Department of Internal Medicine Somers named medical director of dialysis program  Douglas L. Somers, M.D. Associate Professor (Clinical) Division of Nephrology
9/7/2007 Douglas Somers, M.D., clinical associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine in the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, has been named medical director of the UI Hospitals and Clinics Dialysis Program. Somers, a specialist in the department's Division of Nephrology, replaces Rebecca Hegeman, M.D., who served as director since 2004 and recently stepped down to become vice chair for clinical programs in the Department of Internal Medicine. The dialysis program serves patients with acute kidney problems as well as stable patients requiring dialysis. The dialysis unit at UI Hospital and Clinics has one of the largest home dialysis populations in the country. Somers, who is also medical director of dialysis at the Veterans Affairs Iowa City Health Care System, is well known for his work in dialysis and inpatient renal consultation. His current research interests include the mechanisms of proteinuria (a kidney disorder involving abnormally high amounts of protein in the urine) and examining the effectiveness of nocturnal and daily hemodialysis (removal of waste products and fluids from the body) in patients with end-stage disease. A graduate of St. Louis University, Somers completed a residency at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Minn. A faculty member since 1992, Somers has been with the UI Division of Nephrology since joining its renal fellowship program in 1989. He also is a member of the American Society of Nephrology. |
