 Alumni
Interviews:
Barcey Levy, M.D., Ph.D.
"There is far more involvement of faculty in small group teaching and physical exam training and clinical experiences beginning in the first year, in contrast to when I went through. I did not see a real patient until spring of my second year."
Barcey Levy, M.D., Ph.D., recalls being "very close to giving up" in 1985 during her first three months at the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.
She was so overwhelmed by the breadth of knowledge she needed to obtain that she wasn’t so sure she could cut it.
Twenty years later, she has proved herself wrong by becoming a leading physician in the UI Department of Family Medicine.
In fact, she was named the 2004 Iowa Medical Educator of the Year last August for the contributions she has made to the medical education of family physicians in Iowa. Levy was selected for this honor by the Iowa chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).
Levy, a New Jersey native, was prompted to study family medicine while expecting her first child while in graduate school at University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. One of her classmates directed her toward becoming a family physician.
"I was very impressed with this specialty, where age, gender and type of problem do not restrict access and the ability of physicians to care for the needs of the entire family from birth to death," Levy said.
At this point, Levy was midway through graduate training in biochemistry. She decided it was "prudent to complete my Ph.D., since getting into medical school did not seem a sure thing."
Her husband, Steven Levy, was offered a job on the faculty in the Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry in the UI College of Dentistry in 1985. They arrived in Iowa on Jan. 1, and Levy began medical school in August of the same year.
"I kept hearing over and over how this is the 'largest university teaching hospital in the nation,'" Levy said. "Some medical students even expanded this description to 'universe' or 'galaxy.'"
Regardless, Levy earned her medical degree and completed her residency at the UI. She now serves as an associate professor and associate director of predoctoral education in the Department of Family Medicine.
Levy was director of the program from 1994-2003, saying she "greatly enjoyed the opportunity to impact the education provided to medical students by our faculty."
She and her colleagues have completed data on several projects, including the broad clinical areas of bone health for women, diabetes, depression and colon cancer. Their practice-based research goes by the name of IRENE (Iowa Research Network), and several of their projects have been funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
"I enjoy being a part of our department's research group to examine how Iowa's family physicians can deliver quality care to the patients of Iowa. Over the past few years, we have developed a cadre of family physicians interested in primary care research and best practices," Levy said.
She has recently completed a project funded by the AAFP that examines the use of chart reminders and patient education to help improve the bone health of women ages 65 and older.
Currently, Levy is working on a grant provided by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. The study is designed to examine the colon cancer screening habits of family physicians and the factors influencing patient screening.
"I try to focus on problems with significant public health impact, which is one reason I have chosen to look at osteoporosis and colon cancer. Both of these are very preventable if addressed early," she said.
Levy has seen a number of positive changes in the UI Carver College of Medicine since she was a student.
"There is far more involvement of faculty in small group teaching and physical exam training and clinical experiences beginning in the first year, in contrast to when I went through and did not see a real patient until spring of my second year," Levy said. "Also, the college has invested a large amount of resources into the medical communities, which provide students much more interaction with colleagues in other years of medical school."
Levy credits George Bergus, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine, in leading the Carver College of Medicine to develop more practical, performance-based assessments for students in clinical training.
"This requires students to deal with standardized patients, and it is more realistic than responding to multiple choice questions on paper," Levy said.
While she still considers herself "early in my career," Levy ultimately hopes that upon retiring, she and her husband are "healthy enough to enjoy activities like walking, biking and swimming. I also hope that if I am fortunate enough to have grandchildren with whom I will be able to spend time with and watch them grow."
In her spare time, Levy likes to walk her 3-month old golden retriever, Bandana, bike in the warmer weather, swim at the Field House, and spend time with her family: her husband Steven, her daughter Lauren, 21, a senior at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and her two sons, David, 17, and Michael, 11. She is also currently studying for her Bat Mitzvah with 13 other women and Rabbi Jeff Portman at Agudas Achim in Iowa City.
|
view
read
alumni interviews
view
photo albums
Back
to Alumni Interviews Page