Jamie Cook, Genetic Counselor 

Genetic Counseling Clinic

John Stoddard Cancer Center

My name is Jamie Cook and I am a genetic counselor at UnityPoint Health. I am an Iowa native and attended Iowa State University where I earned my bachelors in Genetics and Psychology. I then worked at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics as a translational research assistant where I connected current cancer patients with research opportunities. I graduated from University of North Carolina - Greensboro with my Masters in Genetic Counseling and previously worked at Cone Health in Greensboro, NC as a cancer genetic counselor before transitioning to UnityPoint. At UnityPoint, I primarily meet with patients who have a personal or family history of cancer to discuss genetic testing for hereditary cancer. I also see a variety of other general indications. In my free time, I enjoy cooking and exploring new restaurants, reading, being outside, and spending time with friends and family.

With the addition of the John Stoddard Cancer Center – Medical Oncology and Hematology Clinic, the central Iowa community now has access to comprehensive care delivered by a multidisciplinary team, covering the full continuum of cancer care services, from diagnosis through survivorship, all under one roof. This expansion allows us to provide an even more seamless and coordinated experience for you. 

Hybrid Support Groups

Stoddard Cancer Center has transitioned most support groups to hybrid meetings, so participants have the option of attending in-person or virtually. For information on when groups meet and how to join, click here and contact the phone number listed for the group you are interested in attending. 

Meals That Matter at Home

This program offers four weeks of weekly delivery of fruits and vegetables to the homes of cancer patients and survivors. If you are a patient of Stoddard Cancer Center, you can receive your pantry and produce boxes free of charge with a scholarship from the Charlie Cutler Healing and Wellness Program. To learn more or register, visit johnstoddardcancer.org and look under "Classes and Events" for current offerings.

Breast Cancer Education Post Radiation | March 9

12:00-1:00 p.m. | Stoddard Cancer Center, Suite 450

This class is free of charge and intended for individuals who have completed radiation to the breast tissue within the past 6 months. The class will provide general information regarding arm and chest movement following radiation therapy, along with basic information on monitoring your tissue and safe return to activity. For more information or to register, click here or call (515) 241-8505.

Cancer Related Cognitive Dysfunction | April 27

5:30 - 7:00 p.m. | Virtual

Stoddard Cancer Center and UnityPoint Health Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Services – Penn Avenue are pleased to offer "Cancer Related Cognitive Dysfunction." This class is offered free of charge to cancer survivors affected by cognitive changes caused by a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Participants in the class will:

• Be educated on what CRCD is

• Learn to identify and recognize one’s own symptoms of CRCD

• Practice strategies to improve memory

• Learn exercises to train the brain

• Learn how to get more help if needed

A link will be sent to registrants prior to the class.

For more information or to register click here or call (515) 241-8505.

Save the Date

Stoddard Cancer Center will celebrate Cancer Survivors Day on Sunday, June 28 at an Iowa Cubs baseball game at Principal Park. Watch for registration information at johnstoddardcancer.org under "Classes and Events" toward the end of April.

Black Women 4 Healthy Living

Black Women 4 Healthy Living (BW4HL) hosts the Black Women’s Health Coalition at Corinthian Baptist Church on the third Saturday of each month. The focus is on Black women and their health and wellness. Health Assessments are given monthly to measure progress. The group engages in some low-impact physical activity and discusses a health-related topic unique to Black women. These events are completely free, and ALL Black women are welcome to join. For more information or to register, visit www.bw4hl.org.They also host a breast cancer support group for black women.

Rooted in Nature

UnityPoint Health - Des Moines partners with Polk County Conservation to create health and wellness programs that are focused on improving health with a connection to nature. For a list of classes, click here.

Intertwined

Forest bathing (also called forest therapy) is a wellness practice rooted in scientific research that helps individuals engage with the natural world using all the senses in order to reap positive physiological and psychological benefits. It’s more than a walk in the woods; it’s an immersion into the full experience of the forest and nature. For upcoming opportunities, click here.

Cancer Support Community

Offers online support groups for cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. Click here for more information.

Kudos

Congratulations to Rachel Landgrebe, ARNP at the John Stoddard Cancer Center – Medical Oncology and Hematology Clinic, for being honored with the 2025 UnityPoint Clinic (UPC) Advance Practice Provider You Matter Award! This award recognizes those who go above and beyond - showing their patients, colleagues and communities they matter through inspiring engagement, meaningful impact and embodying our FOCUS Values. In this video, hear how Rachel’s contributions to UnityPoint Clinic have impacted her patients, colleagues and community.

Congratulations to Sarah Zeidler, Executive Director of the Stoddard Cancer Center, and Adam Haselhuhn, Senior Director of Development at UnityPoint Health - Des Moines on being named Des Moines Business Record 2026 Forty Under 40 honorees! This reflects not only their career achievements, but their dedication, leadership and passion for serving our community.

EMPOWER Boutique Volunteers Needed

Are you passionate about supporting patients with cancer? Are you interested in listening to their stories and helping them access affirming goods and services?

We are looking for caring, compassionate volunteers with experience navigating cancer diagnoses and treatment to help in our EMPOWER Boutique Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, anytime from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Our EMPOWER Boutique is a space where cancer patients can access free goods and services like wigs and wig styling, port pillows, head scarves, and much more. Donating just two hours of your time each week would allow the store to be open more and positively impact the lives of our patients and their families!

