THE PULSE
The latest installation in the School of Medicine lobby highlights the community engagement efforts of faculty and students.
UMKC School of Medicine Receives National Award for Community Engagement
THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY School of Medicine received the prestigious Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Engagement from the Association of American Medical Colleges last fall.
The award highlights the university’s longstanding commitment to supporting the Kansas City area and its underserved populations. According to the AAMC, UMKC has displayed unwavering dedication to reaching community members through nontraditional avenues of healthcare with low- and no-cost clinics, community events, education opportunities and more.
The School of Medicine was the only recipient of this award in 2023, further cementing its reputation of inclusion and community success. More than 60 key community partnerships help make university outreach successful. Strong bonds among UMKC and businesses, faith groups, neighborhood organizations, youth groups and local leaders have played a key role in identifying the areas of need UMKC can best serve.
One of the champions of community engagement, Jannette Berkley-Patton, Ph.D., director of the UMKC Health Equity Institute, has been spearheading these efforts throughout her career at the university.
“We’ve received this honor because of our stellar community partners, staff and students who are committed to improving the health of Kansas Citians,” Berkley-Patton said. “We are being recognized on a national level because of their desire to make the world a better place, and I am honored to have a part in this journey.”
In an online award presentation, the AAMC noted the impact of the university is “evident in its outcomes,” citing the success of Our Health Jackson County and the university’s partnership with KC Faith Community Action Board.
Dean Emerita Mary Anne Jackson (B.A. ’77/M.D. ’78), and Berkley-Patton accepted the award at an AAMC conference in Seattle.
School's Diversity Efforts Recognized for Second Year Straight
THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY School of Medicine is once again receiving recognition for its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The school received the 2023 Health Professionals Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.
In a letter to 2023 winners, INSIGHT Into Diversity said the school "significantly advances" the core values of diversity, equity and inclusion through its mentoring, teaching, research, hiring and promotion, recruitment, retention and other priorities.
"As an institution, we continue to strive to create a learning and clinical environment that is diverse, equitable and inclusive to all graduate and medical students, residents, fellows, staff and faculty members,” said Tyler Smith, M.D., MPH, associate dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “While managing the evolving landscape of higher education, the School of Medicine continues to uphold the vision, mission, goals and values in place since the institution’s founding.”
The school introduces the next generation of providers to DEI values through strategic initiatives, including an anti-racism and cultural bias program. Students complete the program before beginning their clinical rotations – ensuring each one of them is providing the highest level of care to each patient they encounter from their first day on the floor.
Some other School of Medicine initiatives focused on student inclusivity are the Multicultural Advisory Committee of Students and the Summer Success Seminar Series. The school also provides specialized care for students who are at academic risk.
This is not the first time UMKC has been recognized for its DEI work. INSIGHT Into Diversity also granted the School of Medicine the Excellence in Diversity Award in 2022 and 2018.
Alumna and Former Dean Becomes Special Advisor to the Chancellor
AS THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE enters a new chapter, one of its tenured leaders, professor of pediatrics and Dean Emerita Mary Anne Jackson (B.A. ’77/M.D. ’78), has moved from the dean’s office into a new role as special advisor to the chancellor. We asked Jackson about this new chapter of her career.
What is your new official title and what are your duties and priorities in this new role? My official title is special advisor to the chancellor. I assist him and Dean Norbash as we finalize the plans for the Healthcare Delivery and Innovation Building and aid in the establishment of the residency programs on our rural campus in St. Joseph, Missouri. Dean Norbash and I also work together on alumni development and fundraising.
What has been the most rewarding part of your new role so far? The most rewarding part of my new role is the ability to reflect and carve a path forward.
You’re an alumna, a former dean and, in this new role, are continuing to contribute to the success of the school and students. What is it about the School of Medicine that keeps you so invested? I reflect on the fact that through my career as a physician, I was lucky to have great training and leadership during residency and fellowship, a clinical home that allowed me to care for children with complex infectious diseases, good mentors and sponsors and an energizing research and educational focus. As I’ve tackled leadership roles, my goals and advice to others has been to use your voice, to mentor, motivate, challenge, teach and to build a network that inspires others to a common vision.
Mary Anne Jackson (B.A. ’77/M.D. ’78)
Digital rendering shows northeast corner of Healthcare Delivery and Innovation Building. Rendering by Clark & Enersen/RDG. Subject to change.
Transformative Construction Projects Underway
TWO BRAND-NEW, major construction projects are in the works for the UMKC School of Medicine. Construction is underway on the $145 million Healthcare Delivery and Innovation Building on the Health Sciences Campus in Kansas City, set to open in 2026, and a $14.5 million medical building for the School of Medicine St. Joseph Campus is due to be completed next summer. Both projects will not only improve how students learn, but will better enable UMKC to serve its surrounding communities.
