WEST DES MOINES, IOWA (August 13, 2026) — Des Moines University (DMU) Medicine and Health Sciences champions community service, as evidenced by over 10,500 hours of volunteerism given by its students this academic year.
Jacob Parker of Bettendorf, a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine student, earned a DMU Student Service Award.
The DMU Service Award, now in its tenth year, recognizes students from all programs who are driven by DMU's mission to improve lives in our global community through volunteerism. These students represent DMU with integrity and uphold its institutional values — accountability, collaboration, honesty, inclusiveness, and wellness. After students complete fifty hours of service, they compose a reflection of how volunteering impacted their understanding of the community and themselves.
In addition to celebrating community engagement, DMU announced its student leadership awards.
The Student Leader of the Year award recognizes a student who holds a formal leadership position within a club, organization, or student government. This honoree is nominated by their peers or other members of the DMU community for displays of leadership, involvement, and embodiment of DMU's values.
The Servant Leadership Award recognizes a student for performing acts of service, putting the needs of others ahead of their own and exemplifying the values of DMU.
The Commitment to Community Award recognizes a student for their engagement in the DMU and local community. Recipients are nominated by their peers or DMU employees for exhibiting acts of selfless service, committing to the advancement of health-care access, and addressing health disparities.
The Club or Organization of the Year Award recognizes a student association that has served the DMU community and embodied the university's values and mission through educational programming and engagement.
The Event or Program of the Year Award recognizes a student-led event that demonstrates exceptional planning, engagement and impact.
Located in West Des Moines, part of Iowa's capital metro, Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences offers graduate-level professional-degree programs in anatomy, biomedical sciences, health-care administration, medical science, occupational therapy, osteopathic medicine, physical therapy, physician-assistant studies, podiatric medicine, and public health. Founded in 1898, the institution offers superior academics in a collaborative environment. DMU students' scores on national examinations, pass-rates on board certifications, and match-rates for medical residency programs are consistently higher than national averages and rates at peer institutions.
