KUMC

This past week, KU Medical Center and the University of Kansas Physicians (UKP) officially kicked off our 2010 United Way workplace giving campaign. Our goal is to raise $100,000 from faculty and staff to fund United Way's many critically-needed social service programs.

There are so many good reasons to donate to the United Way. Your dollars will stay right here in our community. Your contribution will help children and youth reach their potential through better educational opportunities; provide financial stability and independence for families that are struggling; and improve the health and well-being of those who live here.

We are proud of KU Medical Center and UKP’s history of being strong supporters and major contributors to the United Way of Wyandotte County. In these difficult economic times, our help is needed more than ever. Of the county’s 155,000 residents, 21 percent are living at or below the poverty line. Last year’s Kansas County Health Rankings report found that Wyandotte County ranked as the least healthy of the state’s 105 counties. 

If we want the community around our Medical Center to improve, then we need to be part of the solution. So when you open your email this week from the United Way, I hope you will join me in giving generously. 

If you’d like more information on how the United Way is helping our community every day, please take a few moments to view this informative video.

Xmas in October

More than 260 employees and students from KUMC and KU Hospital participated in the Christmas in October community service project on Oct. 9. The volunteers helped renovate and spruce up the homes of 13 low-income and elderly residents in the Rosedale community. Jay Mooney, Ashley McMinn, and Whitney Brosh, all health policy and management students at KUMC, were among those pitching in.

Campus News

State of Kansas employees are also participating in the Community Health Charities (CHC) workplace giving campaign. Packets containing donor pledge forms and information on CHC will be distributed to every department in the Medical Center this week. You can choose to support the United Way and CHC through payroll deduction. Please take a few moments to look through these materials when considering your donation options.

The 2010 Alumni Reunion Weekend was a great success. We had more than 200 KUMC alumni from around the country return for this year's event. At the Gala on Oct. 9, those in attendance watched a wonderful video that chronicled KUMC's last decade of progress. If you'd like to view the video, it's available on our website now.

Kudos

Yu-Jui Yvonne Wan, PhD, a professor of pharmacology, toxicology and therapeutics and director of KU Medical Center’s Liver Center, was named a KU Chancellor's Club professor and researcher award recipient last week. Read more here.

Five cancer researchers at the KU Cancer Center were recently named Eminent Scholars or a Rising Star by the Kansas Bioscience Authority. Read the details here.

The Kansas Recruitment Center (KRC), a KUMC Rural Health Education and Services program, has placed its 100th health care professional in rural Kansas. The KRC has helped to place health care professionals in 44 of Kansas’ 105 counties, serving more than 827,000 Kansans. Learn more here.