News from KU School of Health Professions
Read recent news stories and announcements about our faculty, staff, students and programs.
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October 24, 2024Faculty member in KU School of Health Professions hopes to make the world a better place through researchJacob Sosnoff, Ph.D., associate dean for research in the School of Health Professions since 2021, has had his work cited by others more than 10,000 times.
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October 17, 2024Study is first to measure interactions in the home between children with autism and their petsObservational study by KU School of Health Professions faculty members quantified how each child may have benefited from pet ownership
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October 9, 20242024 US Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth shows few children are getting the recommended daily dose of activityThe report card gave a physical activity grade of a D-, with just 20% to 28% of children getting the recommended daily hour of physical activity.
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October 2, 2024KU School of Health Professions marks 50th anniversaryOriginally part of KU School of Medicine, today the School of Health Professions houses multiple nationally ranked programs
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September 27, 2024Course helps future doctors engage with food as medicineMedical students gain real-world experience on how to use food to help patients avoid a lifetime of health problems.
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September 18, 2024Murphy Hall celebrates 100 yearsKU Medical Center faculty and staff commemorate a century for their flagship building with 1920s music and a fascinating lesson in university history.
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August 28, 2024Fulbright program takes KU School of Health Professions dean to South AfricaAbiodun Akinwuntan, Ph.D., MPH, earned a third Fulbright award, this time to South Africa to identify opportunities for research collaborations and student and faculty exchanges.
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August 20, 2024Rural health education office’s annual photography contest open for submissions Aug. 22-Sept. 30Finalists will be featured in the Beauty in Kansas wall calendar, and the grand prize winner’s photograph will appear on the cover of Kansas Country Living magazine.
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August 14, 2024KU Medical Center welcomed head of NIH’s All of Us Research Program to celebrate launch of the Heartland ConsortiumPart of the National Institutes of Health, the All of Us Research Program is working to collect data from a million different people to drive new treatments and cures.
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July 23, 2024KU Medical Center graduate programs earn high marks in U.S. News & World Report rankings for 2024Nationally high rankings in primary care, physical therapy and in the nurse midwifery program all reflect a commitment to caring for Kansans and beyond.
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June 12, 2024KU School of Health Professions wins HRSA grant to establish U-CHaMP, a program to expand the number of health care workers in underserved communitiesProgram supports students with economically and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds in pursuing careers in the health professions
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May 13, 2024KU Medical Center graduates more than 700 students prepared to begin their new careersFive graduates share stories about their extraordinary roads to graduation
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April 10, 2024KU School of Health Professions doctoral student presents community program benefitting people with disabilitiesResource fair with local nonprofit provides bridge between academics and real-world experience
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March 27, 2024KU Medical Center researcher and Fulbright Specialist made a difference for patients recovering from cancer in IndiaKU School of Health Professions professor introduced rehabilitation methods to area where number of head and neck cancer patients is among the highest in the world.
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February 13, 2024Lottery winnings land at KU Medical Center to fund research for a rare genetic diseaseA new research grant awarded to the KU Medical Center will support investigation into a neurological condition and has its roots in a Powerball jackpot.
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January 23, 2024KU Medical Center lab examines how to fall safelyLandon Center on Aging researchers study how to prevent serious injury in older adults by collecting data from people who volunteer to fall in the lab.
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December 20, 2023In case you missed it: a look back at 2023Here are just some of KU Medical Center’s accomplishments and successes over the past year.
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December 18, 2023‘Geropalooza’ jump-starts geroscience research at KU Medical CenterThe inaugural geroscience symposium is part of KU Medical Center’s broader effort to foster research relevant to aging, age-related diseases, healthspan and longevity.
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September 26, 2023Research at KU Medical Center experiences tremendous growthKU Medical Center has nearly doubled its federal research portfolio since 2017 and increased its clinical trial revenues by 45% since 2021.
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September 13, 2023KU Medical Center announces four-state Heartland Consortium as part of the All of Us Research Program to advance precision medicinePart of the National Institutes of Health, the All of Us Research Program is working to collect data from a million different people to drive new treatments and cures
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September 11, 2023Rural Kansas Photo Contest accepting entries to showcase the stateRural Health Education and Services at KU Medical Center invites entries to highlight the unique beauty of Kansas and its people
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August 15, 2023KU Medical Center program works to reduce drowning and bring the joy of swimming to those on the autism spectrumChildren with autism are 160 times more likely to drown than other children, making learn-to-swim programs essential for their safety.
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June 27, 2023KU Cancer Center receives historic $100 million gift from Sunderland Foundation to support new cancer research and care facilityThe KU Cancer Center will build a new facility designed to place research and treatment side by side.
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June 23, 2023National HRSA grant helps train more nurses and respiratory therapists in pulmonary rehabilitation while enhancing interprofessional collaborationNew initiative lets rural-based students and health professionals access training for long COVID and other pulmonary conditions.
