President’s Message: 
An important time to connect

We all remember how nice a spring weekend in Kansas City can be. I hope you’ve made your plans to reconnect with classmates and friends during the Alumni Reunion Weekend activities on April 21-22. If not, there is still time! This will be my last reunion as president of the alumni and partners board, and I would like to thank as many of you as I can personally for your continuing contributions.

On Thursday, April 20, the UMKC Annual Alumni Awards luncheon will include recognition of the School of Medicine Alumnus of the Year, Latha Sivaprasad, M.D. ’99. Should you wish to attend and personally congratulate Latha, ticket information is available at the UMKC Alumni website. She is chief medical officer and senior vice president at Rhode Island Hospital, and was formerly chief of patient experience at Beth Israel Medical Center. Congratulations, Latha!

The alumni weekend activities start with the Alumni Reunion Reception open to all in honor of the milestone classes at Rockhill Grille on Friday, April 21, at 5:30 p.m.  On Saturday, April 22, events include a tour of the School of Medicine at noon and the Reunion Dinner at Lidia’s Kansas City starting with a reception at 6 p.m.

If you haven’t been to Hospital Hill in several years, I highly recommend the tour of the school. The changes on the Hill are impressive and it’s always good to see the familiar environment in the school while checking out the renovated docent units.

The School of Medicine continues to innovate and produce patient-centered physicians serving and leading in communities around the globe. Your presence, connection to the school, and support in whatever fashion you choose are important to furthering this approach to educating physicians and supporting the students.

I am looking forward to seeing you in Kansas City on April 21 and 22!

Lt. Gen. Mark Ediger, M.D. ’78, M.P.H.
President, National Board of Alumni & Partners

Alumni Weekend: Save the date!

Don’t miss this important chance to catch up with classmates, relive memories and strengthen your connection with the school. Salute the milestone classes of 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002 and 2007. A reception, reunion dinner and tour of the school are open to all, but make your reservations soon. Visit http://med.umkc.edu/alumni-services/reunion/. For reunion accommodations, please consider our hotel partner, Kansas City Marriott Country Club Plaza.

Take Wing Award honors Divya Shroff

Divya Shroff, M.D. ’00, F.H.M., has been selected to receive the 2017 E. Grey Dimond, M.D., Take Wing Award. Shroff is the chief medical officer of TriStar Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is responsible for medical affairs and leadership of more than 1,000 physicians. Her previous achievements include serving as associate chief of staff for informatics at the Washington, D.C., VA Medical Center, where she led nationally recognized information technology projects. Those included Blackberry EKG transmission for off-site cardiologists, developing an electronic provider handoff tool, and inpatient interactive bedside televisions that communicate with the VA’s electronic medical records. Shroff will present the annual Take Wing lecture at noon on Monday, May 22, in the School of Medicine’s Theater A, and that afternoon, will address the Class of 2017 during the School of Medicine commencement ceremony at the Kansas City Music Hall. Look for a full interview with her in the May edition ofUMKC Medicine.

Join us at MSMA

The UMKC School of Medicine will be the host for an Alumni Reception at the 159th Missouri State Medical Association’s Annual Convention on Friday, March 31. Join us from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center for complimentary hors d’oeuvres and refreshments. RSVP to Ruth Grimsley at grimsleyr@umkc.edu.

New RMC chief medical officer values UMKC roots

For Olevia Pitts, M.D. ’86, becoming Research Medical Center’s chief medical officer was a logical next step in the city she loves. “I’ve had plenty of opportunities to go elsewhere, but no desire to leave Kansas City,” Pitts said. Research is HCA Midwest’s largest hospital and one of the medical school’s affiliate partners. In announcing her appointment, Research noted her 20 years of experience in local physician leadership. Pitts also noted that in 1980, she was one of the first students from Kansas City, Kansas, to be admitted to the B.A./M.D. Program. Read more>>

Upcoming Events

Christopher Y. Thomas, M.D. Lectureship 2017: Edward Lumsdaine, Ph.D.
April 7

UMKC 2017 Alumni Awards Luncheon
April 20

SOM Alumni Reunion Weekend
April 21-22

Health Sciences Student Research Summit 2017
April 26

Dean’s Visiting Professor Series: Nancy Hardt, M.D.
April 27

Quality Patient Safety Day 2017
May 12

Take Wing Award Lecture and Commencement
May 22