties of finding and training future rural medical providers.

Dad didn’t see it coming, but throughout his career he would also need to become a recruiter. Upon his arrival in Mount Ayr, there was no big shortage of medical staff. The Ringgold County Hospital was relatively new. As he settled his family into this beautiful town, however, a few hurdles began to arise. The local bank was reluctant to risk money to help start a new medical practice. The medical staff required an initial test period prior to hospital staff privileges being granted. Dad was granted privileges at a hospital 30 miles away; soon his inpatient practice became busy enough that the Mount Ayr hospital changed its requirements and granted him local access before his test period was over. To make financial ends meet, he shared a small office with another general practitioner.

Residents learned of Dad’s passion for helping others, his interest in obstetrics and his great OMM skills. He shared his leadership skills, positive outlook and moral compass as a volunteer on the school board, in church, at a local group home and on other community projects. Soon he needed a larger office to keep up with his popularity. Eventually, he built a larger clinic. He regularly saw 50 patients a day, and often as many as 100 checked in for the day. He continued a busy OB practice, made house calls and even found time to add three more kids to his family.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but we kids became his biggest challenge. Mom was his office manager and, as our sports activities became more frequent, Mount Ayr became our “village.” At Mom’s funeral, Dad – after sharing his sadness of his sweetheart’s passing – thanked the community for keeping an eye on his kids all those years.

According to the Office of Rural Health Policy, 25 percent of Americans live in rural areas, but only 10 percent of American physicians do. How can we encourage and prepare future health care providers to embrace the challenges and rewards of rural medicine?

As physicians retired or left and Dad’s “call” went from every four nights to every other night, we saw him even less. One way we got to spend time with him was going on house calls with him. With this new shortage of providers, his work took even more time as he stepped up his recruiting efforts. Many came and many left, but a few began to stay. He often said that you really couldn’t learn to do rural primary care unless you were from a rural area. Then you needed to possess a strong passion for taking care of others, a commitment to keeping them healthy and happy and the ability to encourage people to remain productive as long as possible.

I told Dad about DMU’s rural medicine educational pathway program and the Iowa Area Health Education Center Program, established to recruit and retain Iowa’s health care workforce. Of course he already knew about these and encouraged me to keep looking for young people who would consider committing to rural practice. He also knew that I’ve been involved in interviewing potential D.O.s at DMU and that I look for his qualities in all of them. I don’t think any less of these bright, unique applicants when I don’t see those qualities, but when I do, I get very excited.

Dr. Fell died as an inpatient at Ringgold County Hospital, a new hospital that opened in the past year. Once again there’s no real shortage of primary care providers in Mount Ayr. Dad was very proud of this increase but disappointed a woman still must drive 30 miles to have a baby. We and the malpractice attorneys must work on this.

D.O.s from the “greatest generation” removed many hurdles for us to practice alongside our allopathic colleagues. A remaining hurdle will be recruiting and training the most capable and likely people to enjoy the challenging lifestyle of rural medicine.

John Fell, D.O.’88, is a retired physician and founder of One Fell Swoop Problem Solving in West Des Moines.

Kelly Thomason, PA-C'05

In the early part of this century, Kelly Thomason, PA-C’05, was juggling a lot. She graduated in 2003 from Iowa State University with majors in business and marketing and minors in biology and Spanish. She married husband Patrick, enrolled in DMU’s physician assistant program and launched an event design firm, Bella Flora, in Urbandale, IA. When daughter Grace was born in 2007, Thomason found herself juggling motherhood with the business and her dermatology practice.

Something had to give.

“It was bittersweet. I really love medicine, and I miss it,” she says. “But we’ve been able to grow the business every year, even in this recession.”

Bella Flora indeed has bloomed. From corporate parties to fundraising galas to weddings, holiday celebrations and other events, Thomason and her crew manage all the mind-boggling details – flowers, lighting, centerpieces, “tablescaping” and more – all to fit specific budgets, quirky tastes, unforgiving deadlines and inevitable last-minute changes. They offer one of the largest collections of linens in central Iowa. Typically managing multiple events at any given time, the staff have to turn away more than half of their callers. They’re outgrowing their space.

“It can be a crazy job, but I love the balance of business, creativity and motherhood,” Thomason says, calmly cradling month-old son Grant amid the firm’s colorful tableau of tables, covered chairs, centerpieces, partyware, pedestals, fabrics and flowers. Among other events, Bella Flora created the eye-popping floral arrangements for the inauguration of DMU President Angela Walker Franklin.

