The purpose of this contest is to examine the influences of history, ethics, culture, literature, philosophy, sociology, or related frameworks on medicine, the practice of medicine, and the human condition.

2024 Winners

Previous Contest Winners

YearWinnerEssay Title
2007Laura CarlyleModern Medical Education and the Liberal Arts: Theoretical and Practical Dimensions of Integration
2008Micheil CannistraTo Bypass or Not to Bypass: An Examination of the History and Ethics of Gastric Bypass Surgery 2008
2008 Stephanie LichtorPhysicians and Complicity in Torture in America’s War on Terror
2009Micheil CannistraIndian Giver: Lynch Syndrome, The Navajo, and the Genetic Revolution
2009Stephanie LichtorA Physician’s Responsibility to Treat Pain
2010Marie-Teresa ColbertMaking the Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Mandatory
2010Kathleen Kennedy MillerA Modern History of Ayahuasca
2011Laura Fragodt For the Sake of Others:  Key Considerations in Medical Missions
2011Michell CannistraThe Rise of the Physician-Reporter: Responsibilities
2011Honorable Mention: Andrew L. FahlgrenThe Seattle Experience: How “The Life and Death Committee” Determined Who Was Worthy of Dialysis     
2012Mary Becker RysavyLabor and Luck: The Birth of Modern Oxytocics
2012Asitha Jayawardena,   Expedited ‘Diffusion of Innovation’: A reflection on the Ponseti Method in the current era of medicine
2013Mary Becker RysavySadness and Support: A Short History of Postpartum Depression 
2014Christopher J De BoerThe Price of Pain: Examining Global Inequality in Palliative Care and a Human Rights Response 
2014Colin BuzzaA Life in the Community for All? The ongoing de-segregation of Iowans with mental illness 
2015Katherine RykenThe Role of Physicians in Transitional Justice: Combatting the Aftermath of Mass Rape in Bosnia-Herzegovina 
2015Dylan ToddThe Collision of Concussion Prevention and Concussion Culture
2016Mgbechi EronduSpinal:  The Culture of Obstetric Anesthesiology at Gbagada General Hospital (Lagos, Nigeria)
2016Alice YeModern Vaccine Anxiety in America
2017Avanthi Sai AjjarapuDying a Good Death: A critique of the biomedical technology and its role in end-of-life care in the United States
2017Kelsey P HartFat in the Fire: A Personal Narrative on Disordered Eating in Competitive Distance Runners
2018Pavane GorrepatiWhat's Hormones Got To Do With It?  The Medicalization of Menopause in Postwar America"
2018Kaci McClearyThe White Coat as a Symbol
2019Marcus ToralA Lesson from the Serpent: Artificial Intelligence and the Healer's Art
2020Richard UhlenhoppEmily's Story and the Expression of Pain
2020Cheryl WangThe Terrible PR of Electroconvulsive Therapy: Why Psychiatrys Most Effective Therapy for Depression is Also Its Most Controversial
2021Cheryl WangThe Problem of Pain: The Difficulty of Valuing Human Suffering in Medical Malpractice Law
2021Sarah ZiegenhornOther People's Pain
2022Alex BelzerSocioeconomic perspectives on interactions with the health care system: A collection of three fictional short stories
2022Liana MeffertMetaphors in Medicine: The Body Speaks
2023Sally HeaberlinShrinking
2023Emma ClarkeAmerica Needs Farmers, but the Farmer Needs a Physician
2024Jackson DunningSpeechless
2024Srija ManchkantiA Letter to the Boy in the Bubble

About Dr. Robert Sparks

Dr. Sparks was born in Newton, Iowa on May 6, 1932 and died July 1, 2014 in Placerville, California. He received his BA from the University of Iowa in 1955 and his MD in 1957. After doing a residency at the Tulane University School of Medicine in internal medicine and gastroenterology, he joined the faculty of Tulane and later served as Dean of the School of Medicine. In 1972, Dr. Sparks became the Chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Vice President of the University of Nebraska System.

Dr. Sparks joined the W. K. Kellogg Foundation in 1976, serving as its president and trustee from 1982 to 1988. He was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 1988. He became the president and CEO of the California Medical Association Foundation in 1995 and retired from active employment in 1998.

