Leadership

Linda C. Niessen, DMD, MPH, MPP, Kansas City University College of Dental Medicine founding dean and vice provost of oral health affairs, embodies the 2024 International Women’s Day theme “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.”

Students admitted to a new accelerated med school and dental school program announced by Pittsburg State University and Kansas City University will save money and time on their path to becoming health care professionals, getting them into the field of medicine more quickly at a time when physicians and dentists are in demand in rural areas like Southeast Kansas and Southwest Missouri.

Kansas City University (KCU), has named Elizabeth Alex as executive director of University Relations. In this role, Alex will provide strategic leadership for the development, implementation and measurement of integrated communications and marketing strategy to build, drive and support the image and reputation of KCU.

Over the years, countless KCU-COM graduates have helped to ensure our country’s safety and provided our service members and their families with high-quality, compassionate medical care. In the last five years alone, 116 KCU-COM graduates have served and/or will continue to serve our U.S. Armed Forces.

On this Veterans Day, we remember the extraordinary number of women and men who, throughout history, have selflessly dedicated themselves to protecting our country through their service in the United States Armed Forces.

KCU, the largest medical school in Missouri and the sixth largest medical school in the nation, and HCA Midwest Health, Kansas City’s premier healthcare provider, recently announced a principle affiliation that will strengthen the training of tomorrow’s physicians, today.

It’s Women in Medicine month and an opportunity to reflect upon being a woman in academic medicine a year into deanship at the Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine (KCU-COM).

KCU congratulates Jennifer Ingraham, vice president of Philanthropy and Alumni Relations, as the 2023 recipient of the esteemed Bernard Powell Award. The award is given annually to an alumnus or alumna of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Centurions program, and is chosen by past award winners.

She wants to foster an environment where faculty, staff and students can mentor and learn from each other, highlighting that mentorship can happen between any two people and sometimes in unexpected ways. “When people trust each other, they have the ability to be vulnerable without being afraid, and that translates into growth and self-confidence,” said Sharon Gustowski, DO. “Every person is important, and we all have something to learn from each other.”

His first patient, an 11-year-old girl, came to the office with severe abdominal pain. Dr. Heiles suspected acute appendicitis, a diagnosis that would require surgery. As a newcomer to the community, he had to rely on his resourcefulness to get his patient the care she needed.

Kansas City University and Florida A&M University, a historically Black College and University in Tallahassee, Florida signed a partnership agreement that will enable FAMU students interested in health sciences careers gain admission to KCU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Dental Medicine or College of Biosciences.

Kansas City University’s College of Dental Medicine received a generous $10,000 gift from the La-Z-Boy Foundation. The donation will support the Patterson Family Foundation scholarship challenge and brings KCU within two-thirds of the $1 million goal.

Kansas City University (KCU) President and CEO, Marc B. Hahn, DO, received the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Health Policy Fellowship (HPF) Lifetime Achievement Award at their annual alumni retreat for notable and sustained accomplishments in health policy, as well as demonstrable commitment to service to others in his public and personal life.