“It’s a great sense of accomplishment when we’ve carried a large event a long way,” Thomason notes. “When you see a big weekend come to a successful close and things went well, it’s very satisfying.”

The Messenger family: Caden, Andy, Mya, Avery and Dana.

Dana Jacob Messenger, D.O.’04, knew she wanted to be a doctor since elementary school, when her mother, Joan Jacob, found her dissecting a grasshopper with a box cutter. She and her husband, Andy, also knew they wanted to have children. Perseverance made both goals possible.

Messenger says a rotation in obstetrics and gynecology showed her the field offered the “perfect mix of the excitement of delivering babies to the next day seeing an older patient with whom you’ve developed a relationship.” She set her sights on the four-year ob/gyn. residency program at the University of Iowa. The challenge: No D.O. had been accepted into the program before.

“I knew several physicians who’d gone through the program and was impressed by them,” she says. “But it wasn’t the easiest road.”

While striving to overcome any misconceptions about D.O.s among her M.D. colleagues, Messenger – who’d struggled to become pregnant – gave birth to her first daughter, Mya, 10 weeks before her due date. She credits her ability to survive “that drama” to her and Andy’s supportive families nearby, the preparation she gained at DMU and her own will power.

“Let it be an inspiration to all that you can have it all if you stay at it,” she says.

Messenger hopes to share that inspiration as a new DMU alumni mentor for current students. She’s happy that since she completed her residency, two more D.O.s entered the program. Now the mother of three – with Mya, now five, Caden, three, and Avery, two months – she was thrilled in March to be named a partner at OB-GYN Associates, P.C., in Cedar Rapids, IA, where she’d practiced for two years.

“I’m so thankful for my training and opportunity that DMU gave me,” she says. “I love my career. The group has welcomed me with open arms, and it’s so much fun taking care of these awesome women.”

DMU alumni Ashlee Mickle Brozak and Shannon Brozak, with Ashlee’s parents Gwen and Jack, made sure her brother, Aaron, had a role in their wedding.

On Dec. 4, 1994, 12-year-old Ashlee Mickle and her brother, Aaron, 16, had taken off their seatbelts for a more comfortable snooze in the backseat of their parents’ car after a family skiing vacation. Their parents, Gwen and Jack, were teachers who loved traveling and camping during school breaks. That all changed that Sunday afternoon, when another driver crossed lanes to pass the vehicle in front of her. She hit the Mickle family head-on at 60 miles per hour.

Ashlee was the least injured member of the family, with a dislocated left hip and cracked pelvis. Gwen’s neck was broken at the fourth and fifth vertebrae; Jack sustained a bruised heart and lungs with many crushed bones. As bad as all that was, Aaron suffered worse: His traumatic brain injury put him in a coma for seven months.

Suddenly, the Mickles’ social network became a lifeline as they recovered from their injuries.

“My family was in the hospital until mid-February,” says Ashlee Mickle Brozak, D.P.T.’09. “I had to grow up fast.”

Ashlee and Aaron grew up in Colorado Springs, CO, adoring each other, Gwen says, although their personalities are very different. Born prematurely, Aaron was slow to walk, talk and develop fine motor skills; he started kindergarten unable to hold a pencil. Ashlee, on the other hand, was independent.

“She learned all the skills I was working on with Aaron when she was only a toddler. She dressed herself, made her own lunch and became her brother’s model and protector,” recalls Gwen, a retired music teacher. “When they were in elementary school, I had one child in remedial class and one in gifted and talented.”

Ashlee’s fearless determination helped Aaron overcome his fears while skiing, motorcycle riding and playing in the ocean. That combined with overcoming his early developmental challenges, Gwen says, helped prepare him “for the very long journey of working through traumatic brain injury.” In turn, his post-coma fight to regain some mobility at Craig Hospital in Denver, a facility exclusively dedicated to spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury rehabilitation and research, inspired and influenced his sister.

“Even in his coma, he had physical therapy,” says Ashlee, who worked with a physical therapist on her own recovery. “When he stood up in the parallel bars and walked for the first time, I got it in my brain that that’s what I wanted to do.”

Aaron’s long journey involved countless small steps – being able to open and close his eyes on command; moving his wheelchair by himself a single inch; laughing at a joke because he understood it; learning to communicate using an Alphasmart computer. He now lives in a group home in Colorado Springs.

Aaron and Ashlee before the collision that changed their lives.

