Angela Walker Franklin, president and CEO of Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences, has been named a recipient of Insight Into Academia Magazine’s 2026 Trailblazer in Higher Education Award, recognizing leaders for advancing innovation, community, and measurable institutional impact. Since joining DMU in 2011, Franklin has overseen the university’s largest expansion, including the completion of a new 88-acre campus in West Des Moines during the pandemic, the launch of new academic programs and the establishment of the DMU Regional Simulation Center. Her leadership has also driven a $51 million philanthropic campaign and national recognition for DMU as a top primary care educator. Franklin will be featured among 17 honorees in Insight Into Academia’s March 2026 issue.
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