John Colloton
John Colloton, originally from Mason City, served University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for 44 years, starting as an administrative intern and eventually served as director from 1971 until 1993.
To this day, the hospital he helped modernize honors his contributions. A large portrait of him hangs in the halls, and one of UIHC’s four towers is named for him — John Colloton Pavilion.
Colloton is credited with saving UIHC. When he came aboard in 1956, hospitals across the country were facing turbulent times. With the advent of Medicaid and Medicare, many were predicting UIHC’s demise.
Without any state funding, and without a background as a doctor, Colloton turned the hospital into one of the top medical centers in Iowa and the country — marking him as an expert in hospital administration.
He helped shepherd a $500 million capital improvement program from 1976-2005 that overhauled the medical center’s services and centers. Many consider it to be Colloton’s finest accomplishment in a lifetime of big achievements.
Colloton’s successes have earned him many titles, including being elected as only the second non-physician president of the Association of American Medical Colleges in 1988, and he received a Horatio Alger Award honoring distinguished Americans.