Meet Polk County Medical Society's President for 2003
Louis E. Schneider, D.O., Ph.D

Dr. Lou Schneider always thought about being a physician, but "I never quite got myself motivated in that direction." But he eventually became motivated and listened to his calling and became a physician practicing medicine in Des Moines now for 25 years. In 2003 he will take over the leadership as President for the Polk County Medical Society.

After starting his career in the physical sciences and research, it was not until he moved to Iowa that he found that motivation. In addition he found what would become a lifelong passion for collecting and supporting fine art.

Dr. Schneider initially came to Iowa, after earning his Ph.D. in Biophysical Sciences from the University of Texas in Houston, to do a research fellowship in Gastroenterology at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. After the 2-year fellowship, he stayed on at Iowa for 4 years as an Associate Professor. He loved the research and had a very productive couple of years, publishing 14-15 different articles and having some of his research show up in textbooks of medicine. But something was missing. Not only was Schneider disinterested in moving around the country to make his way up through the academic research world, but he was also tired of working with animals in what he says can be "a lonely, quiet profession." He really wanted to help people more directly.

Moving to Des Moines to go to medical school and do his Internal Medicine residency, Dr. Schneider ended up staying here. His decision to stay in the area was definitely influenced by the fact that his wife, Pat, and much of her family, live in the area. Dr. and Mrs. Schneider have loved living and raising their two children here.

Not for a moment has Dr. Schneider regretted his transition from a research to a clinical career. When asked whether he ever considered doing both he said that he had very briefly, but once he got into his clinical practice he found that "this is pretty much a 30 hour a day job."

I spoke with Schneider about the changes in medicine over his career and all of the issues that physicians must deal with, such as Medicare inequities and HIPAA laws. He stated that, "It is tough enough just to keep up with all of the changes in medicine, but then you have all of the political stuff, too. I think any field that deals with the government experiences that. You just get one thing down and then another comes. The only thing that is sure in life is that things are going to change." When it comes to Medicare, Dr. Schneider says that "We are just looking for what is fair."

As mentioned earlier, Dr. Schneider also found in Iowa City a lifelong passion for art. "There were so many good artists there," he explains. Artists like Mauricio Lasansky, whom Schneider likened to a present-day Grant Wood. According to Schneider, Lasansky "really is the master of a very popular present day printing technique. I became interested in his work and went to local art markets and started collecting there. And after I met my wife she got interested in it." They had gotten the bug, and although they ate "lots of beans and cereal, we did have good art."

Dr. Schneider's love of art has continued to evolve since moving to Des Moines. As he says, "You can track your tastes and see how they have become more sophisticated. The same can be said of any artist who started out very simplistically and developed a style over time." He has also enjoyed the growth in public interest and appreciation of fine art in the area. "People are genuinely interested, and I think they see it as a real cultural diversity." Collecting art "is an incredibly worthwhile thing to do. You support the artists. You support the arts in general. You aesthetically improve your world tremendously." And according to Schneider, "raising your children in a world of art has a huge impact on them."

Schneider and his wife, Pat, are very involved in supporting the community. He is a Board member of the Des Moines Art Center. When talking about Pat's involvement in charitable work, such as her role to bring Race for the Cure to Des Moines and in Junior League, Dr. Schneider does not hesitate to point out that "She's the star-'no doubt!"

The Des Moines medical and art communities are fortunate that Dr. Schneider did find his motivation to become a physician and his passion to support the arts. Polk County Medical Society looks forward to his leadership in 2003 and we're glad he headed west on I-80 to Des Moines to establish his career in medicine and his ever-evolving collection of fine art. \\Server\word\Bulletin\November-December\Member Spotlight Article-Dr Schneider2.doc