Alan Koslow

By asking “Is there a doctor in the House, and shouldn’t there be?” Alan Koslow is striving to bring a physician’s perspective to the Iowa Legislature — a necessary perspective if Iowa is to successfully reinvent health care for the 21st Century.

Dr. Koslow is certainly no stranger to the legislative process. The vascular surgeon and longtime community activist has served on the Governor’s Task Force for Early Childhood Care, initiated the Healthy Kids legislation and earned national recognition for his advocacy of SCHIP insurance and stem cell research in the Iowa General Assembly.

As a state representative, Dr. Koslow intends to continue his devotion to helping Iowans live healthier lives while striving to attract and retain the finest doctors. His health care initiative will focus on the need to involve patients and physicians in designing effective and cost-efficient health care for all Iowans.

Besides his involvement with many firsts in medicine, Dr. Koslow has devoted his time to humanitarian efforts, from serving on medical missions to Eskimo villages and Israel to assisting after devastating earthquakes in El Salvador.

Closer to home, Dr. Koslow has served on numerous boards, including those of the March of Dimes and the American Diabetes Association. He has been a founding member of several Greater Des Moines organizations, including the Iowa Pain Institute and the 21st Century Forum.

Dr. Koslow’s devotion to community began in high school when he originated two programs that have had a national impact: the first allowed high school students to receive credit for community service, and the second established the first March of Dimes walkathon in New York City.

As an undergraduate and medical student, Dr. Koslow continued to earn recognition for his volunteer and community service. Following his residencies and fellowships, he served on the faculty at the Albany (N.Y.) Medical Center and Loma Linda University in California before settling in Iowa. Dr. Koslow and his wife, Margie, have three children: Christina, Scott and Elizabeth. The family has called West Des Moines home since 1995.