On Dec. 5, the first award from the annual “Dr. Lan Ly, M.D. ’14, m’18 Student Support Fund for Rural Family Medicine” was given to Madeleine Weishuhn, fourth-year medical student at KU School of Medicine-Wichita during the Family & Community Medicine Winter Symposium.

“Maddie is the perfect student to carry her (Lan’s) legacy forward,” said Amanda Rhyne, M.D., CMO and faculty physician at Salina Family Healthcare Center.

Rhyne met Ly (pronounced Lee) when they were residents with KU School of Medicine-Wichita’s Wesley family medicine program and spearheaded the fundraising effort, which reached its investment minimum of $25,000 in two weeks after word went out.

Ly’s husband, Thanh “Tip” Bui, met Weishuhn at the event and spoke to attendees about Ly.

"From a young age, Lan set her heart on pursuing medicine,” he said. “She believed deeply in the calling to care for others, and she found her home in family medicine. Although she did not get a chance to accomplish every goal that she set for herself, I know that she would look at all of you — those practicing now as well as those who will one day lead this field — and she would feel immense hope.

“Her greatest hope was that the next generation of physicians would go on to achieve more,” he continued. “To continue improving the field she loved and to uphold the values that defined her life: curiosity, compassion and service."

“To each of you who donated to this worthy cause, thank you,” said Rhyne. “Out of mourning and loss, we will continue to find hope in a brighter future. One that Dr. Ly would be proud of.”

Ly was diagnosed with gastric cancer in April 2023 and died April 19, 2025. She was aware of the creation of the legacy fund and was “shocked” when she learned how quickly it became a reality. In a phone interview in early January 2025, she said, “I definitely feel very loved and supported.”

Learn more

To learn more about Ly, read the January 2025 article and the April 2025 notice of her death.