I am pleased to announce that Judy Streit, MD, clinical professor of internal medicine, has accepted the role of Interim Director for the Division of Infectious Diseases. Dr. Streit takes the role as Daniel Diekema, MD, MS, is stepping down after eleven years and returning to the faculty. Effective June 28, Dr. Streit will direct the division while the department conducts a search for Dr. Diekema’s permanent replacement. We are extremely grateful for his stewardship as division director, overseeing an increase in our institution’s national reputation for ID research, education, and clinical care. His service to the department, college, and university has been particularly apparent over the last 18 months where his leadership helped guide our institutional response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Streit has demonstrated a similar level of dedication to the University of Iowa in the nearly fifteen years since she returned to the college and department where she earned her MD, completed her residency and fellowship, and served as Chief Resident. Dr. Streit is no stranger to leadership roles. Within University of Iowa Health Care, Dr. Streit has served as director of the Travel Clinic, staying apprised of health threats around the globe and ensuring patients receive the appropriate precautions. For four years she was the medical director for the ID clinics here and associate director for clinical affairs in the division for most of that period. Since 2014, Dr. Streit has been the program director of the Infectious Disease fellowship, mentoring fellows during their specialty training. Her leadership roles also extend to the Iowa City VA Medical Center where she has held the position of Hospital Epidemiologist since 2009, chaired their Infection Control Committee, and served on other working groups, including their COVID-19 response group. In 2015, she was nominated for the UIP’s Clinician of the Year award and became a Fellow in the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
In each of these roles, Dr. Streit has demonstrated a belief in balancing our tripartite academic mission. Her ability to connect smaller details to the larger picture is an essential skill in a leader and will certainly serve the division and department well during this period of transition. Please join me in thanking Dr. Streit for her service and congratulating her on this new appointment.