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June 15, 2023Rural health initiatives look both internally and externally to find solutions to issues in rural healthRural Health Council facilitates collaboration and synergy among KU Medical Center researchers and faculty members, while the Rural Health Partners invites health care professionals across Kansas to provide input.
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June 6, 2023KU Medical Center launches the Center for African American Health to focus on improving health outcomes of marginalized populationsThe Center for African American Health will partner with the community to enhance and improve the health and wellness of Black individuals and African Americans living in Kansas and beyond.
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May 18, 2023KU School of Health Professions launches KU CARES, a new center seeking to improve the lives of people living with disabilityThe KU Center for Community Access, Rehabilitation Research, Education and Service (KU CARES) will develop and implement innovative rehabilitation strategies to improve the health and well-being of people with disabilities in Kansas and nationwide.
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May 16, 2023KU Medical Center Class of 2023 celebrates graduation under sunnier skiesThe University of Kansas schools of Health Professions, Medicine and Nursing honored students who weathered pandemic challenges and graduated only days after the COVID-19 public health emergency was lifted.
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April 25, 2023KU Medical Center graduate programs in health care management and public health rank 26th and 50th in new U.S. News rankingsU.S. News & World Report has postponed the 2024 rankings for Best Medical Schools but has released the 2024 rankings for specific programs in its Best Graduate Schools rankings.
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April 20, 2023JaySTART Clinic expands to better serve community members and provide more hands-on learning opportunities for studentsStudents in KU School of Health Professions practice what they are learning in the classroom by providing Kansas City-area patients with free physical therapy and occupational therapy.
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April 5, 2023Two KU School of Health Professions administrators chosen for prestigious national leadership programJacob (Jake) Sosnoff, Ph.D., and LesLee Taylor, Ph.D., will participate in the leadership program from the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP).
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March 16, 2023JAMA study finds that high-intensity interval training improves stroke patients’ mobility more than moderate aerobic exerciseKU researcher Sandra Billinger, Ph.D., was part of a multi-site study that may change how stroke rehabilitation is conducted.
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March 7, 2023Classrooms in different parts of world meet virtually with KU Medical Center faculty and students even after pandemic necessityKU Nursing and KU Health Professions continue collaborative classrooms with Kenya, India and Ghana, building international connections that don’t require physical travel.
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February 28, 2023Rehabilitation science student celebrates rare award trifecta with his now-reunited familyThe pandemic kept Samuel Durairaj, a Ph.D. student in rehabilitation science, separated from his family for 11 months, but they were there to see him win awards for research, teaching and leadership.
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February 7, 2023KU occupational therapy students practice martial arts to assist adults and childrenCHAMPS Achievers allows students in the Department of Occupational Therapy Education at the University of Kansas School of Health Professions to volunteer and practice more than just karate kicks.
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January 31, 2023Rural health care teen outreach programs booming across KansasThe University of Kansas Area Health Education Center reports record-setting requests for events such as Night at the Lab and Women in Health Care.
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January 24, 2023What to know about the keto diet from experts at KU Medical Center who study itThe ketogenic diet, or “keto” diet, can be a quick way to shed pounds. But it’s also a very strict diet. Learn about keto and how it’s being studied in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.
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December 21, 2022Seeking the ‘new normal’: a look back at 2022See what shaped the University of Kansas Medical Center this year.
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December 20, 2022Ukrainian medical professionals visit campus for international exchange of ideasKU Medical Center’s Office of International Programs welcomed six visitors from Ukraine as international visits resume.
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November 8, 2022Dietetics and Nutrition professor wins 2022 Chancellors Club Career Research AwardSusan Carlson, Ph.D., has spent decades researching the role of fatty acids in infants and pregnant women, and the University of Kansas has recognized the importance of that research.
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November 1, 2022KU Cancer Center partners with nation’s top cancer organizations to call for increasing lung cancer screening nationwideNational call to action encourages use of low-dose CT to combat the leading cause of cancer in the United States
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October 26, 2022A $12 million grant from NIH launches KC-MORE, a research center to study obesity and obesity-related diseaseThe Kansas Center for Metabolism and Obesity Research seeks to become a national hub for obesity-related research and the training of junior research faculty.
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October 20, 2022Federal grant supports LEND, a program based at KU Medical Center and focused on educating people about autism and developmental disabilitiesThanks to a $3 million grant, the Kansas Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities program continues its five-decade mission of training, research and leadership development.
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October 13, 2022High school students discover career possibilities at health care event‘Discover KU’s Health Programs’ invited students from Kansas City, Kansas, who would be the first generation in their families to go to college.
