2015 Wall of Honor Recipient:
Dr. Azeemuddin Ahmed of Iowa City, Iowa is the recipient of Pleasant Valley High School’s 2015 Wall of Honor Distinguished Alumni Award. Dr. Ahmed, a 1992 PVHS graduate, will be honored by the Pleasant Valley Community School District at the Academic Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, April 15, 2015. He will be inducted into the Wall of Honor, which recognizes past students for their academic achievements and contributions to society.
Dr. Ahmed, the son of Dr. Fareeduddin and Sameena Ahmed, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL. After his time at Augustana he attended medical school at the University of Iowa, graduating in 2000. He completed post graduate training in emergency medicine from 2000-2003 from Michigan State University. In 2010, he completed his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Iowa.
Dr. Ahmed was appointed to the medical staff at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in 2005. Dr. Ahmed has held numerous positions in his career which include the following: Medical Director and Flight Physician, University of Iowa AirCare, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Iowa, 2005-present; Medical Director, EMS Learning Resources Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals, 2007-present; Medical Director, First Aid Services, Kinnick Stadium, Carver Hawkeye Arena, University of Iowa, 2007-present; Medical Director, Iowa Medical Emergency Services Association, Des Moines, Iowa 2008-2009.
Dr. Ahmed also is a professor at the University of Iowa. He is an important part of the University teaching staff in both Medicine and Business. His teaching appointments include: Clinical Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine, University of Iowa, 2008-present and Adjunct Associate Professor, Management and Organizations, University of Iowa Tippie College of Business, 2012-present. Dr. Ahmed is currently the Executive Vice Chair in the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.
Dr. Ahmed’s response to receiving the Wall of Honor recognition: “I’ve been a lifelong learner whether it’s been formal education (college, medical school, residency, graduate business school) or informal education (reading and learning about people, history, politics). It’s something that kept me rejuvenated and grounded. There is so much to learn out there and it keeps us growing. I am a big fan of the credo; it’s good to know things.
“I serve others. I serve my patients as I meet them and their family often on one of the worst days of their life and I do my best to care for them physically and emotionally. I cannot fix every physical ailment but I try to treat EVERYONE with respect and dignity. No matter how far up the ladder I move and acquire fancy sounding titles, my role is to help people. Rich, poor, young, old, white, black, brown, yellow. It doesn’t matter. I do the best I can for every person I care for.”
Dr. Ahmed graduated with top honors from PVHS, where he participated in basketball and track & field. He was President of Spartan Assembly, Sports Co-Editor for the Spartan Shield and contributor to the Valenian. He was chosen by his class to give the graduation commencement speech and an honoree in the Quad City Times, Salute to Academics and Achievement.
A reception for Dr. Ahmed will be held in the PVHS library at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, 2015. Faculty, staff, students and the public are invited to attend. The Academic Awards program will begin at 7 p.m. in the high school gymnasium.