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Medical Achievements

Throughout the history of University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics there have been several medical achievements that stand out among a multitude of others.

Timeline of Achievements

  • 1935 – Lee E. Travis is the first to record human activity with an EEG.
  • 1939 – Elmer L. DeGowin, MD, develops modern-day blood banking which demonstrated that it is safe to refrigerate, ship, and use banked blood.
  • 1944 – William D. “Shorty” Paul, MD, developed buffered aspirin, which later became known as “Bufferin,” and also developed Rolaids.
  • 1950s – Early in the 1950s, Ignacio Ponseti, MD, developed the first non-surgical method to treat clubfoot. The Ponseti Method is still being used worldwide as the best way to treat clubfoot.
  • 1952 – UI establishes the first cryobank for frozen semen.
  • 1953 – The first baby conceived with sperm stored in a cryobank is born at University Hospitals.
  • 1980 – Edward Mason, MD, and his team develop the most common surgical method for severe obesity: Vertical Banded Gastroplasty.
  • 1984 – Roger Gingrich, MD, develops the first bone marrow donor registry.
  • 1987 – A three-year-old-boy, Tim Brandau, receives the first cochlear implant designed for children by Bruce Gantz, MD.
  • 1988 – Monzer Abu-Yousef, MD, is the first in the world to introduce the “Water-Simethicone-Rotation” technique to improve pancreatic visualization by ultrasound.
  • 1992 – First hospital in the United States to have a National Institute of Health funded center for research on anemia in newborn babies.
  • 1992 – Virtual Hospital® is launched. It is one of the first 250 websites on the Internet and a premiere source for health information.
  • 1993 – Joseph Zabner, MD, and Michael Welsh, MD, develop the nation’s first successful, though temporary, gene therapy to correct the defect in cystic fibrosis.
  • 1994 –First baby born in Iowa under 400 grams (13th in the world).
  • 1997 – World’s first bilateral cochlear implant during the same surgical procedure.
  • 1997 – Researchers identify the gene responsible for glaucoma.
  • 2005 – At the time, the smallest patient in the world to undergo robotic surgery (Amber Vairo) happened under the care of John Meehan, MD.
  • 2005 –First hospital in the U.S. with a functioning BabySim® to practice on.

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  • About Us
    • Job Seekers
      • Join our Clinical Care Team!
    • Mission, Vision, and Core Values
    • Leadership
    • Designations and Distinctions
      • Basic Facts
        • History
        • Medical Achievements
    • Quality and Safety
    • Academic Departments
    • Care Coordination Division/Social Services
      • Advance Directives
      • Care Coordination Division Continuing Education Program
      • Care Coordination Division Employment Opportunities
      • Care Coordination Division Patient Medication Assistance Program
      • Care Coordination Division Transportation Assistance and Resources
        • Bus and Shuttle Services
        • Wheelchair Services
      • Clinical Social Work Services
      • Food Assistance and Meal Delivery Programs
      • General Financial Assistance Resources
      • Health Care Benefits Assistance Program (HCBAP)
      • Honoring Your Wishes
      • Oncology Social Work
      • Social Service History
    • Critical Access Hospital Network
    • Ethics Consult Service
    • Info For Directory
      • Volunteer Services
        • Become a Volunteer
          • College Student Volunteers
            • College Student Leader Board
            • College Student Volunteer Placement Options
            • Mentor Program
          • Community/Staff Volunteers
          • Special Projects for Volunteers
        • Resources for Current Volunteers
          • Virtual Lunch & Learn Events
          • Volunteer Hours Submission
          • Volunteer Services - Request a Leave of Absence
        • Sponsored Businesses and Featured Programs
          • Furry Friends
            • Certified Dog Visit - Handler Guidelines
        • Volunteer Services Gift Cards
        • Where Does the Volunteer Services Money Go?
      • Donors
        • Donating Through the UI Center for Advancement
        • Donations
          • Frequently Asked Questions: In-Kind Gift Donations
      • Emergency Responders
        • Disaster Preparedness Is For Everyone
        • Ground Safety Education
      • Faculty & Staff
        • Clinical Staff Office
          • Clinical Staff - Verification Requests
        • Procurement Services
        • Tuition Reimbursement
        • Engineering Services
          • Engineering Services Faculty and Staff
          • Engineering Services Staff
          • Floor Plans
          • Work Order Request - Engineering Services
          • Work Order Request - Medical Instruments Shop
        • Material Services Department
          • Linen Services
          • Mail Services
          • Material Services - Processed Stores
          • Material Services - Shipping and Receiving
          • Uniform Shop
        • University Employee Health Clinic
          • Employee Flu Vaccinations
          • Frequently Asked Questions: University Employee Health Clinic
          • Pre-Employment Screening for Health Care Personnel
          • University of Iowa Employee Health Clinic Confidentiality Policy
          • University of Iowa Health Care Employee Services
            • UI Health Care Pre-Employment Health Screening Instructions
            • Communicable Disease Exposures and Reproductive Hazard Screenings
            • Respirator Fit Testing
            • Evaluation Following Exposure to Human Blood/Body Fluids
            • Special Population Screenings
            • Blood Pressure Monitoring Services for Employees
            • Tuberculosis (TB) Screening
        • Health Professionals
          • Center for Procedural Skills and Simulation (CPSS)
            • Team-Based Simulation Design and Debriefing
          • Provider Resources
        • Web Privacy Policy
      • Partner Businesses
      • Researchers
      • Students and Trainees
        • Graduate Medical Education
    • Virtual Hospitalist Service for Rural Hospitals

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