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October 11, 2022Alumna and former faculty member ‘comes home’ to speak to Department of Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science and Athletic Training studentsKendra Gagnon, now the founding director of a program at Johns Hopkins, urged students to take risks during the Jessie M. Ball Lecture and Pinning Ceremony.
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October 6, 2022KU Medical Center scientists identify mechanism for critical function of a damaged protein that causes most polycystic kidney diseaseTheir work will inform the design of drugs aiming to one day restore the function of that protein in order to prevent or treat the disease.
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October 4, 2022NIH grant helps KU answer the urgent need to develop the next generation of brain health researchersThe KU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center received a prestigious five-year, $1.5 million grant to expand and strengthen its program to boost brain health researchers.
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September 20, 2022Rural Kansas Photo Contest adds two new categories, including an invitation to teen photographersThe contest, sponsored by KU Medical Center’s Rural Health Education and Services, aims to showcase the beauty of Kansas through photographs.
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September 6, 2022KU School of Health Professions hosts Student Kickoff 2022At this informal event held at the beginning of the school year, students can connect with the dean and other students from across KU School of Health Professions.
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August 29, 2022Health Outcomes Assembly brings together health care, education and nonprofits to reflect and strategize on health disparitiesThe 2nd Annual Health Outcomes Assembly was titled "Disparities Between Counties and ZIP Codes”
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August 22, 2022Community Service Day gives students a chance to pay it forwardUniversity of Kansas Medical Center students marked the start of the 2022 fall semester by volunteering for six area organizations
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August 15, 2022Drinking more dairy milk may improve brain health in older adults, KU Medical Center researchers findOlder adults who drink three cups of dairy milk a day can increase their brain’s level of a powerful antioxidant that helps protect the brain from the damage that accompanies aging and aging-related diseases.
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August 2, 2022KU School of Health Professions faculty member recruits ‘celebrity’ swimmers for swim-a-thon benefitting Sensory Enhanced Aquatics programIf the program can raise $2,500 by Aug. 6, Robert D. Simari, M.D., executive vice chancellor, and Abiodun Akinwuntan, Ph.D., dean of the KU School of Health Professions, have agreed to participate in a swim-a-thon for Sensory Enhanced Aquatics.
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July 28, 2022KU nutrition researcher finds a diet high in ‘good’ fats better for head and neck cancer patientsAnna Arthur, Ph.D., MPH, RDN, is part of a research group recommending a good-fat, low-carb and plant-based diet for best results from head and neck cancer treatment.
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July 7, 2022The University of Kansas Cancer Center earns National Cancer Institute’s most prestigious status—ComprehensiveNCI recognition as a Comprehensive cancer center is the culmination of years of community effort and means that KU Cancer Center joins the top echelon of leading cancer experts.
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May 18, 2022Kindergarteners benefit from bike program initiated by KU Medical Center facultyProfessors from schools of Health Professions and Medicine connect a local elementary school with a bicycling nonprofit in a push for lifelong activity.
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May 16, 2022Class of 2022 enjoys a return to in-person graduation ceremoniesHooding and Recognition Ceremonies were held in person with an audience of the graduates’ friends and family. In Lawrence, graduates attending commencement heard advice from KU Medical Center’s Steve Stites, M.D.
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February 10, 2022KU School of Medicine creates Salina-based Kansas Center for Rural HealthThe center will provide the infrastructure needed so that researchers, educators and rural health stakeholders can work together to find ways to reduce or eliminate health disparities in rural Kansas.
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December 16, 2021Let’s hit the highlights: news to know from 2021The pandemic continues, but so does research and education.
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October 14, 2021Researchers find that older adults who are regular avocado consumers have better cognitive abilitiesWant to preserve your memory as you age? Reach for an avocado.
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June 14, 2021Meet KU School of Health Professions’ new associate dean for research, Jacob SosnoffNew position combines formative memories and personal research on mobility issues to benefit students and faculty within the School of Health Professions.
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May 27, 2021Rain, resilience and the French bulldog: Everything you did and didn’t know about 2020/2021 KU commencement and recognition activitiesAfter the cancellation of multiple commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2021, recognition festivities were moved online.
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May 17, 2021Study led by KU Medical Center researchers shows early preterm births can be decreased with DHA supplementationThe multi-center, double-blind, randomized, superiority trial recruited participants at three large academic medical centers in the United States.
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April 21, 2021Newly installed solar panels on two KU Medical Center buildings to lower electricity costs and support clean energySolar panels allow Kansas City campus to make an important contribution to the environment through the use of this renewable energy resource.
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April 15, 2021Health Professions department renamed to reflect new athletic training programNew master's degree will offer many opportunities for synergies between physical therapy and athletic training students.
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December 18, 2020A look back at 2020: the historic year of science and resilienceThe mystery virus that had closed China made its way to the United States, and “business as usual” halted. By the end of 2020, the year would forever be synonymous with COVID-19, and KU Medical Center had adopted a new normal that stressed resilience and roll-up-your-sleeves science to combat the pandemic.