Ashlee is a physical therapist with Mayo Clinic Health System Franciscan Healthcare in an outpatient clinic and transitional care unit in Sparta, WI. “With people who are struggling from stroke or injury that is life-changing, I feel I’m able to connect on another level given what Aaron and my parents went through,” she says. “I believe from our experience, we’ve grown closer as a family. It’s made me a better person.”

The family made sure Aaron was in Des Moines for Ashlee’s graduation from DMU, and she made sure he was part of her wedding last year to Shannon Brozak, PA-C’08, who practices at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, WI. While the family had planned to transport Aaron in his wheelchair, he “had been practicing really hard to walk with his walker,” Ashlee says. “He was able to walk partially down the aisle for me.”

“Over the years I have been proud of my children for their many accomplishments,” Gwen says. “But I have never been as proud as when Aaron walked, albeit with assistance, down the aisle at his sister’s wedding.”

Todd Capistrant dons serious cold-weather gear for dog-racing.

Todd Capistrant, D.O.’97, grew up enthralled by American author Jack London’s stories of men and animals against the environment and survival amid hardships. Growing up in St. Paul, MN, he embraced winter. Still, that doesn’t fully explain why he and his wife, Anne, in 1996 responded to a classified ad posted by a Wisconsin teacher with a sled dog team for sale.

“We picked up the team not knowing anything about dog teams, but we were living on a little farm so had the space,” he says.

Which also was unusual, in that both Todd and Anne were city kids. In addition, Anne grew up in Madison, WI, terrified of dogs. So perhaps it’s their love of science and the outdoors that explains it. The couple met at the Itasca Biological Station in northern Minnesota where Todd was finishing an undergraduate degree in biology and Anne was doing research for her Ph.D. in ecology. When he moved to Des Moines to attend DMU, their aging black Labrador, Kizzy, stayed with Anne, then teaching biology at Dana College in Nebraska.

“He began following her around and did wonders to erase Anne’s fear of dogs,” Todd says.

Apparently so. Not only did they later establish a “hobby farm” with pigs, poultry, rabbits and a huge garden in northern Minnesota, they founded and began expanding a kennel, Hoof ‘N’ Woof Sled Dogs. They traveled to Alaska several times to train their dogs. They eventually bought some Alaskan huskies from top mushers – the human component of a sled dog team – who’d competed in the Iditarod, the most famous of all sled dog races.

“We figured if we were going to get into this, we might as well buy good dogs. It’s kind of like trying to breed an NFL football team,” Todd says. “Running the Iditarod was a dream. Owning a dog team and running them was an achievable part of that dream.”

The couple attended seminars to learn all they could. Todd’s medical background and insights on how human marathoners eat and train helped. “The maintenance of the dogs’ health is so important to the team but also to the sport of sled dog racing,” he says. “You can’t just buy a bag of dog food off the shelf, feed it to a dog and expect it to run 100 miles.”

In February 2002, Todd and the Hoof ‘N’ Woof dogs made their debut in the Norman Vaughan Serum Run, a dog mushing expedition that commemorates the mushers who delivered life-saving diphtheria serum to Nome, AK, in 1925. Later that winter he raced in the Denali 300, placing sixth.

Grace, Anne, Rose and Todd Capistrant celebrate at the finish of the 300-mile Copper Basin race in 2003. Notorious for bad weather, the race that year averaged temperatures mostly 20 degrees below zero and, on some nights, 40 degrees below zero.

The couple returned to Alaska in 2003, when Todd raced in the Copper Basin 300, the Knik 200 and the stuff of legend, the Iditarod. To help raise money for his participation, the Capistrants produced t-shirts with the phrase “Embracing Dreams” on the front.

“We often visited middle schools with that message,” Todd says.

The historic Iditarod covers more than 1,150 miles of Alaska’s roughest, most beautiful terrain, from jagged mountain ranges and frozen rivers to dense forest and desolate tundra.

“You’re immediately in a special group of people if you qualify for the race. Fewer than 700 people have finished it. More people have reached the top of Mount Everest,” he says. “The time, energy and effort it takes to get there, plus the bond you have to have with your team, are major. You go through some pretty alarming terrain and extreme emotional highs and lows. You go through one stretch and everything’s perfect, then you wake up the next day and your best dog is hurt and you’re feeling at the bottom.”

