Tag Archives: Facutly

Changes announced in Physician Assistant program, Department of Graduate Health Professions

-PRN, Faculty, PA, ,
Lindsay Abernethy
Lindsay Abernethy

Lindsay Abernethy, MMSc, PA-C, has been selected to serve as the interim program director of the School of Medicine’s Master of Medical Science-Physician Assistant program. The appointment is part of a recent restructuring within the Department of Graduate Health Professions in medicine and the PA program.

Abernethy takes over the role held previously by Katherine Ervie, who served as program director from the inception of the program in 2012 until January 2021. Abernethy will direct the clinical curriculum and provide overall leadership of the PA program.

She first joined the School of Medicine faculty in 2018 as an adjunct assistant professor. She previously served as assistant director of clinical education with the South University Physician Assistant Program in Savannah, Georgia.

Abernethy received her master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies from Emory University. Before joining UMKC, she was the first physician assistant to practice medicine on the island of Anguilla, where she provided family and emergency medicine care. Upon moving back to the United States, she found her niche in occupational and urgent care medicine. She continues to serve the Kansas City area through clinical practice one day a week.

Other staff and faculty changes include Laura Begley, Ph.D., serving as assistant dean for Gradate Health Professions; Sara Cox, MPAS, PA-C, as director of didactic education; and Stephanie Painter, MPA-PA-C, serving as director of assessment and student learning.

Begley joined the School of Medicine in 2009 as program assistant for the school’s Master of Science in Anesthesia program. She spent seven years as program coordinator for the Office of Allied Health and most recently was appointed associate director of the Department of Graduate Health Professions. She will provide leadership in accreditation and assessment, as well as supervision of student support personnel.

Cox has been part of the school’s PA program faculty since 2018 and will work to ensure that didactic curriculum content meets the program’s defined goals, student learning outcomes and accreditation standards.

Painter joined the School of Medicine in 2020. She will oversee the assessment needs across the program’s didactic and clinical curriculum to assess students for mastery of defined learning outcomes and competencies.

Two additional staff also have joined the department: Darlene Hirst as adjunct assistant professor in the PA program and Amber Blair as a student support specialist.

Edwin Kreamer, M.D., continues to serve as medical director for the physician assistant program and Julie Banderas, Pharm.D., will continue to serve as assistant dean and department chair for Graduate Health Professions in Medicine.

UMKC discounts available for Hospital Hill Run; volunteers welcome, too

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What could be better for your fitness than taking part in the 47th Annual Hospital Hill Run? How about doing it with a healthy discount on your entry free?

The UMKC Health Sciences District is once again a sponsor for the race, which will be June 6 this year. Through the sponsorship, all UMKC running enthusiasts, faculty, staff, students and alumni can get 20 percent off on registration for any race distance. Just register here and use the code WPFCUMKC20.

Kansas City’s Crown Center again will be the start and finish locations for all three race distances – 5K, 10K and half marathon.

Over the years, more than 170,000 athletes of all levels from across the world have participated in this event. Originated by UMKC School of Medicine founder Dr. E. Grey Dimond, M.D., the Hospital Hill Run served as host to the first USATF National Championship half marathon in 2002. In 2013, the race was recognized by Runner’s World Magazine as the 11th best half marathon in the United States.

UMKC faculty, staff, students and alumni who aren’t participating in the races may serve in one of many volunteer roles. Volunteers are the backbone of the Hospital Hill Run. Individuals and groups are needed to help unwrap medals; pack post-race food packets; sort, stack, and pass out t-shirts; distribute race bibs; set up and staff aid stations; cheer and steer participants on course; award medals; hand out wet towels, food, and hydration at the finish line; and help with event clean up. Volunteers can register here.

UMKC School of Medicine connects six leading Kansas City hospitals to launch health care consortium on patient safety

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The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine is launching a consortium focused on patient safety in collaboration with its affiliated teaching hospitals.

