Summer Internship: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC)

By: Lauren Davis

Hey all, from Iowa City!  

 

I am entering week 6 as the Clinical Care Operations Administrative Intern at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics under Dr. Theresa Brennan, the Chief Medical Officer. As many of you know, UI Health Care is one of the leading academic medical centers in the nation as well as the only comprehensive medical center in Iowa. Dr. Brennan is a cardiologist by training and still sees patients in clinic once a week and rounds in the CVICU. She also oversees Clinical Quality Safety and Performance Improvement (CQSPI), Operations Excellence, the Office of the Patient Experience (OPE), and other hospital-based programs such as the Medical Directors program. If you follow UIHC or the University of Iowa on any social media platform, you've probably seen her relatively recently – she has been effectively the face of UIHC during their COVID response, engaging in Facebook Live forums and often being quoted on behalf of the University.  

 

Since Dr. Brennan oversees so many areas, I have gotten to get involved in many types of projects. I just finished up a project with OPE, optimizing their ability to pull individual reports and feed a dashboard from Epic data to track patient complaints and grievances. I am in the midst of a project about health equity which has involved a lot of data – I'm grateful analytics is fresh on my mind! I have really enjoyed being back on the clinical side of things, and I am super excited to head to clinic with Dr. Brennan in a week! Besides being involved in different projects, I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to sit in on a variety of meetings with Dr. Brennan. While none of us anticipated an internship during a pandemic, I have learned so much because of the circumstances, and for that I am grateful.  

 

Since I have spent the last three summers in Iowa City, I can attest to the fact that summer truly is the best time to be here. Typically there are farmers markets, the annual block party, unique celebrations or festivals, and even abundant parking downtown (!!) all without the craziness that comes with the students on campus. Unfortunately, Iowa City isn't quite the same this year, but I am impressed by the creativity this city shows, even in the midst of the unknown. My husband Ben and I have tried takeout from a couple newer restaurants, explored some new trails, and spent a lot of time outside. We're continuing our hunt for the best coffee shop (Dash is still my frontrunner, of course) and ice cream (Dan & Debbie's, sorry Heyn's!). We celebrate our first anniversary this month too!  

 

Wear a mask, wash your hands and, of course, go hawks!