Oliver, Dr. Denis R.

Dr. Denis R. Oliver, 68, of Iowa City, died Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010, at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy in Hiawatha.

Denis R. Oliver was born Nov. 12, 1941, in Santa Barbara, Calif., the son of Alexander G. and Helen O. (Halbert) Oliver. Following graduation from high school, he attended El Camino College and graduated from California State University at Long Beach. He then completed his Ph.D. degree in zoology and biochemistry in 1971 at the University of Iowa. Dr. Oliver was recruited to teach at the university, teaching biochemistry to the first class of physician assistants enrolled in the university's newly established PA program. This led to associate director of the program, and within three years he was named director, a position he served for the next two decades. In 1995, he was also named head of Division of Associated Medical Sciences in the Carver College of Medicine. Dr. Oliver had been a member of numerous professional and academic organizations and associations along with being recognized numerous times for his accomplishments in this field. Under his leadership the program has become a leader in the country, and has enjoyed international recognition. Dr. Oliver retired in 1997, but remained active as a professor emeritus for several more years.

His family includes a sister, Jean Kendall of Spokane, Wash.; and two brothers, Robert Oliver of Terrebonne, Ore., and John Oliver of Colorado.

A gathering of family and invited guests was held at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service. Burial will take place in Lompac, Calif., at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in his memory to the Dr. Denis R. Oliver Physician Assistant Scholarship Fund c/o University of Iowa Foundation and to the attention of Ms. Tori Erickson.