Alumni
Interviews:
 John Brinkman, M.D.
"An award from your peers is wonderful," he
said, "but one from your patient’s and community is
one you never forget."
John Brinkman’s dedication to patient care has made him
a leader among Iowa physicians and in the Mason City community.
He credits longtime Davenport, Iowa, physician Jack Sunderbruch,
MD, for "teaching me through example that providing quality
care is synonymous with being a good physician, and that I should
speak out on behalf of both."
Midway through his career, Brinkman, an endocrinologist, considered
getting an MBA. But Paul Seebohm, MD, professor emeritus of internal
medicine, convinced him doctors need physician-leaders more than
administrators. The advice prompted Brinkman to advocate for policies
that would help physicians better meet patient needs. "We
must never forget that as we care for our patients, we are defining
our profession’s future," he said.
The Iowa Medical Society presented him the Award of Merit for
his 1998 service as IMS president. He also served as president
of the
Iowa Foundation for Medical Care and received the Laureate Award
from the Iowa Chapter of the American College of Physicians. In
1998, Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society named him an honorary
alumnus.
Brinkman remains active with the UI Carver College of Medicine,
serving as a clinical associate professor of internal medicine
and a past chair of the College’s Alumni Society Board of
Advisors. He is a member or the Iowa State Board of Medical Examiners
and served on Governor Tom Vilsack’s privacy task force.
He’s also helped make Mason City a community recognized as
a model for rural health. In 1969, he joined the multispecialty
Park Clinic, where he quickly learned the value of collaboration. "Success
depends on uniting all providers," Brinkman said. "Through
the years, like-minded individuals have created multiple area mergers,
many on my back porch."
He later practiced at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa and was
medical director for the Mercy Diabetes Center and North Iowa Physician
Hospital Organization. Brinkman recently was honored by the Mason
City Globe Gazette as the region’s best family doctor, and
received accolades from patients upon retirement.
"
An award from your peers is wonderful," he said, "but
one from your patient’s and community is one you never forget."
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