For more than 35 years at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Val C. Sheffield, MD, PhD, has inspired those around him — not just through groundbreaking discoveries in genetics but through kindness, curiosity, and generosity.

Whether he’s guiding students in the lab, collaborating with colleagues, or connecting research to patients’ lives, Sheffield has built a career centered on people.

This lifelong commitment to others, paired with his many scientific achievements, has earned Sheffield the 2025 Distinguished Mentor Award.

His academic and scientific accomplishments, while exceptional, are surpassed by his collegiality and focus on the advancement of his trainees and peers rather than self-promotion. Val epitomizes integrity, concern for others, and the humble pursuit of truth. - One of Sheffield’s mentees

Putting people first

Sheffield joined the Department of Pediatrics in 1990 and has proudly spent his entire career at Iowa. He led the Division of Medical Genetics and Genomics for 22 years and is a founding member of the Iowa Institute for Vision Research, where his work has deepened understanding of hereditary blindness and other genetic disorders, including obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Early in his career, he helped create a high-resolution genetic map of the human genome, one of the first completed goals of the Human Genome Project.

One of Sheffield’s mentees wrote in a nomination letter that “one of the central themes of the Sheffield laboratory is to conduct science that impacts people.” As part of that mission, he invites patients to attend and share their experiences during lab meetings, so trainees can connect the science directly to those who live with the diseases they study.

“Each and every project initiated is to make life better for these patients,” the mentee noted.

For Sheffield, this patient-centered approach is deeply tied to his philosophy of collaboration.

“Early in my career, someone told me not to collaborate because the other person would get all the credit,” he recalls. “That’s just not true. There’s so much more you can accomplish together than alone — and there’s plenty of credit to go around.”

His long-standing partnership with vision researcher Ed Stone, MD, PhD, has reinforced that perspective.

“Ed taught me there’s always something you can do for patients,” Sheffield says. “Even if it’s just giving hope through research.”

Spirit of mentorship

A lot of early-career trainees don’t have much self-confidence. You have to teach them they are smart, that they have good ideas — and they should believe it. - Val C. Sheffield, MD, PhD

Sheffield’s mentees describe him as “supportive and nurturing,” noting that he doesn’t seek to mold students to his own image.

“He finds their strengths and encourages them to develop their uniqueness,” one mentee wrote. “His academic and scientific accomplishments, while exceptional, are surpassed by his collegiality and focus on the advancement of his trainees and peers rather than self-promotion. Val epitomizes integrity, concern for others, and the humble pursuit of truth.”

Those same values shape Sheffield’s approach to mentoring. He believes mentors should care deeply about their trainees, take time to understand them, and help them transform weaknesses into strengths.  

“A lot of early-career trainees don’t have much self-confidence,” he says. “You have to teach them they are smart, that they have good ideas — and they should believe it.”

He emphasizes that good mentorship means showing others “how to think rather than what to think,” and fostering self-motivation over external rewards — principles he once outlined in an article for the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“I’ve had wonderful mentors throughout my life, from high-school teachers to professors, colleagues, and family,” he says. “Mentoring others is a way of paying that forward.”

For Sheffield, the most rewarding part of his career is seeing his mentees’ energy and optimism.

“These young people want to make a difference, and that’s inspiring to me,” he says. “If I can help them succeed, then I’ve succeeded, too.”

Join us in honoring Val Sheffield, MD, PhD, during the 2025 Daryl and Nancy Granner Distinguished Mentor Award Celebration from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, in Prem Sahai Auditorium (1110 MERF).