Kansas City Health Department appoints KCU faculty member Benjamin Grin, MD, MPH, as Chief Medical Officer

(Kansas City, MO, March 7, 2023) - Benjamin Grin, MD, MPH, assistant professor of primary care at Kansas City University (KCU) has been appointed chief medical officer of the Kansas City Health Department (KCHD). Grin will serve in a newly created role to support KCHD Director Marvia Jones, PhD, MPH.

In this new medical advisory role Grin will provide strategic direction for KCHD clinical programs and onsite clinics that serve the residents of Kansas City, Missouri. His responsibilities will include optimizing processes and training leadership and staff on medical issues.

“On behalf of the Health Department and the City, I am happy to welcome Dr. Grin to our leadership team,” said Jones. “We are honored that he has chosen to share his expertise with our staff of public health professionals who are dedicated to serving and improving the health and quality of life of residents. Through his advisory role here at KCHD, he will bring important insights to our discussions and challenges. I look forward to accomplishing good things with Dr. Grin.”

Grin’s extensive clinical and research work with marginalized populations bring a unique perspective to the department. He is an assistant professor of primary care at the KCU College of Osteopathic Medicine. Additionally, Dr. Grin maintains an active clinical practice at the KC CARE Health Center where his clinical work includes primary care, HIV care and treatment of patients with substance use disorders.

As a faculty member at KCU, Grin’s appointment at KCHD reinforces an already strong relationship between KCU and KCHD. During the pandemic, KCU faculty, staff and students assisted the health department perform tens of thousands of vaccinations throughout the community. “Our mission to improve the well-being of the communities we serve aligns with the charge of the KCHD,” said Marc B. Hahn, DO, president and chief executive officer for KCU. “Dr. Grin’s roles as both chief medical officer at KCHD and KCU professor demonstrates solidarity and commitment by both organizations to population health and health equity.”

“I am thrilled to join the leadership team at KCHD and am thankful for the opportunity to serve our community,” Grin said. “I look forward to supporting the KCHD’s director, Dr. Jones, as the Department

addresses critical health inequities and creates a healthier environment for all residents of Kansas City, Missouri.”

Grin earned his bachelor of arts and master of public health degrees from Brown University and his doctor of medicine degree from Tufts University School of Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School, Boston.

About Kansas City University

Kansas City University, founded in 1916, is a fully accredited, private not-for-profit health sciences university with Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, Biosciences and a new College of Dental Medicine. The University offers multiple graduate degrees: a doctor of osteopathic medicine; a doctorate in clinical psychology; a master of arts in bioethics; a master of science in biomedical sciences; a master of business administration in partnership with Rockhurst University; a master of public health in partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center; and will seat the first doctor of dental medicine students in 2023. The medical school is the sixth largest, the ninth most impactful in primary care and the tenth most affordable of private medical colleges in the nation. It is also the leading producer of physicians for both Missouri and Kansas.

KCU has two campuses in Kansas City and Joplin, Missouri, to address the growing population health needs of both urban and rural communities in the region.