Debra Birdwell, RN, BSN, is the clinic manager for the Medically Complex Clinic at KU Wichita Pediatrics. Debra serves as support nurse for the School-Based Health Clinic, USD 262 Valley Center Schools. She has seven years of experience serving in the pediatric clinic. Her clinical interests are children and youth with special health care needs, asthma and care coordination. She is passionate about helping families care for their children with special health care needs and ensuring there is adequate communication between families and health care providers. Debra also serves as support staff with KU medical students during their community-week rotation. Debra is committed to increasing the collaboration between multiple health care specialists and values the efforts in working with professionals to positively impact care.

Kerry Nantsis, APRN, is a nurse practitioner who has been with KU Wichita Pediatrics for six years. Kerry received her undergraduate degree from Newman University and her graduate degree from Wichita State University, where she specialized in family practice. She is board-certified through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. She is passionate about improving access to pediatric health care and excited to be a part of the School-Based Health Clinic.

Nicole Klaus, Ph.D., ABPP, is a board-certified child and adolescent psychologist and associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita. She has more than 15 years of clinical experience and is committed to training mental health professionals and increasing access to mental health care for youth in underserved communities. While her clinical practice serves a broad range of mental health needs, Dr. Klaus has specific interests in youth suicide prevention and the treatment of childhood mood disorders. Dr. Klaus is a member of the expert hub team for the KSKidsMAP Pediatric Mental Health Care Access project, which includes case consultation, a teleECHO clinic and clinician wellness resources for primary care clinicians across Kansas to address the mental health care needs of youth in rural and underserved communities.

Stephanie Kuhlmann, D.O., is a pediatric hospitalist and an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita. Dr. Kuhlmann serves as the division director of Pediatric Hospital Medicine and as the pediatric medical director at Wesley Children’s Hospital. She is also involved in numerous hospital committees and community initiatives and organizations. She believes in interdisciplinary and collaborative teamwork to maximize resources and services to provide the best care for children and families. Dr. Kuhlmann created and facilitates the Kansas COVID Workgroup for Kids, which has fueled an existing interest in school-based health.

Sid Sivamurthy, M.D., is a board-certified pediatrician with 20 years of medical experience across three countries with vastly different health care systems. He is currently an associate professor at KU Wichita Pediatrics where he practices primary care pediatrics and serves as the medical director of the KU Wichita Medically Complex Clinic. Dr. Sivamurthy is dedicated to serving Kansas’ unique medical needs. His passion is caring for children with special health care needs. He started the KU Wichita Pediatric Asthma Clinic in 2012 and works closely with the pediatric pulmonologist to meet the asthma needs of the community. Both clinics have long been a regional resource for patients, medical care providers and community partners. In addition to Dr. Sivamurthy’s current practice, he has experience in genetics and metabolic medicine (PKU/galactosemia clinic) and was involved with the genetics team’s pioneering work in the field of telehealth. His team at KU deeply values community partnerships and is always looking for new opportunities to positively impact the health of our children. 

Paul Teran, M.D., is an assistant professor of pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hospital Medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita and an academic pediatric hospitalist at Wesley Children’s Hospital. His clinical practice involves caring for hospitalized children. He is passionate about patient- and family-centered care, multidisplinary collaboration, high-value evidence-based care and medical education. He serves as the KUSM-W PHM Division’s director of education and development and is the physician leader of the Patient- and Family-Centered Care Collaborative Workgroup. Dr. Teran is an active advocate for children and youth through public policy initiatives and partnering with community organizations. He believes that school-health partnerships are incredibly beneficial to children and communities.

Kari Harris, M.D., is a primary care pediatrician and associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita. Dr. Harris serves as section director for the Division of Adolescent Health and medical director for the School-Based Health Clinic, USD 262 Valley Center Schools. Dr. Harris has over 10 years of experience serving adolescents in her clinical practice. Her clinical interests are in mental health, risk mitigation and preventive care. She is passionate about supporting youth in achieving their goals and recognizes that mental wellness is vital to a successful trajectory for youth. Dr. Harris also serves as the medical director of the KSKidsMAP Pediatric Mental Health Access Program, Virtual TeleECHO Clinic, a program that addresses the shortage of pediatric mental health experts by supporting primary care physicians and clinicians in treating mental health needs among youth in their primary care practices. Dr. Harris is committed to advocating for youth and decreasing barriers to access to health care. Her research interests mirror her clinical practice in mental health and preventive medicine. Dr. Harris strongly values collaborative efforts in clinical care and research and her professional teams reflect this.