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December 15, 2020Sleeping better or worse since the pandemic? Sleep expert says you’re not aloneCatherine F. Siengsukon, Ph.D., lab director of the SleepWell Lab at the University of Kansas Medical Center, said the pandemic has upended sleep patterns.
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October 8, 2020Doctor of Physical Therapy students celebrate their future and honor department’s pastThe annual Jessie M. Ball Lecture and DPT pinning ceremony on Oct. 4 embraced physical distancing but still invited the 59 DPT students of the Class of 2023 to the University of Kansas Medical Center’s Kansas City campus.
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September 28, 2020Alumni Reunion Weekend goes virtualAlumni Reunion Weekend at the University of Kansas Medical Center looks a bit different in 2020, with events occurring virtually.
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September 21, 2020Athletic Training comes to KU Medical CenterLearn about the new athletic training program at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Classes in the Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) begin in the summer of 2021.
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August 11, 2020JaySTART clinic for physical, occupational and speech therapy leaps to virtual rehabilitationWhen the COVID-19 pandemic closed the face-to-face Jaystart Clinic, students of physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech pathology turned to telehealth.
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May 15, 2020Research associate creates face shields on KU Medical Center printerChristopher Neal, Ph.D., research associate at the University of Kansas Medical Center, donated around 100 headbands for face shields to PPE for KC. Neal used the 3D printer at work.
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April 30, 2020KU respiratory therapy students graduate early to help during coronavirus pandemicStudents in the respiratory therapy program in the University of Kansas School of Health Professions have chosen to graduate early to help fend off a shortage of RTs during the coronavirus pandemic.
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April 14, 2020Students share results of research at Capitol eventsFive undergraduate and five graduate students from the University of Kansas Medical Center showcased their research at the Kansas Capitol during two separate events in spring 2020. Students discussed the posters illustrating their research with lawmakers and the general public.
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April 13, 2020University of Kansas Medical Center to participate in clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine in health care workersThe Healthcare Worker Exposure Response and Outcomes of Hydroxychloroquine (HERO HCQ) trial is accompanied by a registry that will create a community of health care workers who have expressed interest in contributing to the scientific community's understanding of the impact of COVID-19.
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April 8, 2020Researchers donate protective equipment to KU Health SystemCOVID-19 caused shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) across the globe.Here's how researchers from the University of Kansas Medical Center helped out.
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April 1, 2020SHARPhub helps bring biomedical technologies to market in Kansas and four other central statesSHARPhub was established in 2018 to help researchers move biomedical discoveries and technologies out of the laboratory and into the commercial market, where they can be used to improve human health.
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February 21, 2020Physical therapy student places in top 20 percent at Olympic marathon trialsChris Melgares, a doctorate of physical therapy (DPT) student from the University of Kansas Medical Center, finished in the top 20 percent of the field of 175 male runners at the U.S. Olympic marathon team trials.
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January 9, 2020Exercise Is Medicine program revamps for maximum impactWant to lose weight, battle depression or manage chronic pain? Your doctor’s “prescription” may include a newly reimagined program at the Kirmayer Fitness Center called Exercise is Medicine (EIM).
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December 23, 20197 news stories that shaped 2019Check out the memorable news stories of 2019 at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Our year in review gives you a look back at the best of 2019.
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December 10, 2019Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science turns 75When the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education renewed the University of Kansas physical therapy program’s accreditation on Nov. 27, it marked the 75th anniversary of the program and nearly three-quarters of a century of continuous accreditation.
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November 25, 2019Jernigan wins 2019 Stata Norton Distinguished Teaching AwardAttention to students helped Steve Jernigan secure the 2019 Stata Norton Distinguished Teaching Award. The award recognizes excellence in teaching.
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November 13, 2019Bostic receives ASCP Member Excellence in Education AwardDana Bostic, clinical assistant professor, clinical laboratory sciences, won the 2019 Member Excellence in Education Award from American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).
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October 21, 2019Department of Dietetics and Nutrition celebrates 75 yearsIn 1944, Hildegard Knopp and Jan Granger were the first students to graduate from the department’s dietetic internship program. The department had been founded a year earlier with the approval of the American Dietetic Association, now the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
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September 18, 2019Jerrihlyn McGee named vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Kansas Medical CenterMcGee will work to enhance the successful recruitment, professional development and retention of students, faculty and staff from diverse and under-represented population groups.
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January 24, 2019KU’s Department of Occupational Therapy Education celebrates 75 yearsThe Department of Occupational Therapy Education at the University of Kansas Medical Center has developed a national reputation of excellence for educating its students to become therapists who provide essential assessment and support skills that empower their patients with physical or mental disabilities to engage in everyday life activities.