The School of Medicine community mourns the passing  of W. Kendall McNabney, M.D., an icon at the UMKC School of Medicine and highly regarded leader and dedicated Truman Medical Center medical staff member for more than 30 years in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Surgery.

After graduation from medical school and residency in general surgery at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, Dr. McNabney joined the Kansas City General Hospital staff, and served as an associate professor in surgery until he was drafted into the Army in 1968. As a board-certified surgeon, he was assigned as Chief of Surgery for the 45^th Surgical Hospital in Tay Ninh, serving until 1970. He returned to General Hospital after his military service and was hired by Dr. Edward J. Twin, General Hospital’s new Executive Director, as Director of Trauma Services. With a goal to improve the quality of emergency medicine care in the Kansas City community, he founded the residency training program in 1973, one of the first in Emergency Medicine, in the US. The residency program has since graduated 47 classes totaling 386 Emergency Medicine physicians, with many of those physicians serving in leadership roles at the School of Medicine and across the country. Dr. Bill Robinson, Dr. Mark Steele, Dr. Richard Schwab, Dr. John Ma, Dr. Matthew Gratton and Dr. Adam Algren, followed as Department Chair, and all have maintained the tradition and excellence established by their mentor.

Dr. McNabney served as the Chair of Emergency Health Services from 1972-1986. He was a Professor with the University of Missouri-Kansas City SOM since 1978 and served as Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education for the SOM from 1987-1999. Nationally he served as President of the University Association of Emergency Medical Services from 1980-1981, as a member of the Residency Review Committee for Emergency Medicine from 1981-1984, and as a director on the American Board of Emergency Medicine from 1982-1986. He was most recently serving as a member of the TMC Joint Conference and Quality committee, and his presence and insightful comments consistently fueled important conversation and action.

Read his obituary here.

As we enter the fall of 2021, there is exciting news about our students, still more impact from the pandemic and a vision for looking forward to our next 50 years. In August, we welcomed our 2027 B.A./M.D. class and held two White Coat ceremonies — one for our students on the Health Sciences Campus and, for the first time ever, a separate ceremony for the inaugural class on our St. Joseph Mosaic Life Care Campus.

It is always invigorating to welcome our students to the medical community, but we do so as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. We face the hard truth that the highly contagious delta COVID variant virus, which has fueled the fourth surge of cases in the United States, has infected almost exclusively those who have chosen not to be vaccinated. COVID is indeed a vaccine preventable disease — and we are seeing more hospitalized in the youngest age groups, for whom vaccination is not yet available. We now enter the era where a third booster dose is recommended for those who are immunocompromised, and other high-risk adults, and anticipate the approval of vaccination for children down to the age of 5 years.

As we reflect on the UMKC SOM opening its doors in 1971, we do so with the recognition that based on the 2021-2022 US News and World report survey, we now rank as one of the top medical schools in the country where graduates pursue primary care training. We know this aging teaching facility has served us well, but now we need to renovate our research space to facilitate modern cutting-edge research programs and progress on updating our classrooms and IT technology. These plans will allow us to support our continued research and funding growth and to increase our capacity to train diverse health professional students. We hope you will invest in us as our SOM continues for the next 50 years of our journey.  

Mary Anne Jackson, M.D. ’78
Dean, School of Medicine

The UMKC School of Medicine for 50 years has set the standards for patient care, research, service and education while assuring a strong foundation for the future of medicine.

As we celebrate our golden anniversary, we want to highlight the contributions of our first leaders, Drs. E. Grey Dimond, Richardson K. Noback and Harry Jonas; recognize our curricular innovation and growth of our research enterprise; highlight the expansion of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts; and spotlight our outstanding alums.

We are grateful for our exceptional clinical partners at Truman Medical Centers, St. Luke’s Health System, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, the Center for Behavioral Health, the VA hospital system and Research Medical Center. They have been instrumental in developing the clinical expertise of our students. And we welcome our newest partner, Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph, Missouri, joining our School of Medicine as the site of our rural health care initiative.

