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ProfilesMichael Sondergard, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
When Mike Sondergard became editor in 1987 of Pacemaker, a magazine published by University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, desktop publishing wasn’t exactly user friendly. Before sending copy to UI Printing Services, Sondergard had to type coded printing instructions from his Lanier computer directly into the text of his stories, a time-consuming process. Twenty years later, advances have made the technology easier but Sondergard is still hard at work. As editor in the Joint Office for Marketing and Communications in University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Sondergard is as busy as ever overseeing publication of Pacemaker, a four-color magazine that reaches about 30,000 readers, including physicians and other caregivers in Iowa and surrounding states, as well as UI medical alumni, elected leaders, former patients, and friends of the hospital and The University of Iowa. Four times a year in Pacemaker, Sondergard and his colleagues help spread the news about advances and care in one of the world’s leading academic medical centers. Sondergard talks to fyi about his work as editor in the Joint Office for Marketing and Communications in University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, his love of sports cars, and the pride that comes from taking to the court as a “Wheezing Geezer.” Do you remember your first issue of Pacemaker? Yes, March 1987. The cover story was about a cardiovascular imaging technique. Steve Collins, professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering, and Steve Fleagle, the University’s chief information officer, were both pictured on the cover, as was a young cardiologist by the name of David Skorton [former UI president]. Little did we know... Can you talk about what it’s like to put the magazine together? Pacemaker builds awareness and support for UI Hospitals and Clinics and the Carver College of Medicine. But we also help generate referrals—we feature specific patient-service lines, specialty clinics, and emerging technologies to inform readers about our world-class health care. We tell patient success stories to make it more appealing and engage our readers in what's happening at the hospital. We work closely with colleagues in marketing to identify potential stories. Hospital people in general are very generous in contributing ideas. It's usually a case of having to narrow the story list rather than having to search for good material. Every issue is collaborative. I write most of the stories, although other writers in our office and from Health Science Relations also contribute. We have a tremendous freelance photographer in Doug Benton. My devoted colleague, Rita Liddell, coordinates the photo shoots and travels with Doug on assignments. Our freelance designer, Robyn Hepker, consistently does terrific work. Is there any particular story over the years that stands out in your mind? It was huge when Tim Brandau became the world’s first congenitally deaf child to receive a multi-channel cochlear implant. Bruce Gantz, professor and head of otolaryngology [in the Carver College of Medicine], implanted the device in 1987, when Tim was 4. A couple of years ago we did a follow-up: Tim had grown up and enrolled in The University of Iowa, and even was playing saxophone in the Hawkeye Marching Band. It was amazing to see how far this young man had come thanks to Dr. Gantz and others. Let's talk about your life outside work. One of your interests is sports cars. I acquired a 1973 Triumph TR-6 convertible about 17 years ago. From that I met two other local British car owners, and together we founded the Iowa City British Car Club. Today it's mostly a social organization; we meet monthly and 25 people or so attend. I've made a lot of good friends there. Recently my wife Diane purchased a 2000 Porsche Boxster for my 60th birthday. Wow, every guy should have a wife like her! It's really fun to zip around town and safer than the Triumph. I haven’t tracked the car yet, but maybe this summer [Sondergard tells fyi that “tracking a car” means driving on a race track to test the car’s speed, handling, performance, and other aspects.—ed.] Any plans to add to your collection? It's more than we can afford already! You're also a Hawkeye fan. I've loved the Hawks since I was a kid. Back then, fans used to stream through my hometown of West Branch on their way to Iowa City. The town folks would host a huge breakfast so people would stop along the way. The Hawks were national championship contenders, so it was very exciting. I had a little transistor radio that I used to listen to Jim Zabel call the games. I still have that radio. But we love to go to the football games, and we've had split-season tickets for basketball. You play a lot of hoops yourself, right? Some of my colleagues and I occasionally play pickup games over the noon hour. We call ourselves the Wheezing Geezers, for obvious reasons. It's good exercise, and you get to know a lot of the guys who show up every week. Lately we've been playing with a very special basketball—one that was given to me and autographed by my colleagues in the Joint Office for Marketing and Communications when I turned 60 last December. by David Pedersen Past Profiles
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