Healthcare Delivery and Innovation Building The Healthcare Delivery and Innovation Building (HDIB) project was first unveiled to the public in October 2023 as the largest capital improvement project in UMKC history. The five-story, 160,000-square-foot building will be home to some medical and dental programs as well as other key endeavors at UMKC.
“This building is a 2026 building, but we’re looking toward 2050, 2060 with the technology going into this project,” said Alexander Norbash (B.A. ’85/M.D. ’86), dean of the UMKC School of Medicine. “This is truly an investment for the long term.”
The building will include:
Simulation Labs
- The HDIB will provide updated, cutting-edge simulation labs for School of Medicine students, including dedicated space to practice medical procedures. Students will also utilize a full-scale operating room and patient exam rooms to practice patient communication and care.
- Unlike the current space, which had to be reconfigured to work as a simulation lab, the new area will be built with the sole purpose of simulation training in mind. It will also have more simulation stations, allowing faculty to train more students in the same amount of time.
Health Equity Institute
- The institute brings together researchers, government and community organizations to improve the lives of the underserved and bridge healthcare gaps.
- Researchers collaborate to tackle health disparities and provide more access to healthcare with initiatives including Our Healthy Jackson County, which brings free vaccines, health screenings and other resources to neighborhoods and places of worship.
Biomedical Engineering
- Doctors, dentists and engineers will work side by side, creating faster, more effective collaboration between science, engineering and the medical world.
- This dedicated space will serve as a bridge between the Health Sciences Campus and the UMKC School of Science and Engineering on the Volker Campus.
Data Science and Analytics Innovation Center (dSAIC)
- dSAIC is led by UMKC in collaboration with other colleges in the University of Missouri System.
- Its main goals involve storing, processing and analyzing massive datasets to extract insights, patterns and knowledge to drive technological advancements.
- The data center within the new facility will provide opportunities to focus the power of data science on transforming personalized healthcare.
- This dedicated space will serve as a bridge between the Volker and Health Sciences Campuses, with more than a dozen staff members and Ph.D. candidates moving to the HDIB.
The HDIB project is being constructed on what is now a surface parking lot at 25th and Charlotte streets. The lot was closed off at the start of August, with student, faculty and staff parking moved to the nearby Health Sciences Campus Parking Garage.
An event to celebrate the start of construction took place on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at the future site of the new building. Attendees heard from UMKC Chancellor Mauli Agrawal, in addition to other key UMKC and UM System stakeholders, during a ceremony marking the major milestone.
"As exciting as this new facility is, I want to emphasize that this is just the beginning," Agrawal said. "This building is the first piece of a much larger vision for our UMKC Health Sciences District."
Digital rendering shows outside view of the 22,000-square-foot medical education building opening in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 2025. Rendering by Clark & Enersen/RDG. Subject to change.
St. Joseph School of Medicine Campus Construction on the School of Medicine’s new 22,000-square-foot, two-story medical education building in St. Joseph, Missouri, began in April 2024, with the project on track to be completed in June 2025. Ground has been prepared as foundational work begins. The elevator shaft and some piping work also has been completed.
This building project puts an emphasis on experiential learning. Along with faculty office space, the first floor of the building is dedicated to simulation training. This includes five patient simulation rooms, with one slightly larger than the others. Also included are a standardized patient staging area, debrief room and a high-fidelity training room and simulation office space.
“This will greatly help these students and ultimately produce outstanding physicians to care for rural and medically underserved areas of Missouri and the region,” said Michael Wacker, Ph.D., associate dean of rural initiatives for the School of Medicine.
The second floor of the building is dedicated to classroom learning. In addition to two classrooms and an active learning classroom, students will have access to six large group study rooms, six small student study rooms, an open study area, a clinical research data analytics room, prayer room, mother’s room, wellness room and kitchen areas.
Once completed, the new building will sit within 600 feet of Mosaic Life Care Hospital, where School of Medicine operations are currently housed. During the summer of 2025, faculty, staff and first- and second-year student learning will transition to the new School of Medicine campus. Third- and fourth-year clinical rotation students will remain at Mosaic with access to study and break room space. The full transition is scheduled to be complete by the Fall 2025 Semester.
Norbash is thrilled about the opportunities both these building projects present for the School of Medicine to better serve both its urban and rural communities.
“We are facing the future,” Norbash said. “The university is making an extraordinary investment in terms of investing in the most expensive real estate project in its history, while also committing to improving access to rural healthcare with our St. Joseph campus. This is extremely exciting, and I could not be happier.
Future construction updates for both the Healthcare Delivery and Innovation Building and St. Joseph Campus project will be posted here.