Over the next 12 months, we will feature moments of our medical school through the decades, and highlight students, faculty and alums across the country.

I ask each of you to send us an email sharing your most memorable moments. And mark your calendar for our Black Tie Dinner on June 4, 2022, where we will formally gather to reminisce with one another as we celebrate our 50 years of growth and achievement, and where we will outline our blueprint for the next 50 years.

Mary Anne Jackson, M.D. ’78
Dean, School of Medicine

Members of the first class of first-year medical students at the UMKC School of Medicine’s new St. Joseph campus are studying hard and preparing to meet patients in April. The campus aims to provide more physicians for underserved rural areas in Missouri.

The students, who all live in St. Joseph, attend classes at the school’s area within the Mosaic Medical Center. Each has a work station at the school, and a video-equipped classroom allows them to see, hear and participate in lecture classes simultaneously with students at the Health Sciences District campus.

Each year, the St. Joseph campus will add another class of 20 students till there’s a full complement for the four-year M.D. only program.

Look for a full report on the new campus in the next issue of UMKC Medicine, coming to you in May.

One year after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, UMKC School of Medicine Dean Mary Anne Jackson, M.D., says we are getting closer to returning to normal.

On March 11, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was officially declared by the World Health Organization, and we have since watched the unremitting spread of SARS CoV-2 across the world, with more than 29 million cases in the US and more than 500,000 who have lost their lives. Beyond the human toll, widespread and extensive consequences impacted a substantial part of the population in terms of lost jobs, depleted bank accounts, lost housing, struggles to know how we best educate our children and impacts on our physical and mental health. And we have witnessed the disproportionate toll on Blacks, Hispanic and Native Americans. Across our country, we were forced to change not only the way we navigated our daily life but within the School of Medicine, we had to confront how we responded to support our students.

As the pandemic unfolded, we were forced to make changes, to adapt and quickly evolve like we’d never done before in our 50-year history. And on May 18, 2020, just three short months into the pandemic, we celebrated the graduation of the class of 2020. The rapid changes we were forced to make in our curricular plans as we rose to the challenge of the pandemic, demonstrated flexibility and resilience as we ensured our students stayed on path to graduation. And our students responded with perseverance, determination, and an intense desire to continue to contribute meaningfully within the healthcare environment, learning virtually, participating in telemedicine and being part of the COVID-19 response team.

We are proud of the curricular innovation we brought to the meet the student needs and to ensure teaching, supervision, assessment, and student advancement remained top of our focus. We’ve also engaged with a mission and vision to meet the promise we made in May, 2020 to work toward social justice and to dismantle racism that has resulted in the cumulative effects of inequity in the learning environment. By listening to the voices of our students, staff and faculty and taking action, we ensured we stay true to our promise to transform our curriculum, to stay true to our mission and vision and that our structure, and function allowed all of our students to perform to the best of their ability.

But we know these curricular disruptions and lost opportunities to develop the collaborative relationships prevented them from fine tuning their skill set as we paused clinical rotations at the onset of the pandemic—resuming them after our class of 2020 had departed for their residencies. They lost the opportunity to build collegial relationships as their electives in their area of focus were cancelled, and they were unable to travel to present their research at national conferences—all of the final touches on their educational journey that they felt would allow them to be prepared for residencies.

Our students who graduated in 2020 were the first ever to finish their medical school journey with virtual electives, to have an entirely virtual ceremony to celebrate their match day and an entirely virtual ceremony to celebrate their graduation. We sent them off to residency programs in an era of uncertainty as we watched the historic spread of COVID-19 across our country and we brought them forward to the front lines of care. Each of our students who graduated in 2020 has a personal story of how the pandemic impacted them as they completed their education here at UMKC SOM.

