The Stuart Cullen Award is voted upon by the anesthesia residents and awarded to a senior student who, by scholastic achievement and clinical performance, has demonstrated outstanding capabilities in the field of anesthesiology during the senior clerkship in the department. A monetary gift accompanies this award. Jessica Kelley, the 2008 recipient, will begin her residency in anesthesia at the University of Iowa in July 2008. Dr. Stuart C. Cullen, who attended medical school at the University of Wisconsin and completed a residency in anesthesia at Belleview Hospital in New York, was recruited to the University of Iowa in the fall of 1938 as the Chief of the Anesthesia Division. At that time, anesthesia services were a division of the Department of Surgery. Under Dr. Cullen, the program flourished by the late 1940s. While principally known as a clinician and educator, he understood the importance of research. Dr. Cullen left Iowa in 1958 to become Chair of the Department of Anesthesia at the University of California, San Francisco. His decision to depart was based to a great degree on his never being able to attain departmental status for anesthesia at Iowa.

The Margaret Lunsford Award, gifted to 3 senior medical students in 2008, is determined via application and recommendation, and a committee selects recipients. Dr. Margaret V. Lunsford was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa in 1911, received her medical degree from The University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1941, and completed 1 year of residency training in anesthesiology here at Iowa from 1942-43. She married and moved east with her husband, practicing anesthesiology until her retirement in 1977. A bequest from the estate of Dr. Lunsford was established according to her wish, which was to provide scholarships for medical students entering the field of anesthesiology. 2008 recipients are Jessica Kelley, Raina Lourens, and Thomas Rinehart. Ms. Kelley will be an anesthesia resident next year at the University of Iowa. Ms. Lourens will be completing her transitional year at the University of Iowa, and her PGY-2 through PGY-4 years of anesthesia residency at The Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Rinehart will be completing his transitional year at Legacy Emmanuel/Good Samaritan in Portland, Oregon. He will do his anesthesia residency at the Oregon Health Sciences University.