Kansas City University (KCU) has been awarded a one-year $273,000 grant from the Patterson Family Foundation (the Foundation) to launch a new initiative designed to strengthen health care access in rural communities across Southeast Kansas and Western Missouri. With this support, the Center for Population Health and Equity (CPHE) at KCU will expand relationships with rural hospitals, clinics and higher education partners and create rural clinical training opportunities for students interested in pursuing rural medical and dental careers. The program’s long-term goal is to create pathways that encourage graduates to return to rural communities to live, train and practice.
“Thanks to the Patterson Family Foundation, KCU can strengthen rural health care through a meaningful, process that will address access to care,” said Marc B. Hahn, DO, president and CEO of KCU. “This grant will allow us to recruit local students and allow our graduates opportunities to return to their communities as physicians and dentists.”
The CPHE team at KCU-Joplin will coordinate partnership development, student placements and enrichment programming designed to foster interest, sustain engagement and prepare students for rural practice.
KCU will also engage alumni as mentors and community connectors, creating a strong network of support for students exploring careers in rural medicine.
“Building these rural partnerships and supporting student internships is critical to ensuring long-term access to care,” said Richard Schooler, DO, vice president of the Farber-McIntire Campus and founding dean of the College of Health Professions. “This funding will allow us to lay the groundwork for sustained rural health improvement while giving students transformative clinical experiences.”
These early milestones will position KCU to expand rural training opportunities, strengthen community collaborations and build a sustainable pipeline of future health care providers.
About Kansas City University
Founded in 1916, Kansas City University (KCU) is a fully accredited, private not-for-private health sciences university with Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, Biosciences and Dental Medicine and Health Professions. The University has campuses in Kansas City and Joplin, Mo. The College of Osteopathic Medicine is the fourth-largest medical school in the U.S. and the leading producer of physicians in Missouri. It ranks #1 for producing physicians who practice in primary care, rural areas and underserved regions in the state. KCU’s Center for Population Health and Equity addresses the variables that affect a population’s health and contribute to health in health outcomes. KCU offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, dental medicine and clinical psychology and a master’s degree in public health. A new Master of Health Sciences – Anesthesiologist Assistant program is scheduled to launch in January 2026.
Reference:
Haley Reardon, Manager of Marketing and Communications
Kansas City University
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