We are now at a point that we have an extraordinary database and more than 100,000 peer reviewed publications in just one year that best informs how we diagnose, treat, and prevent COVID-19. We are at a point in the pandemic that we are encouraged –by the sustained decrease in cases, hospitalizations and test positivity in our community and as we welcome the advent of highly effective COVID-19 vaccines. We are moving ever so much closer to our goal of herd immunity.  Our commitment and ability to provide exceptional medical education that transforms and improves the health and well-being of the students and patients we serve has been our North Star throughout the pandemic—and the lessons we’ve learned will inform us for years to come.

A new year and a new semester bring hope and reminders that we accomplished much in 2020 despite all the obstacles a pandemic brings.

As an infectious disease specialist, I’ve spent my career studying communicable disease epidemiology. I’ve been involved in vaccine development and implementation, including in response to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza virus. But SARS CoV-2 is unique, and it has been unbelievable watching the devastating impact of this virus unfold with more than 88 million infections and more than 1.9 million deaths recorded across 218 countries and territories.

Within the United States as of Jan. 13, there have been more than 22 million cases and deaths have exceeded 382,000. A terrible milestone was reached twice in one week in January when more than 4,000 U.S. deaths occurred in a day. In our country, in our state and in our city, our hospitals have been challenged – we have dealt with the hard truth that at various times we have had insufficient open beds, shortages of PPE and a need for more nurses and other members of our team to care for patients. While we welcome the first ever COVID vaccines, and rejoice that more than 10 million physicians, nurses and other front line workers have received one of the vaccines, it will be well into this spring — if we launch a more effective implementation program — before we can safely say that the pandemic is under control. Still, our SOM is celebrating as vaccines have been administered to most staff and faculty at our clinical sites, while the vaccination of medical, PA and MSA students has started. That said, we continue to emphasize the critical importance of adhering with requirements for masks, social distancing and avoiding community or family gatherings that may put more people at risk.

This month, course work and clinical rotations have begun for the first group of students at our St. Joseph campus. Our partnership there with Mosaic Health System is supported by a $7 million grant from HRSA. This marks a significant expansion of our commitment to rural medicine, a pressing need in Missouri and many other states. At the Health Sciences District campus, our students have continued their education, not missing a beat as they move toward graduation. On both campuses, a careful blend of online courses and in-person clinicals promises to keep our students safe while giving them the patient interaction and docent learning that are hallmarks of our unique approach to training tomorrow’s physicians and physician assistants.

The final months of 2020 also reminded us that our commitment to research benefits us all. The School of Medicine has more than doubled the amount of awards we’ve received in the past 5 years. Most recently, Peter Koulen, Ph.D., at the Vision Research Center and Jannette Berkley-Patton, Ph.D., leading the UMKC Health Equity Institute have secured grants to further their vital work. One recent alumni, Apurva Bhatt, currently a UMKC psychiatry resident, gained national recognition for her findings on guns and suicide. And our students continue to be encouraged to conduct their own research through top national fellowships, our longstanding Sarah Morrison grants program, and student research events such as the Vijay Babu Rayudu Quality & Patient Safety Day and the Symposium of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship, which will be held virtually this year.

On Jan. 13, we bid farewell to our founding PA program director, Kathy Ervie, who is taking a fulltime clinical position with an orthopaedic group in Clinton, Missouri. After graduating from Butler University’s PA program in 1998 and receiving her master’s degree in physician assistant studies from the University of Nebraska, Kathy practiced full-time in the area of orthopedic surgery in our community before brainstorming and moving forward a plan to launch a PA program at UMKC SOM. She took a full year to build our program, which started in 2012 with Kathy as its founding PD.

With 92 graduates as of May 2020, a 100 percent certification exam pass rate and a 100 percent employment rate, the PA program has been vastly successful and is ready to expand in 2022. Even the disruption of COVID-19 did not stop the MMSPA program, as Kathy developed a contingency plan to avoid disruption of student enrollment, remain in alignment with ARC-PA accreditation standards, and continue to support student opportunities and assessment to meet program learning outcomes.