He knows what he’s talking about. The year 2003 brought a “horrible season” for dog-sledding, Todd says, with more rain than snow. His dogs became sick, forcing the team to scratch. Still, by then the Capistrants felt connected to the dog-racing world. He ran the Iditarod in 2004 and Anne completed it in 2008; each finished, coincidentally, in 66th place.

“It’s a huge, amazing experience,” Todd says. “It took us years to build to that level, then once you’re in it, it’s surreal, running out of downtown Anchorage with all these people screaming and yelling at you.”

Dog-sledding daughters Rose, 11, in bottom and Grace, 9, above have embraced the sport and all its responsibilities.

It was during that trip that the Capistrants decided to go whole-dog: They moved Hoof ‘N’ Woof and their two daughters, Rose and Grace, to Healy, AK. These days, with their kennel of 30 dogs, they run two or three teams per day, starting with three miles and then building up to 100 miles in a season.

“It’s an all-encompassing life. You’ve got 30 dogs clamoring to go out for a run,” Todd says. “You can’t just take one dog on a walk.”

The couple does much more. Twice a day, Anne milks their 11 goats, turning the results into cheese. She cures bacon from their hogs and home-schools the girls, now ages 9 and 11. The couple makes wine and beer as well as honey from the bees they keep.

And then there are Todd’s other jobs, as director and board member of Tanana Valley Clinic, 90 miles away in Fairbanks, and regional dean for Pacific Northwestern University. In 2010, he became the second physician in the U.S. to become certified to

Rose Capistrant

teach seminars on the fascial distortion model (FDM), an anatomically based perspective for envisioning and treating orthopedic injuries and other medical conditions. He’s presented on it at DMU, around the United States and this summer at the FDM World Congress in Austria.

Above, Grace and Rose enjoy warmer weather in Maryland. They accompanied their father to a conference where he presented on the fascial distortion model of treatment.

“FDM has become a huge part of my medical career,” says Todd, a recent recipient of the Northwest Osteopathic Medical Foundation’s Rising Star Award. “It’s a really powerful tool we’re trying to get into the hands of more people.”

Doing so is a challenge with his practice and the family’s “all-encompassing life” of canine mania. Todd is proud their daughters have “really embraced it.” The girls likely are inspired by their parents’ example.

“Getting that first team of dogs was all about following our dreams. What other people thought really didn’t matter to us,” Todd says. “I didn’t want to reach a point in my life only to look back and wish I had done the Iditarod or purchased that first dog team…By setting goals and reaching for them, we have been able to be very successful and blessed here in our lives.”

The inauguration of DMU’s new president, Angela Walker Franklin, Ph.D., featured many facets, from the formal installation ceremony on Sept. 24 at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines to the festive five-kilometer “Run DMU.” It even inspired an original musical work, “Angela’s Dream – Purposed for Leadership,” composed by James Lewis III, the son of President Franklin’s longtime friends, Karen and James Lewis II, and performed at the Sept. 24 celebration dinner. “I predict we will look back at the installation of Angela Walker Franklin as a seminal day at Des Moines University,” DMU Provost Karen McLean, Ph.D., said during the ceremony. Praising past University leaders for “paving the way for transformational change,” she added, “Dr. Franklin’s strong academic background and service leadership make her the right individual to lead this institution in its next stage of growth and development.”

On Sept. 24, William Anderson, D.O.’56, FACOS, expressed his feelings in a manner both delightful and profound.

“It was 60 years ago almost that I first came to what was Des Moines Still College of Osteopathy, and I did not think that I would live to see this day. I mean, how much can one man take?” said the DMU trustee emeritus, drawing laughter from attendees at the installation ceremony of Angela Walker Franklin, Ph.D., as DMU’s 15th president.

"I did not think that I would live to see this day," noted William Anderson, D.O.'56

“I celebrated the election of Barack Obama as the first African American president of the United States, and now Angela Walker Franklin as the president of Des Moines University,” he continued, speaking at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines. “To the health professions represented here, continue to be proud of the heritage this University has, but also make a commitment to our new president and to the University itself that we’ll make certain our future is even bigger and better.”

President Franklin agreed. “Our collective vision for the future should be rich with an outrageous ambition to make things better, not just for our students, our faculty, our staff, but for the larger community,” she said in her inaugural address. “I ask that we dream big and set aspirational goals…My vision for the future of Des Moines University centers around a simple principle of excellence.”

With a theme of “doing a world of good…a commitment to health and excellence,” the inauguration drew friends and colleagues from Morehouse School of Medicine and Meharry Medical College, where President Franklin held leadership positions over the past 25 years. It attracted friends from Furman University and Emory University, where she earned her bachelor’s and graduate degrees, respectively. It brought together representatives of the community, the health professions and DMU’s three colleges.

