Troy and Grace Ivey
Troy Ivey, D.O.'89, and his wife, Grace, have always found ways to give back to their community and causes they believe in, including Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences. Dr. Ivey, a surgeon for nearly 30 years, who practices at Waverly Health Center in Waverly, Iowa, is a longtime adjunct faculty member and preceptor for DMU students.
"I enjoy taking on students not only to have them learn my specialty, but also to give them some life guidance," he says.
The Iveys will also have a positive impact on future students with their latest gift to DMU and its Purple & Proud Campaign, a named space in the Edge of Advancement Building on the University's new campus in West Des Moines. It will be a gathering spot for students, faculty and staff in the building that will be the "front door" to campus, with its adaptable learning studios, collaborative areas, open commons and campus support functions.
"I'm very grateful for the education I got at DMU. It set me on a path to where I wanted to go," Dr. Ivey says. "We wanted to give back and stay connected to the University."
Beyond Dr. Ivey's medical degree, the couple has a special connection to the University through their son, Bobby Ivey, a 2021 graduate of the DMU College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery and now a podiatric resident in Fargo, North Dakota.
Troy and Grace also met on campus. Patricia Hoffmann, D.O.'89, one of Dr. Ivey's classmates and now an anesthesiologist in West Des Moines, was a friend of Grace's from their undergraduate days at Loras College. The two women attended a DMU Coffee House on campus on April 12, 1986, where Grace met her future spouse. At the time, she was the corporate director of product development for a women's clothing retailer. The two married on Dec. 31, 1988.
"Troy was coming down the stretch in his last year of medical school," Grace says. "He was my tax exemption."
Through the years, the Iveys have watched improvements to the University's current campus; now they are excited about DMU's new campus.
"It's fantastic that DMU has the opportunity to have a new campus and all that comes with it, from new technology to new ways of teaching," Dr. Ivey says.
You could make a lasting impact on DMU in the same way the Iveys have, by contacting Stephanie Greiner, M.S. at (515) 271-1386 and stephanie.greiner@dmu.edu.