KCU News

The holidays are packed with travel, family gatherings and festive treats, making it easy to overlook oral health. With a little planning, travelers can maintain their smiles while enjoying the season. KCU’s Dr. Erinne Kennedy shares more. 

KCU has received a generous $300,000 gift from the William T. Kemper Foundation to help establish a Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics for Pediatric Cancer and Rare Diseases, in collaboration with Children's Mercy Research Institute.

Every KCU graduate has a story. Carl Inzerillo, DO (COM 1964), is about to add an exciting new chapter that will impact the entire KCU community. With a connection to KCU spanning over five decades, Inzerillo brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for osteopathic medicine as president of the KCU Alumni Association for 2025.

When 12-year-old Huy Nguyen and his family escaped Vietnam as refugees, they had no idea what their life in the United States would look like. They just knew they needed to leave their native homeland. “When we left, there was literally a bombing at the airport and we very narrowly escaped,” said Nguyen. 

Science and hope are a powerful combination for KCU researcher Ehab Sarsour, PhD, assistant professor of cellular and molecular biology, and fourth-year medical student Katiana Hebbert. The student-teacher duo discovered a new and promising avenue for treating pancreatic cancer by treating the tumor microenvironment and repurposing a drug designed for hyperlipidemia.

In 2023, generative artificial intelligence (AI) had its breakout year as we delved into the realm of AI-generated art, copywriting and chatbots. These captivating and practical tools are just the tip of the iceberg in a world where emerging technology continually finds its way into our daily lives. 

Emotions – they shape our self-concept, influence relationships, impact performance and color our overall experience of the world. Despite the universality of emotional experience, a nuanced understanding of them remains elusive for many. Through their own individual research within the Department of Health Service Psychology, home to KCU's doctoral program in clinical psychology, Drs. Jennifer Fugate and Nicki Zieber are each actively working to discover deeper understandings of human emotional perception.

With a seemingly limitless drive to serve those in need and a commitment to always doing what is right, Darwin Strickland, DO, has never taken the easy path through life. Today, the Strickland family continues to reach beyond the insurmountable, paving the way for countless future generations to rise above even the highest of expectations and creating a legacy worthy of the history books.

When doctoral candidate Kari Jo West (COB ’24) started her journey at KCU to become a psychologist, she never envisioned she would end up behind bars. That changed the day she began her role as a psychology intern at the Bureau of Prisons.

Students and faculty serving with KCU’s global health outreach traveled to Kenya, bringing care to underserved communities while gaining invaluable experience. Dr. Ken Stewart shares more about their impactful work.

Born into a family deeply rooted in osteopathic medicine, Lester Donley, DO (COM 1952), has spent a century embodying the principles of perseverance and community service. Kansas City University is proud to honor his remarkable life and reflect on his extraordinary journey as a veteran, a physician and a dedicated advocate for osteopathic medicine.

A KCU student had the incredible honor of guest hosting two episodes on the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Residents in a Room podcast.