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2010-Onward

Aerial view, 1990.

Health Education Building nearing completion, 2017.

January 13, 2010: A KU anesthesiology team comprised of Ryan Peters, CRNA, Cheryl Scott, RN, Marty DeRuyter, M.D., Julie Jensen, CRNA, and Chris Beck, M.D., is sent to Haiti after a devastating earthquake.

March 2010: William Cathcart-Rake, M.D., FACP, is named director of the new KU School of Medicine-Salina campus. Dr. Cathcart-Rake is promoted to dean in July 2014.

Spring 2010: KU sports medicine physicians are chosen to partner with the Kansas City Royals training staff to provide health care to the major league baseball team.

July 27, 2010: The first ovarian transplant in the state of Kansas and the Kansas City area is performed at The University of Kansas Hospital by Daniel Kim, M.D.

June 14, 2011: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) officially announces that the University of Kansas Medical Center is a recipient of a prestigious $20 million Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). The five-year grant puts the medical center among an elite, 60-member group of universities collaborating on clinical and translational research, which transforms laboratory discoveries into treatments and cures and gets them to patients faster.

July 2011: The University of Kansas School of Medicine campus in Salina opens. With a class of eight students, the Salina campus is the smallest four-year medical-education site in the country. This innovative medical education program, aimed at students with a strong desire to practice in rural areas, is featured in a front-page story in The New York Times.

August 25, 2011:  The School of Allied Health is renamed the School of Health Professions.

July 12, 2012: The University of Kansas Cancer Center is designated as a National Cancer Institute (NCI) cancer center, capping a nearly decade-long effort that brought top cancer researchers, access to advanced care and millions of dollars in cancer research funding to the region and inspired profound advances in the care of cancer patients.

2012: The KU-Community College Partnership is finalized with 18 Kansas community colleges to allow nursing students to progress seamlessly to the KU BSN degree.

2012: Steven Stites, M.D., is appointed acting dean of the KU School of Medicine and acting executive vice chancellor of the KU Medical Center.

2012: Garold Minns, M.D., is appointed dean of the KU School of Medicine-Wichita.

October 31, 2013: A new treatment option for heart disease is tested at The University of Kansas Hospital as a possible breakthrough in the way patients manage their own health. The trial studies a new implantable monitoring device designed to allow doctors the ability to better personalize treatment for heart failure patients while giving those patients more control of their chronic condition.

November 8, 2013: The combined Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplant Unit at The University of Kansas Hospital receives the first-ever PRISM Award TM, a new honor recognizing "exceptional nursing practice, leadership, and outcomes in hospital medical-surgical units across the country." The award comes from the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses and the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board.

2013: The School of Nursing is selected as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing, one of only 23 schools honored.

2013: Douglas A. Girod, M.D., is appointed interim executive dean of the KU School of Medicine and executive vice chancellor of the KU Medical Center.

February 2014: The University of Kansas Hospital is named one of Healthgrades America's 100 Best Hospitals TM. Recognized for achieving clinical outcomes consistently, it is the only Kansas City area hospital so honored.

May 12, 2014: The Kansas University Department of Internal Medicine is one of the first places in the country to be recognized as a patient-centered specialty practice. The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recognized the department for its responsiveness to patients and medical colleagues, cooperation and integration with other health care groups, and dedication to continuous improvement. This is the second time that NCQA has recognized the Department of Internal Medicine. In 2011, the department earned national recognition as a patient-centered medical home, a model of care emphasizing care coordination and communication to transform primary care.

2014: Robert D. Simari, M.D., is appointed executive dean of the KU School of Medicine.

April 2015: Cardiologists at The University of Kansas Hospital are among the first in the nation with a new tool, smaller than a triple-A battery, to help them treat their patients. The device, called the LINQ, is slipped just beneath the patient's skin in about 30 seconds in a doctor's office, rather than an operating room, and is seen as a huge leap forward in patient comfort and monitoring.

May 16, 2015: The first four-year classes graduate from the KU School of Medicine campuses in Wichita and Salina.

