Mention K. James Kallail, Ph.D., to those working with the associate dean for research at KU School of Medicine-Wichita, and “mentor” is a word you’ll often hear.

Not naturally inclined to talk about himself, Kallail, who retires this month, shares two stories that provide a glimpse of his influence.

The first involves “a Wichita kid” coming into his office.

“He had struggled to get into medical school. Like I have with so many premed students, I advised and guided him in his application," Kallail recalled. "I didn’t do it for him special; I do it for many students. He finished a preliminary year in internal medicine and was going off to a residency. He was thanking me, saying, ‘Next to my parents, you have helped me the most.’ I’m thinking, ‘How could I achieve such a compliment?’ I tell that story because I can’t believe it.”

The second hits closer to home.

“My daughter was diagnosed with cancer — she’s fine now — as an adult,” he said. “As soon as the news got out, I was getting emails and calls from doctors all across the country offering prayers and advice and ‘how can I help?’ That’s humbling, and it really opened my eyes to the relationships you build in an academic program.”

Fostering research, fostering doctors

Kallail came to KU School of Medicine-Wichita in 1987 to work with the Department of Family & Community Medicine and later moved to the Department of Internal Medicine, eventually overseeing the Office of Research as associate dean in 2014. That’s how, for a Wichita native drawn by the appeal of a good career stop and his kids having grandparents close by, three expected years stretched to 36 — to the school’s benefit.

He’s done admissions and residency interviews, created the yearly Research Forum and organized an across-campus research directors council that helps keep multiple departments informed about what one another is doing. He’s headed the honors program and Scholars in Rural Health (and now Urban Health as well) — all sharing the goal of providing doctors and health care for Kansans who need it.

“He’s really fostered student research. Before, that wasn’t on the departments’ radar. He’s amped that up and supported it annually,” said Christina Frank, office manager in the Office of Research. “With the Research Forum, he’s really brought in a lot of speakers, but also kept it local and KU-focused. He’s been a part of that since 2014.”

“It’s been wonderful working with Dr. Kallail and having his guidance. Being able to work for him in this role has really strengthened my skill set and helped me grow,” said Frank, who is also publication manager for the Kansas Journal of Medicine.

Jon Schrage, M.D., retired now but whose Wichita roles included chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, credits Kallail with helping solidify research connections with the Kansas City campus and across departments on the Wichita campus.

“He took over running research in the Internal Medicine department and expanded that,” Schrage said. “When you give him something to do, he gets it done. He does a good job in leadership. I have a great deal of respect for him.”

“He’s been a mentor for young faculty, helping them write projects and just always being willing to get their careers developed,” Schrage said. “He has been instrumental in trying to grow research at this campus.”

Recently, Kallail helped create fellowships for Lebanese medical graduates, an effort spurred by the International Lebanese Medical Association. Wichita was a natural choice with its history of training and becoming home to doctors of Lebanese descent.

Kallail hopes the program, whose first two doctors placed into fellowships this spring, becomes a sustained endeavor, as the Kansas Journal of Medicine has. The journal publishes state-focused research from medical students, residents, faculty and others and now reaches a national audience. Kallail has worked alongside Schrage — he as managing editor, Schrage as editor — since the journal’s launch in 2007.

“I think it’s a crown jewel for KUMC and KU,” Kallail said. “It may not have an impact factor like the New England Journal, but it’s really good for students and residents to learn how to write and publish and get noticed.”

Samuel Ofei-Dodoo, Ph.D., MPA, CPH, associate editor at the journal, met Kallail soon after joining KU School of Medicine-Wichita seven years ago.

“I don’t know what he saw in me, but he encouraged me to serve on the faculty research committee and then he started giving me more responsibilities,” said Ofei-Dodoo. “Two years into my appointment, he asked me to be part of the Kansas Journal of Medicine. He started placing me in those areas to prepare me for what I now know is the future. Later, he obliged and became my mentor. He has allowed me to become what I am today.”

Ofei-Dodoo recalls key advice from Kallail as he prepared for promotions — that you can’t always expect your work to speak for itself, that you must speak up at times: “‘You know, every meeting I have been to, I hear your name but you are such a quiet guy. You have to find a way to talk about yourself. Trust me, that is the only way you can be successful.’ He is putting you in positions so you can be successful.”

“He is a very good listener, a sounding board,” said Ofei-Dodoo, director of research administration and associate professor in the Department of Family & Community Medicine. “He is always consistent. He is always there to help. He has this good relationship with his mentees. He does that with humility.”

To Kallail, it’s part of being an educator.

“I am the associate dean for research, but I don’t know that I identify as a researcher,” he said. “I identify as an educator, and an educator who does research. And the educator part is what good mentors do. I’m not saying I’m a good mentor. But if you’re a good educator, you will be mentoring.”

Keeping family close

Raised in Wichita, Kallail earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wichita State University. His first jobs were in Scott City and then, after marrying, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where he worked in the school system. His next step was Oklahoma City, where he earned his doctorate in communication sciences and disorders. Following several years at Kansas State University, he returned to Wichita.

Kallail’s family has deep roots in the city, as he is the descendant of Lebanese merchants who settled in Wichita early in the 20th century. His grandfather, in fact, was a founder of one of the city’s Orthodox congregations, St. Mary’s, and he’s a deacon — ordained clergy — in the denomination.

Retirement will take him and his wife, Rosemary, away from home but closer to family. They plan to move to Kansas City, where their daughter, Sarah, lives and son, Nicholas, is nearby in Lawrence.

An added pull — one he’s inclined to talk about — is proximity to their granddaughter, Mia.

“She smiles and is loving, and she’s crawling all over the place. She’s 15 pounds of love,” Kallail said.

So change is on the menu.

“I don’t know what life holds, because everything will be different, a new church, a new home,” Kallail said. “We’re excited and hopeful.”

Above, right: K. James Kallail, Ph.D., leads a discussion about an upcoming Kansas Journal of Medicine issue.