Amber Keller Brooks, MD, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, received a Distinguished Alumni Award for Early Career Achievement Honors from the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine given to graduates of the past 20 years who have achieved early distinction in their field. The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor the Carver College of Medicine bestows upon its outstanding graduates. Award recipients will be recognized with a special ceremony and dinner during Medicine Alumni Reunion Weekend, Sept. 12–14, 2024.
Dr. Brooks received the award because her career has been guided by two passions: serving patients living with chronic and complex pain and advocating for compassionate, quality care for all. Through her clinical research, she has cast light on bias and stigma in pain medicine and the healing power of movement. She has led efforts at Wake Forest University School of Medicine to build health equity into the curriculum for medical learners, and her next goal is to create a training program to boost innovation in the field of addiction medicine through modern data science methods.
Established in 1998, this awards program recognizes former students, colleagues and friends who have transcended their fundamental roles as health care providers, scientists, and educators to become influential participants in the advancement of the art and science of medicine. Excellence in these areas brings pride and distinction to the University of Iowa and the Carver College of Medicine.