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| Douglas Laube, M.D. |
Alumni Interviews:
Douglas Laube, M.D.
"My guiding philosophy is one of public service and the promotion of safe reproductive health care for women worldwide which contributes to improved societal welfare."
What is your hometown?
Dubuque, Iowa
How/when did you become interested in science and medicine?
My father was a general surgeon in Dubuque and I am the only one of five children who obtained an MD. I remember making rounds with my father at the Dubuque hospitals while I was still a grade school student which, no doubt, made a big impression on me.
What interested you to pursue a career in Obstetrics and Gynecology
My 3rd and 4th year clerkships in medical school at the University of Iowa provided me with an insight into my specialty which includes a blend of surgery and medicine. In addition, the societal interface of reproductive health care provides a social context of our specialty which no other specialty can offer.
Is there a faculty member or mentor at Iowa who helped shape your career?
Drs. Robert Kretzschmar and my former chairman, Dr. William C. Keettel were my mentors and helped shape my career at the University of Iowa. In addition, they both encouraged me to pursue my master’s degree in education as a substitute for a clinical subspecialty fellowship. I did this prior to joining the full-time faculty at the University of Iowa in 1978.
How or why did you choose the UI to attend medical school?
I chose the University of Iowa for medical school primarily because it provided me an excellent affordable education near my home town and the school was highly promoted by my father, Dr. Paul J. Laube, who was a graduate of the class of 1936.
Please describe your professional goals/interests.
My professional goals and interests are to effectively interest and motivate future women’s health care providers toward excellence in patient care while serving as an advocate for safe reproductive health care through political advocacy.
Please highlight your major career achievements, awards, discoveries, etc.
The career achievements in academic medicine have largely come through my interests in education of medical students and residents. These include a number of teaching awards while a resident and faculty member at the University of Iowa which, together, spanned approximately 20 years. As I advanced in my career toward more administrative activities, I have been fortunate enough to attain leadership positions in our specialty’s national education groups. The encouragement I received from former faculty mentors to attain an advanced degree in education from the University of Iowa Health Science Education Program has assisted me in many opportunities with national faculty development programs; the National Board of Medical Examiners, the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Council on Residency Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
What are some of your outside interests?
My outside interests include pleasure reading, outdoor sports such as fishing, hunting, skiing and sailing—particularly in Northern Minnesota where my wife and I enjoy seasonal property.
Do you have an insight or philosophy that guides you in your professional work?
My guiding philosophy is one of public service and the promotion of safe reproductive health care for women worldwide which contributes to improved societal welfare.
If you could change one thing about the world (or the world of medicine), what would it be?
If I were to change one thing in the world it would be sixty years of dysfunctional profit driven American foreign policy since World War II. Rather, a foreign policy based on the improvement of health, education, and welfare of other countries, while not suitable to quick fix politicians, would provide longer lasting and stable international relations.
What is the biggest change you've experienced in your field since you were a medical student?
The biggest change in our field since I was a medical student would be the use of contemporary imaging studies, endoscopic surgical techniques, and treatment of entities which are done now with minimally invasive surgical techniques or medical treatments that were formerly treated by major surgery.
What one piece of advice you would give to today's medical students?
My advice to today’s medical students would be that they will do best in a specialty they like best regardless of time commitment or income.
University of Iowa President David Skorton has named academic year 2005-2006 as the "Year of Public Engagement." In what ways are you engaged with the greater public?
Recently I was elected to become President of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which will give me much more public exposure as an educational and political advocate for our specialty and for women’s health care in general. Accordingly, I will interface with other health care organizations including the American Medical Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Council of Medical Specialty Societies, and the Alliance for Medical Specialties all in an effort to advocate for improved women’s health care to assist in policy-making decisions which will improve medical education in women’s health care. |
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