Dr. Turner makes a huge impact in the non-profit sector after retiring from successful medical career

OMAHA, NE, September 17, 2021 – Deborah Ann Turner has been inducted into Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Dr. Turner, who passed away on January 28, 2024, excelled for 35 years in medicine specializing in gynecologic oncology. Just prior to retiring in 2015, she became active with the League of Women Voters (LWV) on the Iowa board in 2011. Additionally serving on the national board of directors since 2016, she was influential on the finance and governance committees and successfully chaired the diversity, equity, and inclusion committee. She was recently elected as the 20^th president of the organization and the chairman of the board of trustees of the LWV Education Fund in 2020. Apart from her work with the LWV, Dr. Turner was instrumental as an associate medical director for Planned Parenthood of North Central States, with which she was involved in teaching both students and residents.

As a private practice physician, Dr. Turner maintained appointments at the Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, the Mercy Cancer Center in Mason City, Iowa and the Genesis Medical Center in Davenport, Iowa. She also operated for many years in education, overseeing various academic programs and teaching both students and residents at the Medical College of Wisconsin, the University of Iowa and the University of Nebraska. As a member of Rotary International, she further contributed to Singida’s Medical Center in various capacities. Dr. Turner worked as a volunteer with Children’s Feeding Centers for Outreach, a vice president of international programs and medical programs for The Outreach Program and a traveling member of Outreach, through which she participated in more than 10 medical missions to Tanzania between 2010 and 2019.

Ms. Turner earned a Bachelor of Science in distributed studies/zoology, chemistry and psychology at Iowa State University and a Doctor of Medicine at the University of Iowa. She later completed a residency in obstetrics-gynecology at the University of Iowa and a fellowship in gynecologic oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Returning to her studies, she obtained a Doctor of Jurisprudence at Drake University. Dr. Turner was certified as an obstetrician-gynecologist through the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Commemorating her expertise, Dr. Turner was honored with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Care. She was also inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 2013 and accepted the Gertrude Rush Award from the National Bar Association in 2015. Dr. Turner additionally received the Louise Noun Visionary Women of the Year Award from the Young Women’s Resource Center in 2018.