June 2015: Marjorie J. Bott, Ph.D., RN, is appointed interim dean of the KU School of Nursing.

June 2015: John A. Ferraro, Ph.D., is appointed interim dean of the KU School of Health Professions.

July 1, 2015: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approves the first anesthesia subspecialty fellowship in the state of Kansas, the Multidisciplinary Pain Fellowship.

August 27, 2015: KU Medical Center breaks ground on the $75 million Health Education Building. The new building will contain state-of-the-art teaching technology that will help shape the way the schools train health care professionals.

2015: KU School of Nursing ranks #20 in U.S. News and World Report as one of best graduate programs at public universities out of over 500 such programs nationally.

January 2016: Sally L. Maliski, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, is appointed dean of the KU School of Nursing.

January 2016: Abiodun Akinwuntan, Ph.D., MPH, MBA, is appointed dean of the KU School of Health Professions.

July 1, 2017: Douglas A. Girod, M.D., is appointed chancellor of the University of Kansas.

July 1, 2017: Robert D. Simari, M.D., is appointed interim executive vice chancellor in addition to his role as executive dean of the KU School of Medicine.

July 1, 2017: Lisa Larson, Ph.D., RN, is appointed assistant dean of the KU School of Nursing-Salina campus. She is promoted to campus dean in July 2019.

August 2017: The new KU School of Nursing-Salina campus admits the first class of 12 nursing students.

January 2018: Robert D. Simari, M.D., is appointed executive vice chancellor of the KU Medical Center.

May 1, 2019: Robert P. Moser, M.D., is appointed dean of the KU School of Medicine-Salina campus.

August 26, 2019: Akinlolu O. Ojo, M.D., is appointed executive dean of the University of Kansas School of Medicine, where he oversees the Kansas City, Salina, and Wichita campuses for the School of Medicine.

2019: The first class of graduates from the KU School of Nursing in Salina earn Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees.

2019: Plans are unveiled for a $3.4 million expansion to the Salina Health Education Center, which serves as the home for the Salina campuses of both the KU School of Medicine and KU School of Nursing.

March 17, 2020: KU Medical Center faculty and staff transition to remote worksites in response to the coronavirus and COVID-19. In a message to the university community, Executive Vice Chancellor Robert D. Simari, M.D., states, "Just like everywhere else in our nation and the world, things are changing quickly at KU Medical Center. Our leadership teams have continued to evaluate circumstances related to the coronavirus and COVID-19, and we have determined that more stringent actions are necessary for our campus community. KU Medical Center is still considered open; our employees are just working from other locations."

March 21, 2020: The University of Kansas Office of the Chancellor suspends "all non-essential research activities on all KU Medical Center campuses." The notice, sent on a Saturday, alerts researchers that their labs should close that Monday, March 23. During the week of May 18, 60 research labs reopen, but with mask-wearing, staggered shifts, and social distancing guidelines in place.

April 2020: Student learning continues with little interruption, though most clinical experiences are temporarily suspended to preserve PPE and to protect students from the threat of contracting COVID-19. Faculty in the schools of Health Professions, Medicine, and Nursing find creative ways to fill this void until clinicals are reinstated in the fall of 2020.

September 2020: The KU School of Health Professions begins accepting applications for the new Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) program with classes beginning in the summer of 2021.

October 2020: KU Medical Center is one of 32 institutions nationwide to receive a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to rapidly implement COVID-19 testing strategies in 10 Kansas counties that are disproportionately affected by the pandemic. The funds allow for testing in underserved rural and minority communities as part of the NIH's RADx initiative.

2020: Two KU Medical Center doctors begin hosting a daily media briefing presented by the University of Kansas Health System, which answers not only reporter questions but community concerns as well. Guests on the show are often from KU Medical Center, ready to share the latest news on how they are contributing to the understanding or treatment of the novel coronavirus.

2020: KU Medical Center researchers participate in at least 17 projects related to COVID-19, from clinical trials of highly touted drugs to translational science grants to a potential vaccine, generating an estimated $18.6 million.

