Virtual Lunch & Learn events are hosted by Volunteer Services. Each event features a faculty or staff member from UI Health Care. We invite you to watch past events, and get information on upcoming ones and learn how to join.
A native of Centerville, Iowa, Lyndsay Harshman, MD is a pediatric nephrologist and the medical director of Pediatric Kidney Transplant at UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital. She graduated from the University of Iowa in 2006 with a degree in Psychology and was extensively involved in the Volunteer Services College Student program, serving in the MICU, the Pediatric Specialty Clinic, child psychiatry, and as a NICU Developmental Care volunteer. She was offered a position on the College Student Leader Board, eventually becoming the Chairperson for the 2005-2006 school year (you may remember her as Lyndsay Bailey). She then went on to medical school, a pediatric residency, and a pediatric nephrology fellowship here at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. She has an active NIH-funded research program focusing on brain growth and development in pediatric chronic kidney disease patients. She is quick to note that her biggest accomplishment is being a mom of two kids – Henry (age 7) and Margaret (age 4)!
Theresa M.H. Brennan received her medical degree from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 1992. She completed her Internal Medicine residency, cardiology fellowship, and interventional cardiology fellowship training at the University of Iowa. Her clinical interests include prevention of cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular disease in women, treatment of peripheral atrial disease, and interventional cardiology.
She has been CMO of UI Hospitals & Clinics since July 2011 and in this role, she oversees Clinical Quality Safety and Performance Improvement (CQSPI), Operations Excellence, the Office of the Patient Experience, the Clinical Staff Office, Volunteer Services, and other hospital-based programs including the Hospitalist Program, Palliative Care, and Documentation Improvement. The CMO works closely with the Physician Director of UI Physicians, the Clinical Department Chairs, the Chief of Staff, and Hospital Leadership to strive to improve the value for patients, faculty, and staff.
Speaker: Robert Linnell, PA-C
A native of West Liberty, Iowa, Robert is the Lead APP for the UI Community Clinics. He graduated from the University of Iowa in 2008 with a degree in Biology and was very involved in Volunteer Services, including serving on the College Student Leader Board for two years and with UI Dance Marathon for four years. He and his wife have a two-year-old son, Brooks.
When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Robert supported the development of our telemedicine clinic so patients could safely discuss their symptoms with a provider through a video visit instead of going to a clinic. Throughout the pandemic, Robert has helped train and manage many UI Hospitals & Clinics providers in the Influenza-like Illness (ILI) clinic, who have managed over 70,000 telemedicine visits in just nine months!
Michael Willey is a native of Onawa, Iowa and is a quintuple-Hawkeye. He graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Biomedical Engineering, and staying true to his roots, he stayed at Iowa to not only obtain his MD, but then went on to complete his residency in the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, and his Associate Fellowship in Orthopedic Trauma. He briefly left Iowa to complete his Trauma Fellowship at Indiana University and a Hip Prevention and Dysplasia Fellowship at the University Clinic for Orthopedic Surgery of the University of Bern, Switzerland. Willey now specializes in orthopedic trauma and young adult hip conditions at UI Hospitals & Clinics.
As an undergraduate, Mike volunteered in Physical Therapy, the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, and the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. He was the chosen as the College Student Leader Board member for the Patients’ Library and the Ronald McDonald House. He served his leadership term alongside his future wife, Lindsey Towne, who oversaw our Educational Services volunteers and NICU Developmental Care volunteers (previously “Cuddlers”). Lindsey received her PA degree from Iowa and is a practicing family medicine physician assistant. Mike and Lindsey have four beautiful children.
Speaker: Karen Stenger, MA, RN, CCRN
Karen Stenger, MA, RN, CCRN is a Nursing Practice Leader in the Intensive and Specialty Services division in the Department of Nursing. She began her journey in the Surgical and Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (SNICU) as a staff nurse, then an Assistant Nurse Manager, and was a Staff Volunteer Supervisor to the volunteers serving families of patients in the SNICU. Karen received her MA in Nursing from the University of Iowa and has been certified in critical care nursing for 33 years. Karen and her husband have four children, and all of them gained valuable knowledge and experience as University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics volunteers.
In her 35 years with UI Health Care, Karen has been a driving force behind important initiatives including the use of augmentative and alternative technology to help patients who are paralyzed or on ventilators to communicate. Her expertise in ergonomics, education, and leadership supported a 70% reduction in injuries related to patient handling over a several-year period. Over the years, many of the initiatives she has championed have received funding from Volunteer Services, and Karen looks forward to sharing the impact your funds have at UI Hospitals & Clinics!
Friday, April 30, 2021
Speaker: Weiren Liu
On April 30, 2021 Weiren Liu shared his unique experiences with our volunteers. Not only is Weiren in his last year as a medical student at the Carver College of Medicine, he was also a UI Health Care volunteer.
Some volunteers may remember Weiren as a high school volunteer. Some may remember the "All Things Iowan" coloring book he created for UI Health Care Palliative Care patients, which was then redesigned as a Celebration of Caring recognition gift for volunteers. Others may know Weiren through his long-time service in Palliative Care or from his most recent volunteer contribution designing custom masks for patients undergoing radiation therapy.
