Barbara Alice Hope Latenser, MD, FACS

Barbara Alice Hope Latenser, MD, FACS, transitioned peacefully on June 15, 2015 after a 2 ½ year battle with brain cancer. She is preceded in death by her mother and father, Frances Haynes Hope and William Clarkson Hope. She is survived by her sister, Margaret Hope of Overland Park, KS, stepmother Barbara Hope, brother Eric Hope and nephew Jonah Hope, all of Fort Collins, CO. Her father was a military pilot and the family moved often. This instilled in her a love of travel which would follow her all her life. Barbara graduated from Fairview High School, Boulder Co in 1970, and the University Of Colorado School Of Nursing in 1976.

In 1977 Barbara married an Air Force pilot and once again began the cycle of moving. The couple finally settled in Las Vegas, NV. While her husband was overseas, she completed medical school at the University of Nevada, graduating in 1985, and completed a 5-year surgery residency in Las Vegas. The couple divorced in 1986. Barbara accepted a trauma fellowship at the hospital of University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. After her fellowship she became the Medical Director of PENNSTAR, the hospital’s helicopter team. From 1992-1998, she worked in Pittsburg, PA as a trauma and burn surgeon. She bought a turn of the century home in the historic Shadyside area and spent the next five years restoring the home to its original grandeur. This also would become a passion throughout her life. It was during this time that Barbara volunteered for Doctors Without Borders and went to Bosnia during the war. It was also during this time that she had the joy of meeting her soul mate Jim, whom she knows she will see in future lifetimes. They became involved in Operation Safety Net, providing medical care to the homeless at the street level. In 1998, Barbara became a Burn Center Director at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. She transformed the burn unit into a fully verified burn center and supervised the relocation of the entire center into the new hospital in 2002.

In 2004, Dr. Latenser accepted a position as Burn Center Director at the University of Iowa. She purchased the historic Milton Rumley house and completely restored the mansion to its original splendor. She was appointed the Clara L. Smith Professor of Burn Treatment. During her tenure, she received numerous research grants, resulting in over eighty peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Latenser’s dedication to international burn care and prevention took her to over ninety countries including Bangledesh, the Australian outback and Katete Zambia. She was responsible for getting a burn unit built in the mission hospital there and worked with the local people teaching burn safety, care and prevention. She also co-founded the International Outreach Committee of the American Burn Association.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 18, 2:00PM at Trinity Episcopal Church, 320 E. College Street, Iowa City, IA. with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Burn Association at ameriburn.org, or St. Florian Fire and Burn Foundation at stflorainfireandburnfoundation.com or through Allnutt Funeral Service, 650 W. Drake Road, Fort Collins, CO. 80526, (970)482-3208. Please visit Barbara’s online memorial at www.allnutt.com.