DR. EMILY IKER — CLASS OF 1981

As the Founder and Director of the Lymphedema Center in Santa Monica, California, Dr. Emily Iker’s dream of becoming an accomplished physician has been recognized many times over, touching and changing the lives of thousands. Dr. Iker is a woman who has surmounted immense challenges, never losing focus of her goal. Her resolve and inner strength is matched only by kindness and humility, as she lauds those who have helped her achieve her lifelong dream of practicing medicine.

THE PURSUIT OF A DREAM

Her journey has by no means been easy. Born in Czechoslovakia, Dr. Iker’s potential went unrecognized and unsupported by the very people who should have been keenly aware of her gifts. Hard to imagine, this dedicated and brilliant woman was told that she was not “university material” by a high school teacher. Dr. Iker’s relentless determination, which she often relies on throughout her personal and professional life, enabled her to push forward toward her ultimate goal.

Dr. Iker knew she had to leave her native land if she were to pursue her dream of practicing medicine. In 1968, during the height of the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia, she fled her country and embarked on her long and arduous journey through academia.

When she first arrived in the United States, she settled in California, working tirelessly as a seamstress to help pay bills. Dr. Iker attributes her excellent dexterity to her years working with a needle and thread. Not surprising, she seems to find the positives in most situations. A mindset she continually applies to all aspects of her remarkable life.

In 1973 she enrolled in the premedical program at the University of California, Los Angeles and worked in a private orthopedic office to help pay her tuition. During that time she discovered that she had lymphoma. Determined to not let the disease interfere with her studies, she finished her chemotherapy and graduated from UCLA simultaneously.

Dr. Iker was now ready to embark on the next phase of her education, but she struggled to find a university where she felt she would thrive. She had seen an article in the newspaper about an English language medical school in Grenada. After researching the program, she applied and was accepted in 1977, thus becoming a member of the second class to enter SGUSOM.

THE ROLE OF AN INSTITUTION

Dr. Iker is eager to mention that SGU embraced her both as a student and an individual. In spite of working several jobs as an undergraduate, Dr. Iker had limited financial resources at the time. The SGU Administration realized her enormous potential, and offered her the student loans she required to attend the University. Loans, she explains, which took her 12 years to pay back. She
respects Chancellor Modica for “his vision and guts,” and the encouragement and support he provided all the students at SGU. She reflects back to those years with much admiration for the Administration, and credits them for helping her fulfill her dream.

AN ALTERED PATH LEADS TO LIFE’S WORK

After graduation, she interned at St. Clare’s Hospital and Health Center in New York. She remained in New York as a surgical resident at Cabrini Medical Center for two years. During that time, Dr. Iker, having beaten cancer, developed lymphedema — a chronic condition which results in extreme swelling of the limbs. It is the effect of the accumulation of fluid and other elements, such as proteins in the interstitial tissue arising from congenital malfunction of the lymph system or damage to lymph vessels or lymph nodes. Lymphedema is a condition commonly seen in cancer patients.

Dr. Iker’s resolve gave her the strength to fight through the daily struggles with pain and fatigue. After much consideration, she decided to change her medical specialty from surgery to rehabilitation. She felt this field of medicine would better accommodate the physical limitations caused by her condition. She completed her Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency at New York Medical College.

From 1987–1992, Dr. Iker returned to California to work with Dr. Robert Watanabe, a prominent Orthopedic Surgeon in West Los Angeles. As his associate, she specialized in the area of rehabilitation for sports medicine both preand post-surgery. Dr. Watanabe would become “the most influential individual in her professional life,” said Dr. Iker, providing the guidance and motivation that would lead her to her life’s work in the study of lymphedema.

During those years, Dr. Iker struggled to find assistance with her condition. She was struck by the lack of information and treatment options available for lymphedema. In 1992, with the encouragement of her mentor, Dr. Watanabe, she opened the Lymphedema Center in Santa Monica. Sadly, Dr. Watanabe passed away from lymphoma later that year, the same disease Dr. Iker battled 15 years earlier.

“I can understand and sympathize with patients, because after surviving cancer I developed lymphedema in my right leg. That fact helped me decide to commit my life to lymphedema management, and hopefully to its cure. So, I understand this condition on a personal level, and as a committed doctor.”

TRIUMPHANT IN SHARED SUCCESS

As Director of the Lymphedema Center, Dr. Iker focuses on diagnosis, management and treatment of lymphatic disorders. She is certified by Professor A. Leduc, PhD, a world renowned leader in the research and treatment of lymphedema. She is a member of many Lymphological Societies including ISL, GEL, both Slovak and Czech Lymphological Societies where she was awarded the Honorary Membership of the Lymphological Association of J.E. Purkyne, in 1999.

Dr. Iker is now the Vice President of the American Society of Lymphology. She is board certified by the American Boards of Holistic Medicine and is a staff member of Santa Monica – UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Iker teaches and lectures nationally and internationally, and is not only the Director of the Lymphedema Center but a patient as well. A few years ago, Dr. Iker married a business man whose flexible schedule enable them to travel the world together on her extensive lecture tours.

Dr. Iker feels privileged to help individuals with this condition. So many go undiagnosed for too long. To finally receive a diagnosis, particularly by someone who has experienced the same anguish and uncertainty first hand, brings them much relief and hope.

Dr. Iker believes that the profession she has chosen was in reality, chosen for her, and it is “why God put her on this planet.” With that in mind, she instills in all her patients the importance of embracing life with a positive attitude. She also incorporates a spiritual approach when treating her patients, specifically meditation and visualization. Dr. Iker practices this first hand, believing that by visualizing yourself healthy you can improve your overall well being.

As a youth in Czechoslovakia, Dr. Iker spent many years as a gymnast conquering the balance beam. She believes her perseverance is rooted in those years where she first learned the importance of falling and getting right back up. Dr. Iker equates much of her career path to walking on the balance beam, having gracefully stood up to demonstrate a determination which each day benefits the lives of others.