For the second straight year, a University of Iowa immunology team took home the Knowledge Bowl championship title at the American College of Rheumatology’s Annual Meeting, held this year Nov. 6–11 in San Francisco. 

The UI squad not only created history by being the first team to secure back-to-back Knowledge Bowl victories, but also broke the all-time high score—previously set by the University of Iowa. The team included second-year fellows Vijay Aluri, M.D.; and Bharat Kumar, M.D.; and Assistant Professor Namrata Singh, M.B.B.S.

Rheumatology fellows from across the nation demonstrate their trivia chops in this lively and spirited annual competition, modeled on the popular television program Jeopardy! This year, the UI team (named the Hawkeyes, naturally) vanquished 16 other teams from around the world. In the finals, they initially faced stiff competition from Massachusetts General Hospital (Ropes-a-Dopes) and the University of Texas–Galveston (Gulls of Galveston), but a decisive victory appeared in sight by the end of the third round.

“It’s a little intimidating to be up on stage, but gazing into the crowd and seeing our attendings, co-fellows, and other colleagues waving banners, brandishing oversized yellow foam fingers, and wearing gold-and-black T-shirts melted away any anxieties that we had,” says Kumar. 

The team earned complimentary registration and hotel accommodations for the 2016 American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting, to take place Nov. 11–16, 2016, in Washington, D.C. The Hawkeyes will again have the chance to defend their championship title.