If you are interested in volunteering with us, the online application can be accessed through a link: bit.ly/m/uphvolunteerapp. If you have any questions or need assistance in accessing the application, please contact Erin Bode at erin.bode@unitypoint.org or by phone at (515) 241-8108. 

Mark your calendar for June 6, 2026. Rally Against Cancer, presented by GreenState Credit Union, is moving to spring and we can’t wait to see you there. This fun and impactful event will feature an incredible speaker, live music, food stations and most importantly, raises support for cancer patients at Stoddard Cancer Center.

We’re proud to introduce Cooler Heads’ Amma™, the first FDA-cleared, portable scalp cooling system designed to help reduce hair loss during chemotherapy. This innovative therapy gently lowers the temperature of the scalp before, during and after treatment, limiting how much chemotherapy reaches the hair follicles.

Current patients interested in learning more, should talk to their care team or call the EMPOWER Boutique at (515) 241-4243.

This is made possible in part through philanthropic support.

Thank you to the Polk County Sheriff's Office for their gift to Stoddard Cancer Center for the Pink Days Free Mammogram Program.

Thank you to Springfield Plastics for their Drain for the Cure fundraiser that raised $32,000 to support the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Program.

Thank you to Cops Against Cancer for donating nearly 200 care totes, plus blankets and hats, for patients at Stoddard Cancer Center and Blank Children's Hospital.

In the News

Catherine Schut from Prairie City owns Hive and Petal and delivers extra flower bouquets to Stoddard Cancer Center when she has extras. Watch this amazing story on KCCI.

Players from the Iowa Wild came to Stoddard Cancer Center to visit patients at our radiation oncology center and adult inpatient oncology unit leading up to the Pink in the Rink game.

On February 14, Stoddard Cancer Center partnered with the Drake Women's Basketball team for the annual Pink Game in support of cancer awareness.

Stoddard Cancer Center clinic and infusion staff were recognized during the Pink in the Rink game with the Iowa Wild. This event raised awareness of breast cancer on February 14.

Thoughts From An Oncology Social Worker

Deanna Rudolph, Oncology Social Worker at Stoddard Cancer Center, shares an article she wrote:

Last week, we witnessed what felt like spring on its way change into suddenly having a massive snowstorm at our feet. When spring left and snow returned, most people groaned and wished it away. I found relief. I found tranquility and beauty. I found rest and renewal. Much like the silence the snow came in, I found a similar silence in my soul.

I took a deep breath and remembered to pause. I had a reason to stop: to cuddle my children extra tightly for not just warmth and comfort, but also for fulfillment. My outpouring of attention and responses to stimuli and people that demand our daily lives became subdued for a while. I remembered to renew and to breathe deeply. I made soup and pulled my girls on a sled. We played and giggled. We do those things daily, but this day of graceful retreat to our place of refuge brought a deeper sense of peace. I felt it, almost palpably, and it soaked in so deeply into my soul that it felt like a duty to share my experience. It felt significant, like a life lesson. I felt compelled to tell everyone, so they too will remember to stop and breathe.

I often remember how I related to the children's character WALL-E (an acronym for "Waste Allocation Load Lifter - Earth-class," who is a sentient robot who runs on solar power, designed to clean up polluted Earth while all of humanity lives in space). WALL-E was the only one of his kind left because he thought to stop and sleep at night. The others had perished into the piles of rubbish - they never stopped, and their batteries eventually wore out completely. WALL-E took time to enjoy the things he found along his travels, and he learned by noticing small details. He tucked himself away to rest each night and, in the morning, he recharged his energy with a little sunlight. As he powered up again to start the new day, his little battery chimed a familiar tune: one that resonated with me, reinforcing my sense of relation to him - the nostalgic sound of a 1990’s Windows PC starting up.

Today, I truly felt like what I imagined he felt. I felt like a fully charged WALL-E, instead of like a low-battery toy that was about to stop clanging its symbols, as I have felt before. The snowstorm I had been wishing for, that I thought was just another chance to build a snowman with my girls and go sledding down our hill, ended up bringing a deeper life lesson and a bigger reminder than I ever imagined it would. We have all been told, "You can't pour from an empty cup." While I know this well and can often feel myself trying to defy it in nearly every facet of my life and in every role I fill, it is something I continually struggle to consciously consider. I tell my patients this same statement multiple times per week, and yet, I too-often forget to stop and consider what it really means and notice when I need to take the time to rest. I felt the presence of renewal today - a figurative startup chime - and the lesson it provided didn't come planned or in an obvious, in-your-face, and loud sort of way that we expect lessons to present themselves. It came quietly, like snow in the night. A truly grand snow that I will remember for a lifetime.

To my readers, I urge you to take time to notice when you need rest. Practice noticing moments when you are mentally tired and need to get your physical body stretched. Once you are tired physically, your mind will rest that much easier. Do not let yourselves pour so long and so hard, that you become the low battery toy. Let yourselves renew and refill, so we are WALL-E in our circles. This is a brave venture, but I hope you found my story to be a testament to show how important it really is to stop and just be present with ourselves and fill our souls with sunshine.  

One-Pot Miso-Turmeric Salmon and Coconut Rice

Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.

By Yasmin Fahr

Yield: 4 servings

Total Time: 40 minutes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Drivers needed! Help cancer patients get to treatments. To learn more and to volunteer visit cancer.org/drive or HIRTAHelps.org.

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Ideas for the newsletter? Send your ideas and suggestions to Gina Mandernach at gina.mandernach@unitypoint.org.