Happy 2019, KCU family!
As we settle back in following winter break, I am pleased to begin the new year with the announcement of a key addition to our university leadership. Laura Rosch, DO, has joined our team as campus dean for the KCU College of Osteopathic Medicine in Joplin. Dr. Rosch will play an important role in the continued development of our Joplin campus to address rural health and primary care workforce needs and improve the well-being of communities in the region surrounding Joplin. We welcome her to our KCU family as we continue to build the best university team in the profession.
Laura M. Rosch, DO, Joins KCU as Joplin Campus Dean
Laura Rosch, DO, brings a distinguished career in medicine, education, advocacy and community leadership to the forefront of KCU-Joplin. As she steps into the role of Joplin campus dean for the College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Rosch will be responsible for managing and directing daily operations, as well as ensuring students’ well-being and success. She will also be closely involved in the integration of the Joplin and Kansas City medical school campuses. Dr. Rosch looks to expand research for Joplin medical students, develop graduate medical education and encourage students to model good health for the community. Read more.
See additional news below. And, be sure to stay connected with your university! Follow me @KCUMBpresident to learn more about the latest KCU initiatives and updates in the osteopathic profession.
KCU Scholarship Match 'Doubles Down' on Donations
KCU’s Scholarship Match is well underway with 127 alumni and friends giving nearly $250,000 since the program was announced late last year. KCU gratefully acknowledges the generosity of all of our donors who are supporting KCU's future physicians, researchers, scientists and psychologists through this matching grant. We extend a special thanks to alumni Dr. Darwin Strickland (COM ’65) and his wife Suzanne for their gift of $100,000, and Dr. Gilbert Kasirsky (COM ’74) for his gift of $10,000 . Donations made through September 2019 will be matched, dollar for dollar, through a $1 million fund established by Dr. Bradley Vince (COM ’98), Kansas City businessmen Brad Bergman and Tom McDonald, and the Jack and Glenna Wylie Charitable Foundation. Learn how to make a donation.
Children's Health Screening Program Scores Big Through Foundation Grant
Former NFL and Kansas City Chiefs safety Deron Cherry presented KCU with a check in the amount of $70,000 in support of SCORE 1 for Health. A KCU flagship program now in its 25th year, SCORE 1 supports medical education and children’s health in the Kansas City area and, soon, in the Joplin area. Annually, more than 520 first- and second-year students participate in the program providing health care screenings to over 12,000 children at 39 schools in the Kansas City area. KCU is one of three beneficiaries that the Deron Cherry Charitable Foundation supports via funds raised through Cherry's annual golf tournament.
Student Cheyennae Barbee Recognized by BioNexus KC
KCU College of Biosciences (COB) student Cheyennae Barbee was highlighted by BioNexus KC following her poster presentation award at One Health Day held at the Kansas State University campus in Olathe. The event involves groups from around the world that celebrate a collaborative approach to human, animal and environmental health. Barbee's research, comp leted under the guidance of Dr. Robert White, dean of KCU-COB, seeks to help people with anemia or bone marrow failure by identifying a new protein or pathway that would allow the creation of red blood cells. BioNexus KC supports interdisciplinary collaboration to advance human and animal health. Read more about Cheyennae and her accomplishment.
Alum Chuck Radis, DO, Shares Unique Early Experiences in New Book
Chuck Radis, DO (COM ’81), an accomplished physician, educator and author, introduces his latest writing, “Go By Boat," an autobiographical tome exploring the joys, frustrations and often humorous situations encountered when he was a new doctor setting up practice in Maine’s Casco Bay. Read more about Dr. Radis and his interesting encounters in the book's first chapter.
Read Additional Stories and the Latest Updates
We have more exciting news than ever before at KCU! In addition to the important updates included in this month's e-newsletter, be sure to check out the current issue of KCU Magazine and visit KCU News for other stories, such as:
