A heart for the mission, a mind for the work: Iris Wesley’s vision broadens care in Illinois

In 1980, Iris Wesley moved to Springfield with a background in university administration, a deep curiosity and a heart for helping others. What began as a role in grants and contracts at SIU School of Medicine soon evolved into one of the most impactful and enduring careers in the institution’s history. Over the next four decades, Iris became the driving force behind SIU Medicine’s transformation into one of the country’s largest university-affiliated Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) networks—now spanning 17 sites across central and southern Illinois.

As she closes out more than four decades at SIU, her colleagues agree: Wesley didn’t just guide the FQHC’s growth. She built it.

Laying the foundation for change

Wesley’s journey into health care wasn’t a planned one. With prior experience at the University of Missouri and the University of Virginia, she first joined SIU Medicine to work in clinical accounting. She quickly proved her mettle, rising to chief accountant for the SIU Medicine clinical practice before stepping into various leadership roles across departments. Each stop, including Family Medicine, Neurology and the Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, layered her understanding of academic medicine, clinical operations, grant writing and health policy.

“I was always eager to learn new things,” Wesley says. “That’s what made SIU a good fit. It gave me space to grow.”

It was during her early years in family medicine that she helped recruit a young faculty member named Dr. Jerry Kruse to the Quincy residency program. This would be one of many relationships that would shape SIU Medicine’s future. 

“She was vivacious and positive, and her enthusiasm for the department and family medicine in general rubbed off,” Kruse recalls. “She always had a vision for something new and better—and we had a lot of fun doing good work together.”

Wesley’s hunger to grow would soon lead her into what might be her most defining chapter. In 2010, she and longtime colleague and chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Dr. Janet Albers, were invited to a community meeting that posed a bold idea: What if SIU Family Medicine became a Federally Qualified Health Center?

The timing was right. The Affordable Care Act recently expanded support for FQHCs, and SIU’s family medicine programs already serve large numbers of uninsured and underserved patients. 

“Becoming an FQHC seemed like a natural step,” Wesley recalls. “But we had no idea just how big it would become.”

SIU Family Medicine received its designation in 2012 and never looked back. Under Wesley’s leadership as CEO, what began as a single site in Springfield has since grown into a 17-site network offering medical, behavioral and dental care, reaching thousands across the region. Today, SIU Medicine’s FQHC is the largest university-owned network of its kind in the country.

More than health care

Wesley’s vision extended beyond patient numbers or square footage. She, in partnership with Janet Albers, saw the FQHC as a platform to train the next generation of providers in real-world, community-based settings. The model now supports medical residents, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, behavioral health interns, medical and dental students, community health workers and more. Every year, more students leave SIU with hands-on experience serving those who need care the most.

That mission is fundamental to SIU School of Medicine, and to Wesley.

“Every decision we make comes back to this question: Is it the right thing for the patient?” she said. “If it is, we find a way.”

A culture of compassion and creativity

Her colleagues agree, Wesley’s leadership style is equal parts brilliance and warmth. She’s "wicked smart” and endlessly strategic, according to Albers. They know her as a dedicated early riser, a die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fan and someone who doesn’t just say she loves her job — she means it.

“She’s the type of person who knows how to balance a budget and bring joy to a department retreat with a silly hat or rewritten Dr. Seuss poem,” Albers says.

“She doesn’t just manage people — she develops them,” says longtime colleague CanDee Luttrell, who worked with Wesley in nearly every phase of her career. “She’s a mentor, a coach, a role model and a friend.”

That influence extends across the organization. “The infectious, positive nature accompanied by the influential display of the best data has been a great influence in the organization,” says Kruse. "Iris never shies away from a challenge. She always steps right up to the plate.”

That investment in others created a ripple effect. Teams stayed. Programs grew. And trust became the foundation of every expansion. “People believe in Iris,” Albers adds. “Because she always does what’s right.”

Outside of work, Wesley is fueled by family fun, mostly in the form of concerts, Cardinals games and school athletics. She has decades of leadership under her belt — and just as many ticket stubs. The Beatles were her first, and the concert chronology grew from there. It reads like a playlist of legends – The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Earth Wind and Fire, to name a few. Her daughter is her concert buddy, and she treasures any chance to cheer on her grandkids from the sidelines. “They recharge me,” she says simply.

Career capstones

In 2024, Wesley received the Illinois Primary Health Care Association’s Danny K. Davis Lifetime Achievement Award, the organization’s highest honor for leaders who advance health access in underserved communities. It was a fitting tribute to a career marked by vision, determination and deep community impact.

Wesley also helped secure millions in grant funding over the years, supported initiatives from Alzheimer’s research to communicable disease programs and played a significant role in key transitions like the move to electronic health records. But ask her what she’s most proud of, and the answer is “The FQHC,” she says proudly. “That’s the one.”

Kruse calls the FQHC, “one of the accomplishments of which I am most proud as Dean.” But, he adds, “of course, it was accomplished by Iris and colleagues.” He credits Iris for helping establish SIU as a national leader in community engagement.

As Wesley prepares to hand off the reins, her absence will be felt deeply. “There’s no one person who can step into her shoes,” Albers says. “It will take time. And a team.”

But Wesley’s legacy isn’t just in the buildings or the programs or the numbers. It’s in every patient who received care they wouldn’t have otherwise. Every learner who found their calling in primary care. Every colleague who learned to lead with heart.

“I might also say the legacy includes poems in the style of Dr. Seuss and Dr. Kruse, and a few Cat-in-the-Hat hats,” says Kruse. “Like our triple aim +1 that came from Family and Community Medicine—everything Iris touched became more effective, more equitable and more enjoyable.”

“I absolutely love what I do,” she says. “SIU and all the wonderful people I have worked with along the way gave me the opportunity to grow, to lead and to serve. I’m so thankful for that.”