The inauguration even drew a 50-passenger bus of family and friends that had traveled from McCormick, SC, President Franklin’s hometown, and through Atlanta and Nashville. Her parents, Hervey Wesley Walker Jr. and Leola Grant Walker, provided the bus, which arrived at DMU in time for a campus picnic on Sept. 23.

Here comes the bus: Loved ones traveled more than 1,100 miles by bus to enjoy the inaugural events. The bus was provided by President Walker's parents, Hervey Wesley Walker Jr. and Leola Grant Walker, who flank their daughter at left.

“Those who have known me for a while, know that I have often talked about the fact that I tend to gather people along the way as I journey through life,” President Franklin said in her inauguration address. She drew an analogy to what she envisions for DMU. “It takes a village…not just for raising children, but for raising up an academic health center, a health sciences university, a Des Moines University. We are all in this together, this Board of Trustees, the administrative staff, the faculty, the students, the alumni, the community and business leaders, and our friends and supporters. We are doing a world of good.”

Serving as the president of an academic health center amid the changes and challenges of health care “is not for the faint of heart,” noted Larry Baker, D.O.’77, chair-elect of the DMU Board of Trustees, speaking as the presiding official at President Franklin’s inauguration ceremony. “However, we have survived and prospered because of the dedication and determination of our faculty and leaders. I have no doubt those characteristics will continue for years to come. With the installation of a new president, we are entering a new chapter full of optimism and resolve.”

At the ceremony, Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie was among those pledging support to President Franklin and to DMU. He praised its leaders for “making the proper name change” to Des Moines University, from the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences, in 1999.

“For a body to be strong and healthy, you must have a strong heart. Your location in the heart of our city helps our entire region,” he said, adding that President Franklin will “make DMU stronger.”

Those issuing “calls to service” at the ceremony included students representing DMU’s three colleges. Matthew Treat, class president of the 2012 physician assistant class, College of Health Sciences, called on President Franklin to “continue the incorporation of interprofessional education into our curriculum.”

“As a second-year PA student on rotations, it is exciting for me to return to campus and watch as progress is made to teach students the value of understanding their own profession, while simultaneously discovering the value of other health professionals they will encounter throughout their careers,” he said.

Casey Ebert, D.P.M.’13, president of the Iowa Podiatric Medical Students Association, which serves as the student government for the College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery, praised DMU’s “outstanding facilities and high level of technology,” but she asked that President Franklin and the University “not lose sight of the most important entities of our medical education today, care and compassion.”

“It is the patient-focused, humanistic philosophy emphasized on this campus that continues to set graduates of Des Moines University apart from the rest,” she added. “I would like to ask that you continue to embrace a University that prioritizes patients’ needs and continually reminds students and faculty of the compassionate nature that initially led them to the field of medicine.”

Akash Shah, D.O.’14, president of the College of Osteopathic Medicine Student Government Association, called on the University community to “create a culture in which difference is valued, disparities in health care are recognized and inclusiveness is practiced as a core component of integrity.”

“By providing us this type of medical education, we will indeed become more competent health care providers,” he said. “However, the more important outcome here is improved health care delivery to our vastly diverse population of future patients.”

On behalf of the DMU faculty, Traci Bush, M.S.P.T., O.T.R./L., D.H.S., the chair, program director and associate professor of the doctor of physical therapy program, asked President Franklin to “appreciate and understand” the strengths of the faculty and “help us identify opportunities for improvement.”

“It is my call to you and my sincere hope that you can look into the future and see Des Moines University not as it is, but how it should be and what it can be,” she added.

Alumni from DMU’s three colleges, including William Anderson, D.O.’56 (see page 18), welcomed President Franklin while imploring their fellow graduates to become and remain engaged with the University.

“Whether by donating scholarships, offering clinical rotation sites, supporting internships or serving as preceptors and mentors, get active. Be involved. Stay in touch,” said Marcia Grassman Hammers, B.H.A.’88, president of the DMU Alumni Association Board of Directors.

William Hal Hatchett, D.P.M.’00, a member of the DMU Board of Trustees, expressed confidence in the University’s continued success under the leadership of its new president. He added: “Today I charge President Franklin to continue to make Des Moines University a model for education in preparing the most qualified and motivated students for their professions while establishing a lifelong connection to their University and college.”

