UI Health Care will begin a national search for the next chair and department executive officer (DEO) of the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation to oversee daily operations, strategic planning, and financial management of the department.

J. Lawrence “Larry” Marsh, MD, the current chair and DEO of the department, will step down from his leadership post in January 2026 and tentatively plans to remain active in clinical coverage at some capacity.

Marsh, who is the Carroll B. Larson Chair, has served as department chair for 11 years and was instrumental in planning and designing UI Health Care’s North Liberty campus—which opened April 28.

“Dr. Marsh has built a world-class orthopedics program here at Iowa while also leading the vision and planning behind a world-class facility that now serves as home to our orthopedic services—offering Iowans increased access to top-notch care and expertise,” says Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine. “Equally transformative has been his dedication to integrating education and research into every facet of the department’s mission. As he transitions from his leadership post, he has positioned the department for continued excellence for decades to come. I commend Dr. Marsh for his deep commitment to our mission of serving all Iowans.”  

Marsh joined UI Health Care in 1987 and has spent his entire professional career at Iowa. He served as interim department chair in 2013 and was then named chair in 2014; he also served as the department’s residency program director for 15 years prior to becoming chair. As the co-chair of the surgical services subcommittee, he has led surgical services at the university campus for six years.

“Since 1987, the University of Iowa, the Carver College of Medicine, the department, the faculty, the residents, and especially the patients have given me not just a career, but a professional purpose that has been second to none. I will always be thankful,” Marsh says.

During his time as chair, Marsh also held a variety of leadership positions among national orthopedic organizations. He was president and director of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, president of the American Orthopaedic Association, president of the Mid American Orthopaedic Association, and chair of the Orthopaedic Residency Review Committee in Orthopaedic Surgery of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Marsh’s clinical expertise is in orthopedic trauma and adult reconstruction. He has developed techniques of minimally invasive articular fracture surgery. With nearly 250 published papers, his research has focused on articular fractures and techniques of image analysis to assess the mechanical factors leading to post traumatic osteoarthritis. In 2018, he was honored by being in the first group to be included in the Carver College of Medicine Wall of Scholarship.

He has also been instrumental in initiatives that have led to new requirements for laboratory based surgical skills training for orthopedic resident physicians, and his research in this area has led to new skills assessments and validated skills training techniques.

More information about the search for a new chair to lead the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation will be forthcoming.