From July 21-27, Iowans trekked across the state for RAGBRAI 2024. Several faculty and staff members in the UI College of Dentistry participated in the annual event. Check out the photos below from participants.

For Romulo de Souza, support services specialist in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, he has been riding with the Stead Family Children's Hospital team since 2016, but his team leader is retiring, so 2024 was their last ride together. 

"This year's team was very special to me. We had a great time and continued to reach out to the community along the route educating them about the importance of wearing helmets and following safety rules," says de Souza, "The highlight of this year's route for me was the Hitchcock House. I knew about the underground railroad network that helped fugitive slaves find freedom and being in that house was an experience that changed my life."

However, 2024 was the first year de Souza introduced his son to RAGBRAI and they are already making plans for next year's ride.

Another group that included Drs. Rick Walton (ENDO), Dan Caplan (PCD), and Kyungsup Shin (ORTHO), rode during the final day with a couple of Walton's friends, Kenneth Wall and Kurt Rogahn.

"We really enjoyed riding together from Mt. Pleasant to Burlington, and I appreciate Rick kindly providing us with transportation in his van," says Shin.

"It is always a pleasure to participate in this unique and special Iowa event," added Walton, "I have done this several times through the years."

Matt Geneser, clinical professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry rode this year with a few other UI College of Dentistry alumni as part of "Team Groucho." They also rode with others from "Team No Pie Refused." The group included Geneser ('06 DDS), Megan (Danforth) Rohman (DDS '12, PEDO '18), Michelle Johnson (DDS '12), and Daniel Johnson (DDS '12).

"Megan practices pediatric dentistry in Eagle, Colorado, while Dan and Michelle are married and own a practice in Marshalltown, Iowa," added Geneser.