Brenda and Bob Good
Among the medical schools he applied to, Robert Good, D.O.'77, MACOI, chose the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery (COMS)—now DMU—because of the people he met during his interview.
"I was so impressed with the people who cared about my image of medicine and what I thought," he says.
As a student, Dr. Good served as director of the Iowa Hypertension Screening Program. "Hypertension was really just becoming understood in 1974. Our class members did screen blood pressure clinics in six Iowa communities. That was active education."
That's something Dr. Good and his wife, Brenda, champion. Six years ago, he was asked to serve as co-chair of curriculum of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine (CICOM), an institution launched in 2015 with a curriculum that incorporates basic sciences, clinical sciences, engineering and medical humanities. It emphasizes active, versus passive, learning to foster lifelong learning.
That philosophy inspired the couple to make a gift to DMU's Purple & Proud Campaign to name the Robert Good, D.O.'77, and Brenda Good Active Learning Practice Laboratory in the Edge of Advancement Building on the University's new campus in West Des Moines, set to open in 2023.
"When we saw that a room is to be based on active learning, it was a natural fit," Dr. Good says. "All our medical courses were sitting in a classroom, having someone tell you what to do. The new Active Learning Lab is consistent with my educational philosophy and the curriculum that I have set up at CICOM."
Their gift to name a lab on DMU's new campus is the latest of many ways they've supported the University. Dr. Good has been a member of the DMU Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2017 and also is a member of Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK), a mentoring program for DMU students.
In the couple's 26 consecutive years of giving to the University, they have become members of the Founders Society, which recognizes donors for cumulative lifetime gifts of $100,000 and greater; the Legacy Society, which honors donors who make planned gifts or bequests to DMU; and the President's Society at the Francium level, in honor of donors of $25,000 or more annually.
"That I chose to become a D.O. was the best decision in my life along with marrying Brenda," Dr. Good says. "We're very appreciative of DMU. It gave us the ability to have a good life. Now it's time for us to support the next generation of students."
There are many ways you can join the Goods in supporting the bright future of DMU. Contact Stephanie Greiner, M.S. at stephanie.greiner@dmu.edu or (515) 271-1386 to learn more.