By day, they care for patients in clinics, hospitals and private practices. By night, they wield instruments and their voices, making music that heals in a different way. These Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences alumni are more than just health care professionals. On stage or in scrubs, they bring the same passion, discipline and intuition to both callings.
Harmony in Healing
Sarah Ling, D.O.’14, has been making music nearly as long as she’s been alive. She began studying classical piano at the age of 4 and violin at 8. She later developed an interest in singing and joined both the Ames Children’s Choir and the Des Moines Children’s Choir. She also was involved in musical theater through Iowa State University’s yearly VEISHEA productions. Ling regularly sings the national anthem at sporting and charity events. Her debut occurred when she was 9, singing in front of then-NFL football quarterback Kurt Warner at an Iowa Barnstormers game.
While in medical school, Ling joined the DMU Quartet in her first year. The following year, she co-led the DMU Orchestra. The group played at various events and fundraisers on campus as well as at the Body Donation Remembrance Ceremony. “There is a lot of quick thinking as well as deep listening to others that is needed to create good music,” she says. “These two skills are imperative in medicine.”
Now a family medicine physician at MercyOne Waukee, Ling continues to sing, play and perform — from worship services to a blues and soul band, as well as playing the fiddle in a new band. She sang “A Million Dreams” at the DMU Purple & Proud Finale during our Grand Celebration Weekend.
Rediscovering His Rhythm
Jon Wollenzien Jr., M.H.A.’90, picked up his uncle’s trumpet when he was 10 and never looked back. He studied trumpet for the next eight years, participating in his high school jazz and marching bands. While in band, he was introduced to a piano and keyboard player, Scott Coughenour. They formed a band called Aluminus when they were 16. The duo was the only rock band to participate in the 1982 Battle of the Bands in Coalton, Kentucky.
In 1983, Wollenzien set aside music to focus on his education and career in health care administration. For 31 years he has served in health care leadership roles, including as CEO of Palmetto Health Council, Inc., a network of seven community health centers that provide health care services to Georgia’s uninsured and underinsured citizens.
In 2008, he bought his first guitar and started taking lessons. “I realized something was missing,” he says. “I wasn’t balanced and realized I was no longer tapping into the creative portion of my brain. I was missing music.”
Since then, he’s written, recorded and performed significantly. His song, “Where Have You Been,” reached #31 on Independent Radio Adult Contemporary Top 40 at the same time Shawn Mendes hit the list with his #1 “Stitches.” Wollenzien can be found at jonwollenzien.com and is currently collaborating on a new genre-blending project — proving it’s never too late to get back in tune.
Banjo, Battlefield and Bluegrass
Robert Craig, D.O.’90, known to his fans as Banjo Bob, grew up in a musical family. He played the saxophone and was in his high school band. He set music aside to tackle the demands of medical school and residency. That changed at a cousin’s wedding.
“I felt a little left out when everyone started singing and playing,” he says. “So, I went out the next day and bought a guitar and taught myself how to play. After a few years, I picked up the banjo and have been playing ever since.”
Craig’s medical career was just as dynamic. After graduating from DMU, he was on active duty in the U.S. Army and did a surgical residency at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas. For 13 years, he was a general surgeon until he had what he jokes was his “midlife crisis” and completed a vascular surgery fellowship. He finished his career after serving 30 years in the Army and retiring as chief of vascular surgery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He now works for the FDA regulating vascular surgical devices.
About a month after picking up the banjo, 9/11 occurred, and Craig was on the first Forward Surgical Team sent to Afghanistan out of Fort Bragg. He brought his banjo on the deployment to pass the time and lift the spirits of his fellow soldiers. After his return, he gigged with bands in Washington, D.C., and now plays bluegrass in a band called Old Dangerfield in Colorado Springs.
“The guys in the band are all in their 20s and 30s but are really great pickers,” Craig says. “We all have the same musical vision of preserving traditional bluegrass music.”
Got a beat, a band or a backstage story? We’d love to hear it. Drop us a line and share a photograph at alumni@dmu.edu, and let your musical side shine.