From growing up in rural Iowa, to becoming an independently licensed social worker and assistant professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa, Dana Wickwire Cheek is utilizing her background to fuel her current passions.

She earned her MSW from the University of Iowa School of Social Work, Des Moines location in 2005 and then returned to the UI to complete her Ph.D. in Social Work in May 2024. Since then, she has focused on researching human behavior.

“A better understanding of how we and others experience and progress through our environments is what I, as a social worker, strive to gain,” she said. 

Wickwire Cheek’s current research focuses on healthcare teams in primary care settings. Specifically, she is studying management processes within those teams, meaning how these groups prepare for different outcomes regarding patient treatment and results. Wickwire had the opportunity to present her findings at a conference for the Society for Social Work Research conference in January 2025 and is now working on an article for publication.

Her own experience living and growing up in Buffalo Center, Iowa, has influenced her research. Wickwire Cheek has experienced firsthand how people struggle to access healthcare. While many volunteers serve as emergency responders, residents often travel up to sixty miles for basic medical care. Still, the deep sense of connection and empathy in small towns is unlike any other—something Wickwire Cheek believes is key to improving rural healthcare access. “In small towns, connecting with others, sharing our knowledge, and working together are essential for maintaining or growing our communities,” she added.

Wickwire Cheek plans to keep applying her unique perspective in future research, from studying healthcare teams to potentially building capacity in rural areas to improve health equity across the state. She also shared how her research on teams has greatly benefitted her other work as an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) professional, where she applies her into effective teamwork to drive positive outcomes for employers and employees. And, for cultivating collaborations with other rural healthcare providers.

Wickwire Cheek encourages anyone passionate about critical thinking and making a difference to consider research in social work, which allows for both. “Research is fascinating and not solely about statistics or math. It begins with critical thinking.”