As I have said from the very beginning, this day is not so much about me, but about this great institution, Des Moines University. So today, we celebrate an institution. We gather to rejoice in the University’s history, its traditions, its successes and its rich potential.

So where did this all begin?

Meharry Medical College President Wayne Riley, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., congratulates his former provost and colleague.

Des Moines University has evolved from its very modest yet noble founding in 1898 by Summerfield Saunders Still, nephew of the founder of osteopathy, Andrew Taylor Still, and his wife, Ella Daugherty Still. We began as the Summerfield Saunders (S.S.) Still College of Osteopathy, and over this period of 113 years we have undergone several name changes and locations. What has been preserved, however, are the spirit and tenacity of our founding fathers and mothers who were forever striving for validation and excellence in the delivery of care. We have had a long and distinguished history. We are:

• One of the first osteopathic institutions to offer a diploma rather than a certificate to its graduates
• Among the first to lead osteopathic education to adopt a four-year program of professional studies
• The first college of osteopathic medicine and surgery to be accepted into membership into the Association of Academic Health Centers
• The first health sciences university to be born out of an osteopathic college
• The first osteopathic medical school to begin a physician assistant program
• The first College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery established in a health sciences university

…So here we are today: a health sciences university, a unique configuration of colleges and programs that now defines us. What a wonderful journey, what a wonderful track record we now enjoy. So I come to this place understanding and respecting this history, and I am mindful of the challenges, the worries, the setbacks, the revolutions and the successes of the past. However, I intend to take the wisdom of the leaders from the past, the good will and personal triumphs of those who soldiered on down in the trenches, those who endured but were forever focused on what could be, and I combine that with a desire and willingness to be so much better than we ever imagined before.

So where do we go from here?

At my first commencement this year in May, I gave a charge to the graduating class. The charge began with a favorite quote of mine, which is: “Know that you will make your living by what you get, but you will make a life by what you give.” I asked that they go and serve by fulfilling the mission of this school in the delivery of medical care, in the advancement of knowledge and in strengthening our system of health care. I asked that they reach far, dream colossal dreams, set audacious goals, be bold in leadership and, in the name of service to mankind, be possessed of an outrageous ambition to make things better.

Sara Sutton, D.O.’53, and DMU trustees Willie Stevenson Glanton, Jacqueline Stoken, D.O.’90, and Patricia Yungclas joined President Franklin as participants in the installation ceremony.

In a similar way that I charged the students, I would like to also give a charge to the entire campus community…Our collective vision for the future should be rich with an outrageous ambition to make things better, not just for our students, our faculty, our staff, but for the larger community. I ask that we dream big and set aspirational goals, but be forever mindful of the steps, sometimes first steps, sometimes baby steps, that we must take to move forward.

I have taken to heart the position recently offered by Steve Wartman of the Association of Academic Health Centers, who states that “health sciences universities like us should no longer be able to say that their missions are solely education, research and service/patient care. Missions instead must be viewed as functions that enable institutions to achieve their overarching mission, which ultimately is the improved health and well-being of their communities.”

In order to do this, we must be deliberate in what has been called a “recalibration,” a value proposition for all academic health centers.

As we look to the future, we must make sure that education is more explicitly linked to societal needs.

As we look to the future, we must make sure that education is more explicitly linked to societal needs, research to health, and patient care to specific community and regional needs. We cannot do that alone without the community and the recognition of the fact that there are other members of the team who will be there with us in shaping the future of health care. Interprofessional collaborations and interprofessional training will be at the center of these new recalibrations.

So what are the expectations for the future of health sciences universities like DMU?

I would offer that we be very deliberate and be bold in our vision. I believe we, too, must recalibrate. Not only does it mean a new way of thinking to embrace best practices, but also a boldness in approach, which requires that we become very deliberate in our effort to connect with the community at large.

So I can imagine a Des Moines University of the future that has become a destination institution where we will be recognized nationally for our innovative health education programs that promote lifelong learning.

We will be recognized as a leader and partner in the delivery of premier services that impact health, wellness and education in our communities.

We will partner to engage in transforming our communities to be healthy and well.

And we will value the discovery of knowledge and cultivate distinctive faculty and student researchers with a commitment to health and excellence.

Dozens of special friends attended inauguration, including renowned operatic soprano Karen Parks, right, who performed at the installation ceremony.

