The University of Iowa College of Public Health is pleased to announce the recipients of the college’s 2025 Outstanding Alumni Awards: Robsan Halkeno Tura and James Skogsbergh. Tura, who earned a doctoral degree in community and behavioral health from the University of Iowa, is now assistant commissioner of health for the Health Improvement Bureau at the Minnesota Department of Health. Skogsbergh, who earned a Master of Arts degree in in hospital and health administration from the University of Iowa, has recently retired from Advocate Health.

This award recognizes College of Public Health alumni who have made distinguished contributions to the field of public health and demonstrated a strong interest and commitment to the mission, vision, and values of the college.

The awards will be presented to each recipient on the following dates:

Robsan Halkeno Tura will be presented the award at the college on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, from 12:30 to 1:20 p.m. in room C217. Lunch will be available on a first come, first served basis. A virtual option is available.

James Skogsbergh will be presented the award at Hancher Auditorium on Thursday, September 25, 2025 during the 46th Annual Samuel Levey Healthcare Leadership Symposium.

About the 2025 award recipients

Robsan Halkeno Tura received a doctoral degree in community and behavioral health in 2021 from the University of Iowa College of Public Health, a Master of Arts degree in public health education from the University of Northern Iowa, and a Master of Public Health in nutrition from Liberty University. He is also a certified health education specialist. Currently he serves as assistant commissioner of health for the Health Improvement Bureau at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) where he oversees the Divisions of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease, Injury Prevention and Mental Health, and Child and Family Health. He is committed to leading transformative public health policies and advancing health equity.

At MDH, he first served as director of the new Center for Health Equity, securing $25 million in grant funding to create the Regional Health Equity Network to address healthcare disparities. Two years later he rose to assistant commissioner of health and created the Health Equity Bureau which developed community-focused health initiatives, significantly expanding staff and access to public health resources across underserved populations. In his current role, he oversees a $345 million health improvement budget and provides executive leadership to statewide health initiatives. He is also an adjunct professor at Concordia University.

Prior to completing his dissertation, Tura served as director of refugee and immigrant health programs for the Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center in Des Moines, Iowa. He was later named deputy director of Blackhawk County Public Health in Waterloo, Iowa where he oversaw the county’s first joint assessment of community health needs, including outreach to underrepresented populations. He also has extensive experience in international health initiatives serving Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. His research and policy development efforts have garnered respect and recognition, making him a sought-after speaker at numerous national annual conferences.

He has remained connected with the College of Public Health, serving as a guest lecturer, hosting students at MDH to learn about public health careers, and frequently seeking to hire our graduates.

James Skogsbergh received a Master of Arts degree in in hospital and health administration in 1982 from the University of Iowa College of Public Health. He also has a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives certification. After a remarkable career in executive hospital leadership and administration, he retired from Advocate Health in 2024. He is known as a visionary leader on issues of industry transformation and innovation, health care reform, patient safety, workplace culture, population health, and transition to value-based care.

He joined Illinois based Advocate Health Care as COO in 2001, assuming the role of president and CEO a year later. The organization was then a $2.5 billion, eight-hospital nonprofit system with 24,500 employees. Under his leadership, it underwent several transformations and navigated two significant mergers. The first in 2018 with Aurora Health Care in Milwaukee, and later in 2022 with Charlotte, North Carolina based Atrium Health, creating a $31.7 billion system, employing 150,000 people across 1,000 care locations in six states.

Before joining Advocate, Skogsbergh served as executive vice president of the Iowa Health System, president and CEO of several hospitals in Des Moines, all now part of the UnityPoint system. He has held several leadership roles within the American Hospital Association including Chair of the Board of Directors.

He has received many national awards and recognitions including being named, one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare for eight consecutive years, the American Hospital Association’s Distinguished Service Award, and most recently, the American College of Healthcare Executives highest honor with the 2025 Gold Medal Award.

He has regularly shared his time, expertise, and encouragement with CPH MHA students, serving as an executive mentor, guest class lecturer, and keynote speaker at several Samuel E Levey Symposia for Healthcare Leadership. He has frequently hosted students at his hospitals in Des Moines and Chicago for group visits and internships, and our graduates as fellows.