Service

Many of today’s pharmaceutical drugs are derived from plant compounds, including some of the most common medications in the U.S. At KCU, a new medicinal garden on the Kansas City campus is inspiring students to explore the connection between plants and medicine.

First-year students in KCU's College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Dental Medicine and College of Biosciences traded the classroom for volunteerism when they joined faculty and staff in the University’s time-honored tradition of We Care Day. 

At KCU, empathy means caring for our students, our colleagues and our communities. Many times, that happens outside the walls of the classroom. One student organization is using their hands to heal and help others long before they earn their credentials as doctors and dentists.

The funding is part of Delta Dental of Missouri’s 2024 mission giving initiatives, which included awarding nearly $350,000 in oral health grants to eight organizations to support oral health initiatives, educational programs and charitable causes across the state.

When second-year student Leah Wu envisioned what medical school would be like, she never imagined that one day it would offer the opportunity to treat potential Major League Baseball players.

Megan Ottomeyer, DO, a neonatologist and assistant professor of pediatrics at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, did not go into medical school at KCU thinking she’d end up working with the tiniest of patients. Instead, she thought she’d end up in emergency medicine, hematology-oncology, or one of many different pediatric specialties. It wasn’t until she joined KCU’s Global Health Track program on a trip to Kenya that she changed her career trajectory—and her life.

On a frigid Saturday morning, equipped with a collapsible bucket for water, an array of ointments and bandages and new pairs of shoes and socks, KCU Student-Run Clinic volunteers hosted their second FreshStep clinic within a year for people experiencing homelessness in Kansas City.

Shelby Davenport silently struggled with an undiagnosed vision condition until a Score 1 for Health screening changed everything.

KCU Score 1 for Health and OneSight continued their long-time partnership with a week-long clinic to provide free eye exams and glasses to children from over 100 schools across the metropolitan area. 

You might think a medical student, miles from her home in Maui would feel helpless as she watched videos of her home island on fire. But “helpless” is not a word that would describe Kenya Sherman. Not by a long shot.

As medical students, members of KCU’s Student-Run Clinic know that feet can be a window into a patient’s overall health. In an effort to improve the health and wellness of Kansas City’s underserved and unhoused community, the Student-Run Clinic designed and implemented a unique experience in foot health called FreshStep.

It has been a long wait for KCU students and faculty who have a passion for service learning in Africa. In November of 2022, they finally got the opportunity to return to Kenya for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began.