As I watched Kathy work with students over the last three years, I saw her as someone who communicated thoughtfully, asking her students to commit to their work as she willingly engaged in all aspects of their education. There are big shoes to fill indeed for the next PD!

We also mourned the passing of Dr. Louise Arnold on Dec. 17 and gave thanks for all she accomplished in 40-plus years at the school in posts that included associate dean for medical education and research. She served the school from its outset as a true pioneer and the foremost proponent in national medical education circles of our 6-year B.A./M.D. program and docent education. We deeply miss her, personally and professionally.

In light of all we accomplished in the past year despite the pandemic, we look forward to continued advances in 2021. Just as our students, faculty and staff are furthering our mission in medical education, research and service, I know that each of you continues to make a difference in people’s lives. Thank you for your continued support and your contributions to our legacy.

Mary Anne Jackson, M.D. ’78
Dean, School of Medicine

Recruiting, educating and graduating the students at our medical school are occurring in a time like no other. In the year 2020, as we confront the global COVID-19 pandemic, we also stand united in fighting the injustices and inequities that are emblematic of racism in America.

In our country, in our state, and in our city, hospitals have been overwhelmed and have dealt with the hard truth that we have insufficient beds, continued critical shortages of personal protective equipment, and too few nurses and other members of our team to care for patients. The physical and mental health tolls have required specific efforts to address and care for those who are suffering burnout and compassion fatigue. While we welcome the first ever COVID vaccines, it is likely that it will be well into spring of 2021 before we can safely say that the pandemic is under control. This stark fact underscores the importance of all members of our community adhering to requirements for masks, socially distancing and avoiding community or family gatherings that may place you at risk for contracting and spreading COVID-19.

The pandemic has amplified the racial and ethnic health care inequities that over the years have been rooted in systemic racism. As a people, as physicians, as health care professionals, we oppose racist ideas and behaviors and stand as advocates for racial justice, promoting open dialogue and active educational policies. We have consistently seen an over-representation of Black, Hispanic and Native American patients who suffer and die from COVID-19. This health inequity spans the age groups as we see Hispanic and Black children diagnosed and hospitalized at rates that far exceed those of White children.

Embracing a comprehensive approach to create and sustain a diverse and culturally responsive workforce that works toward eliminating health inequities is our mission. We have expanded our leadership within the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with our associate dean, Dr. Tyler Smith, and the addition of an assistant dean, Doris Agwu. We have engaged Professor Mikah Thompson, a critical-race scholar who has been instrumental in launching our first ever anti-racism curriculum. Dr. Diana Dark, associate dean in the Office of Learning Environment, has worked to assure that we meet the students’ educational needs within a culture of care, inclusiveness and belonging. Dr. Dark leads the Expect Respect Committee, working to reduce mistreatment at all levels. She has introduced the student ombudsperson, and is developing a faculty professionalism statement. Dr. Liset Olarte has created the Latinos in Medicine physician group to mentor our Latinx students. Dr. Melissa Lewis, a member of the Cherokee nation, will advance our recruitment of tribal students, and we hope to add curricular content she has developed that addresses the history of and solutions to health inequities that continue to affect indigenous peoples in our society.

We proudly will expand our campus to St. Joseph, Missouri, in affiliation with Mosaic Health System to recruit, prepare and encourage a workforce that will address the shortage of providers in rural areas. This effort, backed by an award of $7 million issued by HRSA, supports our commitment to train those who will focus on rural health care. The first student cohort begins in January, and all curriculum will be delivered where they will live and train. With leadership from Drs. Steve Waldman, Davin Turner and Kristen Kleffner in collaboration with support from our senior associate dean of curriculum, Dr. Nurry Pirani, we are confident that our pre-clinical curriculum will be seamlessly delivered on both the Health Sciences District and the St. Joseph campuses. Since the onset of the pandemic, Drs. Mike Wacker and Darla McCarthy and all of our faculty have been instrumental in ensuring that our students receive this content using a virtual format that is inclusive of what they require in the biomedical sciences.  The St. Joseph campus will maintain the docent system and the early introduction of clinical experience for these students.  As these students advance to their clinical curriculum, we look forward to their engagement with Mosaic physician leaders to guide them, similar to the expertise provided by faculty at our anchoring partners: TMC, Children’s Mercy, St. Luke’s, the Center for Behavioral Medicine, Research Medical Center and the VA in Kansas City.

