Samuel Akidiva, M.D., was a young physician visiting from Kenya when he met Donna Sweet, M.D., in 2008. At Sweet’s invitation, Akidiva shadowed her as she worked with HIV patients and others in the KU School of Medicine-Wichita’s Midtown Clinic.

“Even then, when I was just visiting, I could see the high regard that patients had for her,” he said. “And everybody in the clinic made me feel so welcome.”

Akidiva’s regard for Sweet has only grown through the years as — largely thanks to her urging — he completed his internal medicine residency at KU Wichita and then joined her on its faculty. But that’s not the reason Akidiva spearheaded the creation of an honorary award for medical students and residents in Sweet’s name.

“She’s not done this just for me,” he said. “She’s done this for everybody. She truly deeply cares about her patients, and she cares about medical students and residents.”

The first two Donna Sweet Medical Excellence Award winners — graduating student Kellie Griffin and third-year resident Chelsea Wuthnow — were announced last month. With the help of William Salyers Jr., M.D., chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, and others, Akidiva said it wasn’t hard raising money from faculty and residents to endow the award.

Sweet said it “means a lot.”

“I was just flabbergasted that all of my previous trainees put up the kind of money they did to build an award like that.”

The award recognizes academic and clinical merit, plus philanthropy, advocacy and empathy. Sweet’s admirers say she has embodied those last three traits throughout her long association with KU Wichita and the larger community.

“As one of her former residents, I am so thankful for this award that recognizes Dr. Sweet’s dedication and commitment to our profession,” said Salyers. “As chair, I’m appreciative of Dr. Akidiva for helping establish an award that will honor Dr. Sweet’s legacy in perpetuity while supporting our exemplary students and residents.”

Sweet, a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, grew up poor on a farm near Towanda, earning a full-ride scholarship to Wichita State University. She graduated from KU Wichita in 1979 and joined the faculty four years later. She teaches inpatient care to residents and students at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis, outpatient care to fourth-year students at the clinic and usually has a second-year resident on an HIV rotation at the clinic.

“I’m what they call a throwback dinosaur who’s always done inpatient (care) for her outpatients,” she said. “I still care for my patients when they’re in the hospital.” Sweet said she set up her private practice “with the idea that when they needed to be in the hospital, they could be used for teaching purposes in the hospital.”

Sweet was on the front lines of caring for HIV/AIDS patients when that crisis emerged and is recognized nationally as a specialist in that regard. For years, she and her staff organized a Christmas dinner for HIV/AIDS patients at a local church. Each fall, she hosts “A Sweet A'Fair” in her northeast Wichita backyard, raising money to help HIV patients pay medical costs.

Sweet is known for cooking and her sense of fun, too. In fact, each Christmas, she has a “leg wrestling party” for residents.

“It’s a traditional Christmas party to help preserve wildlife and leg wrestling,” she deadpanned. “We give trophies. People are very proud of their leg wrestling trophies. There are a lot of physicians around town who have them.”

Asked how many physicians she’s trained through the years, Sweet said, “It would take a calculator because I see a different team probably four or five times a year, if not more.”

Last month, Sweet had her photograph taken with Gov. Laura Kelly along with other 40-year state employees.

Akidiva said Sweet has also forged an important connection between KU Wichita and his native East African country. Starting with himself, there have been about 10 Kenyans complete their residency here.

During his residency, Akidiva said, he became convinced that Sweet had asked other faculty “to keep an eye on this guy.”

“When she wants you to succeed, she goes all out and gets fully invested in your case,” he said, adding that Sweet “has been like another mother to me.”

Sweet said she reached out to Akidiva and other Kenyans because “we need diversity and we need good people.”

Akidiva said he wanted to see the award established for Sweet before she retires, but it appears he’ll be enjoying her as a colleague for the foreseeable future.

“I’m old enough, plenty,” Sweet said, “but I love what I do. As long as they let me, I don’t intend to retire unless something changes.”

Many who were trained by Dr. Donna Sweet gathered together to honor her during the Internal Medicine Residency graduation this year.