Personally, I have a passion for higher education and a commitment to academic excellence. My vision for the future of Des Moines University centers around a simple principle of excellence…In all that we do, we place the highest priority on respect for the dignity and diversity of the members of the entire campus community – patients, students, faculty, employees and volunteers. We are committed to supporting professional, intellectual and emotional growth so that all may have the opportunity to fulfill their potential and achieve their goals. We also embrace the values of honesty, accountability, collaboration and inclusiveness as the basic tenets of integrity. We are committed to fostering a climate that doesn’t just tolerate differences but treasures them, because we become better citizens of this world and better health care providers when we embrace the rich opportunities afforded to us when we learn from our differences.

I see DMU becoming a destination institution for individuals committed to learning in an environment that promotes excellence, from the delivery of the curriculum in state-of-the-art facilities and hands-on learning experiences that stress the personal touch in a compassionate and holistic manner, to a curriculum that addresses culturally competent care. And as we promote health and wellness, we embrace a philosophy which challenges us to shift from an illness model to a wellness model of care…

Given our purpose, given our vision for the future, we will continue to stand on one simple principle – we will remain committed to health and committed to excellence in all that we do.

I accept the calls to service, and I challenge us all to move forward together in striving for excellence. And as I heed the calls to service, accept the challenge for leadership and reaffirm my own personal core values of inclusivity, diversity, integrity, compassion and collaboration, and my own commitment to integral leadership and servant leadership, then let us all go forward in celebrating Des Moines University, for all that it has been and all that it will become, for we are truly doing a world of good with a commitment to health and excellence.

View more photos and videos from the Presidential Inauguration.

What are the traits, talents and tools that tomorrow’s health care leaders must possess? We asked some tried-and-true chiefs for their must-haves.

Natalie Hinchcliffe, D.O.’13, is interested in medical treatment of addiction and passionate about equality in health care. That’s why she applied to and participated in the Betty Ford Center’s Summer Institute for Medical Students for a week last May.

“I was the only medical student in the room with the patients and a counselor. By the end of the week, you know these women because the things you’re sharing are really personal,” she says. The center’s holistic, team approach, she adds, will help her shape her career.

“How am I going to be the kind of doctor my patients will feel comfortable with? In medicine, so much has to do with your relationship with the patient,” she says. “Being able to have relationships of trust with my patients is so important to me for the kind of doctor I want to be.”

Meanwhile, Akash Shah, D.O.’14, spent his summer as one of eight interns for U.S. Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas, a role in which he researched policies and programs in health care, foreign relations, national security and transportation.

“When I came to DMU, our professors told us we are on the forefront of all the changes in medicine. By getting involved on the policy level, we can have an impact on those changes,” says Shah, president of the College of Osteopathic Medicine Student Government Association. “I wanted to understand that process.”

Hinchcliffe and Shah epitomize the types of students DMU typically attracts – ardent, aspiring health care professionals who seek leadership roles and responsibilities. How should DMU foster their abilities to build the kinds of leaders needed in health care today and tomorrow?

The installation of Angela Walker Franklin, Ph.D., as DMU’s 15th president was an opportunity to ask current leaders – individuals who served on her honorary inauguration committee – that question. Excerpts from their responses appear below.

“Good leadership means surrounding yourself with capable, talented people. You can’t run a complex organization by yourself. It’s the leader’s responsibility to articulate the vision and the plan, then listen to others to reach consensus and get their buy-in.

“Lead by example. Have the energy level, work ethic and love for what you do. Show people you have the excitement and enthusiasm for your work.

“One of the things I learned at DMU is the importance of data-driven decision-making. It involves not just relying on your instincts but also on the data. That’s the way we need to do things in government, too.”

Terry Branstad, J.D., Iowa governor and DMU’s 14th president

“You need expertise in something to be authentic and believable, and also be willing to share it. You have to radiate an aura of confidence. I tell students that when talking with patients in diagnosis and treatment, they have to be direct and specific and not equivocate.

“The politics of medicine are not unlike the politics in other arenas. You have to have negotiation, compromise and consensus-building.”

William Anderson, D.O.’56, FACOS, vice president for academic affairs, osteopathic medical education,  Detroit Medical Center

“I define leadership as the ability to get other people to do what they might not otherwise do and to enjoy doing it… I have led through creating a vision of what we could be and building consensus of how to get there.

I believe there are several admirable traits of a great leader, but foremost is to have the integrity to be totally trustworthy.”