We celebrate the growth of research fueled by the talents of Drs. Jannette Berkley-Patton, Peter Koulen, Gary Sutkin, Paula Monaghan-Nichols, Jared Bruce and Nihar Nayak. They along with many others have allowed us to more than double the amount of awards we’ve received in the last 5 years. We recognized this past month distinguished faculty and celebrated the promotion of 73.  Thank you to the work of Dr. Christine Sullivan, associate dean of professional development, and her committee, who selected the awardees after a SOM-wide competition. Those honored included Dr. Molly Uhlenhake for her contributions to Excellence in Diversity and Health Equity in Medicine, Dr. Gary Sutkin for Excellence in Medical Education and Research, Drs. Fariha Shafi and Peter Koulen for Excellence in Mentorship, Drs. Emily Hillman and Darla McCarthy for Excellence in Teaching, and Dr. John Wang for Excellence in Research. University awards were presented to Dr. Jennifer Quaintance for Excellence in Teaching and to Dr. Peter Koulen, who received the Trustees Faculty Fellow Award.

At this moment in time, I ask that each one of you know that you make a difference in people’s lives. The road ahead will continue to be challenging. Our students are our future health care leaders, and it is our privilege as the faculty and staff at UMKC SOM, to be part of that future. I believe we are in good hands.

Mary Anne Jackson, M.D. ’78
Dean, School of Medicine

Longtime School of Medicine faculty member Stuart Chen, M.D., Ph.D., died Oct. 17, 2020, at age 87.

Upon his passing, Dean Mary Anne Jackson wrote the following:

Dr. Chen completed his Internal Medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Minnesota. He then spent eight years at the West Virginia University School of Medicine prior to joining the School of Medicine faculty in 1977. As an early SOM Docent on the Gold 6 Unit and a Professor of Medicine, he joined Dr. E. Grey Dimond leading a large contingent of UMKC School of Medicine students and faculty on a trip to China in 1980. During his time as a Gold unit docent, he led 45 of our graduates from years 3 through 6.

Dr. Chen left the SOM and Truman Medical Centers for a three-year stent between 2001 and 2004 working as a gastroenterology consultant for the Rockwood Clinic in Spokane, Washington, before returning to UMKC and TMC. He continued this work until just recently when the COVID pandemic struck. Over the years, he has been involved in the education and training of countless students, residents, GI fellows and faculty. He was a dedicated medical staff member at Truman Medical Centers for more than 40 years, covering two tours of duty in the section of Gastroenterology Department of Medicine. Dr. Chen was a dedicated physician but more importantly, a gracious colleague who will be greatly missed by all of us.

Dean Richardson Noback, who worked together with Dr. Chen after his arrival on the faculty in 1977,  stated that “he brought dignity and strength with the experience of both the medical and research degrees to his roles in the School of Medicine. He was always attentive, courteous, gracious, strong, and measured in his interactions with patients, house staff, students, and others.”

Our sympathies are extended to his family, friends and all of the staff and faculty at Truman Medical Centers, within our School of Medicine and to his community of family and friends. His wife, Yeh-Jung Lee Chen, preceded him in death in 2018 and their only child, Jennifer Chen Tyler, a beloved producer at KCUR and columnist with the Pitch, died in 2019, leaving behind her husband, Erik Tyler, and a young daughter.

Dr. Chen’s obituary is available here.