The UMKC Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety Consortium, an initiative created by the UMKC School of Medicine, includes faculty and teaching programs at Children’s Mercy, the Center for Behavioral Medicine, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Research Medical Center, Saint Luke’s Hospital and Truman Medical Centers. These six hospitals are the affiliated teaching hospitals for UMKC School of Medicine and already work closely with the medical school, providing residents, fellows and students clinical education and training.

“This is an exciting opportunity to bring together our hospital affiliates in a coordinated effort to raise the bar even higher on the safety and quality of care we provide patients throughout our community and our region,” said Steven Kanter, M.D., dean of the UMKC School of Medicine.

Peter Almenoff, M.D., UMKC professor of medicine and the Vijay Babu Rayudu Endowed Chair in Patient Safety, agrees.  “Together, we are combining our strengths to reduce preventable harm and ultimately improve health outcomes in Kansas City and beyond.”

Betty Drees, M.D., UMKC professor of medicine and dean emerita, oversees the development of the Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety Consortium at UMKC School of Medicine, which also aligns with the purpose of the UMKC Health Sciences District, formed in 2017 as a cooperative partnership of 12 neighboring health-care institutions on Hospital Hill. The UMKC Health Sciences District supports research, grants, community outreach and shared wellness for employees, faculty, students and surrounding neighborhoods. In addition, UMKC is one of only 18 institutions nationwide that offers a medical school, along with a dental, nursing and pharmacy school, on a single campus.

United in leadership, expertise, and resources in education and research, the consortium will lead scholarship and dissemination of local, regional and national activities directed to improve the quality of health care and patient safety.

The consortium will focus on four key areas in quality improvement and patient safety: a robust curriculum for learners; infrastructure support for projects and collaboration; promotion of research and scholarship; and improving community safety.

Activities of the consortium will be showcased at the annual Vijay Babu Rayudu Quality and Patient Safety Day at the School of Medicine. This annual event features updates on quality and safety by affiliated teaching hospitals; presentations of quality improvement projects by residents and students; faculty development workshops; and a keynote address by a national expert.

This year marks the 5th annual Vijay Babu Rayudu Quality and Patient Safety Day, to be held on Friday, May 11, 2018, at the School of Medicine. Dr. Carolyn Clancy, Executive in Charge, Veterans Health Administration, will present the keynote address.

According to Joann Paul, R.N., M.S.N., vice president of quality and patient safety at Saint Luke’s Health System, too many people die or suffer injuries due to preventable medical errors in the United States. “The consortium is addressing this issue first hand, positioning Kansas City as a leader dedicated to raising awareness and growing the resources needed for improving patient safety through quality outcomes research and training the health care workforce of the future.”

For more information, contact Betty Drees at 816-218-2582 or dreesb@umkc.edu.

About UMKC School of Medicine and Affiliated Teaching Hospitals:

  • UMKC School of Medicine improves the health and wellbeing of individuals through innovative programs in medicine, biomedical science, cutting-edge biomedical research and leadership in academic medicine. Academic options include an accelerated BA/MD program, an MD program, and master’s programs in Anesthesia, Bioinformatics, Physician Assistant, and Health Professions Education.
  • Children’s Mercy Kansas City is one of the nation’s top pediatric medical centers, with more than 700 staff pediatric subspecialists and researchers. It provides the highest level of care for children from birth through the age of 21.
  •  The Center for Behavioral Medicine provides comprehensive psychiatric care to patients from Kansas City and the seven surrounding counties.
  •  Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center is a patient-centered health care system with a 152-bed referral hospital and annex, six community-based outpatient clinics, and a mobile medical unit.
  • Research Medical Center is among the only tertiary care centers serving Kansas City proper, providing residents in Kansas City and a 150-mile surrounding region with exceptional patient care and leading technology through a broad range of highly specialized, state-of-the-art services, including a Level 1 Trauma Center.
  • Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City has served the health care needs of Kansas City for more than 130 years. In addition to being a Level 1 Trauma Center, it provides top level, state-of-the-art care through a wide range of specialized clinical services.
  • Truman Medical Centers is a two acute-care hospital health system, providing state-of-the-art health care to the Kansas City community. As an academic health center, TMC provides care from birth through senior years. It is the busiest Adult Level 1 Trauma Center in Kansas City.