I am off for a few weeks, but in my absence, I’ve asked Kim Meyer, DA, Senior Associate Dean for Finance, to take over my column for this edition of Checking In.

As Dr. Atkinson wrote in her last Checking In, KUMC is in the process of expanding its medical school. There are plans to launch a new campus in Salina and expand the Wichita campus to four years. As we have gone through this process, I have frequently been asked why are we expanding the medical school and how, in these tight economic times, can we afford to do so?

It is clear we need to train more doctors for Kansas. A report from the Association of American Medical Colleges shows that there are 254.5 active physicians per 100,000 population in the United States, which is far fewer than needed.  Kansas, which is ranked 39th among the 50 states, has a ratio of 190 physicians per 100,000 residents.

So we need to train more physicians, but the question of “how” remains. The School of Medicine has answered this question in the same way many other academic medical centers have answered it – through philanthropy.

As I write this column, the School of Medicine-Wichita has received pledges of more than $2 million to help fund the expansion. We have also received pledges of support for the Salina school, and many of the training spaces would be supported by the local hospital. The commitment from these communities is essential for the expansion of our medical school.

We are not the only medical school attempting this kind of expansion. The medical school at Texas Tech University has seven branch campuses, each of which was built using community dollars. Like Kansas, Texas spans vast areas that are underserved by physicians. And, like Kansas, Texas has experienced recent budget cuts and expects more.

The “why” is clear. Kansas needs more physicians. The “how” still entails a lot of hard work on everyone’s part. But thanks to our partners in Salina and Wichita, we are confident we will have the finances to meet this need.

Around Campus

Researchers from KU Medical Center and the American Indian Health Research and Education Alliance (AIHREA) announced a major effort to reduce the severe health problems facing American Indians. The National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities has awarded KUMC researchers a $7.5 million grant to create the Center for American Indian Community Health. The principal investigators for the grant are Christine Daley, PhD, and K. Allen Greiner, MD, MPH. Read more about the new Center here.

KUMC's Office of Cultural Enhancement and Diversity will welcome Bernadette Gray-Little, PhD, on Tuesday, August 24, to speak about her role as KU's Chancellor.  Dr. Gray-Little will talk about how her background relates to her appreciation of diversity, as well as her vision of diversity for KU and the Medical Center. The event will be from 12 p.m - 1 p.m. in G013 School of Nursing Auditorium.

The Kansas Center for Nursing Scholarship and Leadership is now open. This virtual Center has been created in response to requests and recommendations from nurses across the state, as a virtual location for advancing nursing practice, education, research, and leadership. The Center was developed by School of Nursing associate dean, Cynthia Teel, RN, PhD, and KU masters and doctoral nursing students. The Center is accepting proposals from licensed nurses in Kansas for projects about nursing scholarship or leadership in Kansas. Visit the Center's website for details.