John William Colloton, who led the University of Iowa’s hospital through an era of unprecedented growth and transformation, died Friday, Nov. 14, in Iowa City. He was 94.
Mr. Colloton served as director of UI Hospitals & Clinics from 1971 to 1993, overseeing more than $500 million in construction of new patient care facilities and the expansion of medical services that established the institution as one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers.
“It’s truly remarkable when you consider the impact John Colloton made on our health care system, the university as a whole, and the health and well-being of Iowans and their families,” said Denise Jamieson, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine, in a statement release by University of Iowa Health Care.
At 40, Mr. Colloton became the youngest person ever selected to lead the hospital’s administration. During his 22-year tenure, hospital staff tripled and patient visits doubled. An estimated three out of five Iowa families received care at or through UI Hospitals & Clinics during this period.
Mr. Colloton pioneered a phased, pay-as-you-go approach to major capital projects that combined bonding and capital reserves rather than relying primarily on state and federal appropriations. The construction program included the North Tower in 1976, the Roy J. Carver Pavilion in 1977 and the John Pappajohn Pavilion in 1991. In 1982, the Iowa Board of Regents designated a new patient care addition as the John W. Colloton Pavilion in recognition of his leadership.
Born Feb. 20, 1931, in Mason City, Mr. Colloton graduated magna cum laude from Loras College in 1953. After serving in the U.S. Army, he earned a master’s degree in hospital administration at the University of Iowa in 1957.
In 1993, Mr. Colloton became UI vice president for statewide health services, focusing on health care reform and policy issues. He served in that capacity until 2001, when he became director emeritus of UI Hospitals & Clinics.
He served on advisory boards at Johns Hopkins, Yale and Duke universities and was elected chair of the National Council of Teaching Hospitals in 1979. In 1988, he became only the second non-physician to serve as chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges.
The University of Iowa awarded Mr. Colloton an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 2013. In 2016, he received the UI Hancher-Finkbine Alumni Medallion.
Mr. Colloton and his wife, Mary Ann, who died in 2014, were generous donors to UI Health Care and other university programs.
