Distinguished Alumni Award

Marta J. Van Beek, 97MD, 01R, 03F, 03MPH, 08F has established herself as a national leader in academic medicine, skyrocketing to the top of the dermatology field in a remarkably short amount of time.

Following the completion of her medical degree and dermatology residency at the UI, Van Beek pursued an extramural National Institutes of Health fellowship in dermatoepidemiology with the College of Public Health, receiving her master's degree in 2003. While a UI student, Van Beek displayed outstanding potential from the start, earning both the Hancher Finkbine Medallion and the Medical Student Service Award.

Since her graduation, Van Beek has served in various roles throughout the UI Hospitals and Clinics and Carver College of Medicine systemincluding current posts as associate program director for the dermatology training program and director of the division of surgery in the UI Department of Dermatology. She is extremely active in the university's clinical and teaching missions, delivering numerous lectures to students and moderating weekly resident seminars. For her success as an instructor, Van Beek received an Excellence in Teaching Award from the dermatology department in 2005 and has been a finalist for the M1 Teacher of the Year Award in 2007 and 2011.

In addition to her duties as a doctor and teacher, Van Beek has also occupied key roles on state and national committees of organizations such as the Iowa Dermatological Society, the American Medical Association, the American College of Mohs Surgery, and the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. An indispensable leader of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), Van Beek played an active part in the recent national debate over healthcare reform in her position as chair of the organization's Health Care Reform Work Group and Congressional Policy Committee. David Pariser, the past-president of the AAD, has publicly described Van Beek as the academy's "feet on the ground" during this important debate and applauded her numerous trips to Washington, DC, to lobby for meaningful change.

With a research emphasis on the epidemiology of melanoma, health services, and international public health, Van Beek has authored many publications and been invited to speak at international conferences. So widespread is her influence that Van Beek received the prestigious North American Young Dermatologist International Achievement Awardgiven by the World Congress of Dermatology and the American Academy of Dermatology"for significant achievement in dermatology that stands as an example to all young dermatologists." She also boasts an impressive record of community service, including her participation in a number of skin cancer screenings, international medical service, and membership in the AAD's Circle of Volunteerism. For these reasons and more, she was also awarded the AAD's "Making a Difference" Award in 2005.

Janet Fairley, Strauss professor and head of the UI Department of Dermatology, says that Van Beek "exemplifies the level of giving back that we would like to encourage in alumni but rarely do. It is hard to imagine anyone who has contributed more hours and in more ways since her graduation from Iowa."

For Marta Van Beek, her stellar early career is only the beginning. Her outstanding leadership and medical expertise, combined with her philanthropic spirit, will ensure that her star continues to rise.

Van Beek is an annual member of the UI Alumni Association.