Karen Nichols, D.O., M.A., MACOI, CS, immediate past president, American Osteopathic Association; professor of medicine and dean, Midwestern University

“Leaders in any organization, health care or otherwise, have to have credibility first and foremost. You create credibility by being honest and doing the right thing. People watch very closely what their leaders do. I may not agree with you, but if I believe you’re trying to do the right thing for the organization, I will give you the benefit of the doubt.

“Leaders provide the vision and focus for the organization, so people can come to work every day and not only do their jobs, but also be inspired by what the organization is trying to accomplish and understand how their job relates to that vision.”

Bill Leaver, president and chief executive officer, Iowa Health System

“Effective leadership is dependent upon the ability to listen very carefully to all parties with whom you’re working. It’s easy to jump in there and think you have all the answers, but it’s very unusual for one person to have all the answers. People on your team need to know you’re listening not because of fear and ignorance, but because you really care.

“We’re focusing a great deal in today’s world on health professionals listening very carefully to their patients. That sensitivity and respect and ability to listen, to use what’s being communicated and apply it to the needs of the patient, are really what we’re all about.”

Richard Ryan Jr., D.Sc., president emeritus, Des Moines University

“Leading by example is action. You enhance the abilities of the people in the organization and help make them effective leaders. Work with their strengths and work on their weaknesses. One of my current CEOs first worked with me when he was 27, and he just had his 64th birthday.”

John Pappajohn, entrepreneur, Des Moines

“There is no simple way to define effective leadership. However, a leader is most effective if she or he believes working with others can make a difference. All leaders must demonstrate the highest level of integrity, but this may be even more true in health care.”

Glenn Gastwirth, D.P.M., executive director and chief executive officer, American Podiatric Medical Association

“Great leaders surround themselves with the best people, set high expectations and then empower others to work in teams and lead change…The true secret is empowering people to make decisions in their areas of expertise and to let others truly lead the continuous improvement and development of the organization.

“Another aspect of leadership is knowing and living your core values…We believe health care is a higher calling, and part of my role as leader is to keep that calling – our mission and values – in the forefront of 7,000 employees’ minds.

“Lastly, I believe a leader’s role is to inspire…We certainly have to take seriously our challenges, but we cannot lose sight of how fortunate we are to live in the era of modern medicine, and how blessed we are to have the opportunity to create the health care system of the future.”

David Vellinga, president and chief executive officer, Mercy Medical Center-Des Moines and Mercy Health Network

First-year PA students, with Program Chair and Director Jolene Kelly, PA-C’96, show off their National PA Week t-shirts, which state, “PA – the other white coat.”

Last year, the website CNN Money tagged physician assistant as the number-two best job for salary, satisfying work and big growth opportunities. The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics expects employment of physician assistants to grow by 39 percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations. That growth, the bureau states, reflects “the expansion of health care industries and an emphasis on cost containment, which results in increasing use of PAs by health care establishments.”

Physician assistants, as a profession, have come a long way since four ex-Navy hospital corpsmen enrolled in 1965 in the first PA program at Duke University.

2011 marks the 30th anniversary of DMU’s PA program, the nation’s 31st but the first to be associated with an osteopathic medical institution. Funded initially by two health professions training grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the program became DMU’s second academic program in 1981, accepted its first students in 1982 and graduated a class of 10 in 1983.

“The idea behind it was two-fold – to extend the physician by providing a person who could do almost the same things and to train military people who’d already had medical training,” says William Case, PA-C, clinical coordinator for DMU’s Iowa Center for Patient Safety and Clinical Skills. A consultant on developing DMU’s PA program, Case was its first employee.

Gary Hudson was an emergency medical technician with the Pleasant Hill, IA, Fire and Rescue Department when a course he was taking opened his eyes to the PA profession. He is a member of DMU’s first PA class.

“The instructors pretty much taught us what they were teaching the osteopathic students. They were excellent,” recalls Hudson, a PA at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines for the past 26 years.

DMU’s PA program faculty, many relative longtimers at the University, focus on producing highly trained, patient-focused clinicians. That’s no small task given the growing amount of material that must be taught in a two-year program. That requires students of both high intellect and maturity, which the program attracts in force: More than 650 candidates apply for each class’s 50 spots; members of the Class of 2011 had a 98 percent first-time pass rate on the certifying exam.

“Our preceptors tell us we have the best students,” says Jolene Kelly, PA-C’96, M.P.A.S., PA program chair and director. “Many say students from other PA programs don’t want to work nights and weekends, but we teach our students that medicine is 24-7. It’s our expectation.”