August 2021: KU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center receives $15 million and second renewal as one of 31 nationally designated centers by the National Institute on Aging. Renewal of the five-year grant provides funding for the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center through 2026.

February 10, 2022: The KU School of Medicine establishes the Kansas Center for Rural Health on the Medical Center's Salina campus. The purpose of the center is to work with rural physicians, providers, and health systems to improve access and support quality health care for rural Kansans.

March 2022: KU's Master of Health Informatics program is accredited by the prestigious Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education. The program becomes only the 23rd accredited program in the United States and Puerto Rico.

June 15, 2022: Russell Swerdlow, M.D., director of the University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, receives international recognition for his research into mitochondria and Alzheimer’s disease. He is one of only 10 Oskar Fischer prize winners in the world.

July 7, 2022: The University of Kansas Cancer Center receives Comprehensive Cancer Center status. This designation by the National Cancer Institute is the gold standard for cancer centers and gives researchers increased access to federal funding.

November 2022: KU School of Nursing launches “Metaversity” offering virtual, immersive learning. As part of Meta’s Immersive Learning Project, the “Metaversity” allows students to interact with an innovative virtual-reality replica of campus and provides other unique educational opportunities, such as traveling, virtually, inside a human heart.

January 10, 2023: Tyler G. Hughes, M.D., is appointed dean of the KU School of Medicine-Salina campus.

April 13, 2023: KU Medical Center acquires a new cryogenic electron microscope and becomes the only institution in the area to offer cryogenic electron microscopy, known as cryo-EM. The new cryogenic electron microscope with allow scientists to study flash-frozen proteins, viruses, and other biomolecules through three-dimensional images at nearly atomic resolution.

June 2023: The University of Kansas Cancer Center receives a $100 million lead gift to build a new, state-of-the-art destination cancer center. This gift is both the largest gift ever given by the Sunderland Foundation and the largest ever received by the University of Kansas and The University of Kansas Health System.

August 2023: The Wichita City Council approves a plan for Wichita State University and the University of Kansas to build a 471,000-square-foot health sciences center in downtown Wichita. The campus will combine WSU’s College of Health Professions, WSU Tech’s Health Professions program and Wichita campuses of KU School of Medicine and KU School of Pharmacy into one location. There will be shared spaces for advanced laboratories, clinical research and technology.

August 2023: KU School of Nursing creates the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center to foster collaboration among nursing stakeholders across Kansas to address shortages of nurses and nursing faculty.

September 2023: KU Medical Center announces four-state Heartland Consortium as part of the All of Us Research Program to advance precision medicine. The medical center and its partners received $6.3 million in initial funding from the National Institutes of Health, with the potential to renew the award every year for four years.

October 2023: KU Medical is awarded an $11.5 grant from the National Institutes of Health to find ways to shorten the time it takes for research knowledge to make its way out of the lab and into the clinic through the creation of the Implementation Science for Equity Center, which is part of the NIH’s prestigious Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) program.

2023: In fiscal year 2023, federally funded research spending at KU Medical Center hits an all-time high of more than $120 million, nearly doubling the amount of spending since fiscal year 2017. Total research spending reaches $180 million, a 50% leap since fiscal year 2019.

February 27, 2024: The University of Kansas School of Nursing and KU Endowment receive a $500,000 gift from the Centene Foundation and Sunflower Health Plan to build a centralized data collection and exchange system for the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center.

April 15, 2024: Jean Foret Giddens, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, ANEF, is appointed dean of KU School of Nursing.

Dr. Girod in Surgery, 2013
Health Education Building groundbreaking, August 27, 2015.
Nightingale Ceremony, 2017
White Coat Ceremony, 2017.
Renovated Clendening Fountain, 2016.
Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean Robert D. Simari, M.D., and Chancellor Douglas A. Girod, M.D.
KU School of Medicine

University of Kansas Medical Center
History and Philosophy of Medicine

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