Association of University Cardiologists
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Lewis E. January, M.D.
1910 - 2002
Lewis E. January, M.D., MACP was born in Colorado in 1910. When he graduated from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1937, medical schools traded prospective interns the way major league baseball teams traded players. The dean of one school would exchange a bright young prospect with the dean of another for an equally bright prospect. Dr. January's dean at Colorado told him he would be going to Iowa and not, as Lew had planned, to Ohio.
Following an internship and residency in medicine at Iowa and a four year absence to serve in World War II, Dr. January was appointed assistant professor and director of the first UI Heart Station in 1946. He was promoted to associate professor in 1950 and professor in 1953.
In 1966, Dr. January was appointed program chairman of the UI Cardiovascular Fellowship Training Program, one of the first in the nation funded by a grant from the NIH. From 1973 to 1981, he served as associate chairman for clinical programs for the UI Department of Internal Medicine. He retired in 1981 but to this day retains the title of Special Assistant to the Chairman of the University of Iowa Department of Internal Medicine.
Beginning with his internship at Iowa during which he and his colleagues were on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in exchange for room and board, six uniforms, and $25 a month, Lewis January has contributed enormously to the growth of the University of Iowa and the Iowa City community. For over a half century, Lew has been intimately associated with the development of internal medicine and cardiology at Iowa. He has brought recognition to Iowa as president of the American Heart Association and vice-president of the International Heart Association. His leadership in clinical programs and in teaching were recognized in 1984 when the Lewis E. January Learning Resources Unit was dedicated in the UI Cardiovascular Research Center.
Lew is known for his love of gardening and the ballet. Through his efforts the New York based Joffrey Ballet has become a University of Iowa institution, appearing frequently on the stage of Hancher auditorium. The special relationship between Dr. January and Robert Joffrey culminated in the Iowa City premier of the Joffrey's internationally acclaimed production of the Nutcracker Suite in 1988.
To his many admiring colleagues, students, fellow gardeners and ballet lovers, Lew remains, affectionately, the "Silver Fox."