After retirement, Dr. Sparks continued to serve as a Senior Associate of the California Medical Association Foundation and as an Advisor to the Quincy Foundation for Medical Research. He also was a major supporter of fundraising and awards, including the Newton High School Endowment Fund, the University of Iowa College of Medicine Class of 1957 Endowment Fund, the California Medical Association Foundation's Robert D. Sparks Community Health Endowment Fund and Leadership Achievement Award and the University of Nebraska's Chancellor's Award to recognize Nebraskans who demonstrated leadership in public health for the state's citizens.

Dr. Sparks' interests included international collaboration and cooperation, and he served as a Fellow of the U.S.-China Educational Institute (now Wildflowers Institute) and was one of the five physicians appointed to the U.S. Delegation for medical exchanges with the U.S.S.R. under the sponsorship of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the U.S.S.R. Academy of Medical Sciences. He played an active role in programs for alcohol and drug treatment services, including serving on the Board of Directors of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence from 1981 to 1993.

Dr. Sparks had a distinguished career of leadership in academic medicine, education, public health and philanthropy. When the UI College of Medicine established an annual award to recognize Distinguished Alumni (1998), Dr. Sparks was one of the first to receive this important acknowledgement of the contributions he has made in many areas of community life, from county boards of public health to international committees.  In 2011 Dr. Sparks was named Master of the American College of Physicians [MACP], a very significant honor for his long and notable career.

For more information about Dr. Sparks and the University of Iowa, see Leah Klevar, "What Goes Around Comes Around," Iowa Alumni Magazine, April 2004. Dr. Sparks received the Carver College of Medicine's Distinguished Alumni Award for Achievement.

Other resources

History, Ethics, Culture: Their influences on medicine and its practice

Historical Photo

The contest offers up to two $1,200 awards that will be given to the best submissions that examine a significant issue in medicine using ethical, historical, or cultural perspectives. In case of a tie, judges reserve the right to split a prize. This competition is open to all medical students and physician assistant students enrolled in the UI Carver College of Medicine.  In order to maximize the value of the award, and to be consistent with UI financial policies, the award will be applied as financial aid to reduce your student loan debt (if you are a student receiving full financial aid) or it may be used to help support professional development such as conference registration/travel to a conference of interest to you. Outstanding submissions will be original work based on sound research, personal experience, or other methods of analysis relevant to the specific discipline involved.

  • Contest offers up to two winners at $1,200 each
  • Honorable mention
  • Deadline for entry: March 07, 2025
  • Prizes awarded: First week of April 2025

This writing contest is designed to encourage thinking and analysis beyond the traditional areas of the basic sciences in order to broaden students' understanding of medicine and medical practice.  Submissions should examine medical issues and the human condition within the context of history, ethics, culture, literature, philosophy, sociology, or related frameworks.  Submissions are limited to defined prose genres, but can be either scholarly or creative, fiction or non-fiction.  Representative genres include scholarly essays, short stories, biographical or autobiographical expositions, or substantive and critical literature reviews. Creative writing must clearly incorporate one or more of the frameworks included in the purpose.  Submissions will be judged on their originality, organization, clarity, accuracy and creativity.  One submission can be entered per author. Submissions should be 2,500-5,000 words in length, double spaced with 1-inch margins in a 12 point font (approximately 12 to 20 pages). Footnotes do not need to be counted in the submission word count.

When citations are used, any academic note reference and citation style is allowed as long as page references are provided to specific quotations and sources of information. The style used by JAMA (see "References" in JAMA's Instructions for Authors at (https://www.amamanualofstyle.com/) is appropriate. 

Send completed submissions electronically by midnight the night of the deadline date listed above.  Submissions must begin with a title page containing a title and date. The information on the submission form will be removed so that the submissions may be evaluated anonymously. 

Ready to Submit?

Please fill out the form below to submit your entry to the Robert D. Sparks Writing Contest.

For additional information, contact:

Suzanne Gurnett Streitz
Administrative Services Specialist, Program in Bioethics and Humanities 
suzanne-streitz@uiowa.edu/ 319.678-7719

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