The Division of General Internal Medicine (GIM) at the University of Iowa is rapidly becoming one of the largest divisions within the Department of Medicine. Under the direction of Gary Rosenthal, M.D., the division is attaining regional recognition for comprehensive and innovative patient care, intense involvement in the education of students and residents, and progressive clinical research. Faculty in the division come from many backgrounds and cooperate to fulfill divisional objectives. The division has the largest percentage of clinician educators in the department, several of whom are dedicating their academic careers to development and enhancement of teaching at all levels of medical training and practice.

Members of the division practice in several clinical locales. The Family Care Center of University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) encompasses one entire floor of an ambulatory medicine building, general medicine sharing resources with family practice and general pediatrics. Faculty and fellow practices, resident continuity clinics, geriatrics and consultative services all take place in the Family Care Center. GIM faculty and fellows also work out of the outpatient clinics at the Iowa City VA Hospital, located just across the street from the university hospital. Faculty continuity clinics, urgent care, and resident continuity clinics take place at the VA. Inpatient wards attended by GIM faculty are at UIHC and, soon, at the VA. Active general medicine consult services function at UIHC. Geriatricians within the division maintain practices at a large number of structured living and nursing homes throughout the region.

Individual faculty members within the division provide important leadership in education to the department, the college and the hospital. Members of the division lead important clerkships in the medical school as well as offer several electives in both the pre-clinical and clinical years. Faculty members from GIM are important to the functioning of the medicine residency program. A recent comprehensive review of resident education was chaired by a member of the division. The resident continuity clinics and urgent care clinics at both hospitals are staffed exclusively by GIM, along with a resident elective in geriatrics. The division directs the resident ambulatory curriculum. The general medicine consult service offers a resident both inpatient and outpatient experience performing consultations. Fellows have an opportunity to participate in virtually all these clinical educational settings.

Research within the division is rapidly expanding. Almost half of the members of the division receive at least some external funding to pursue investigative endeavors. Areas of concentration include development of quality standards, medical outcomes, clinical epidemiology, geriatrics, public policy and medical ethics.