Kansas City University

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and honors the resilience and achievements of Black Americans throughout history.

As we reflect on the significance of this day, we reaffirm our commitment to fostering a culture of belonging, one that values equity, empathy and excellence. Together, we continue to improve the well-being of the communities we serve.

Read a message from our President and CEO, Marc B. Hahn, DO: https://www.kansascity.edu/blog/post/honoring-juneteenth-through-compassion-service-and-action

From dreaming about space when he visited NASA's Kennedy Space Center as a kid and interning with NASA to matching into one of the Navy's most competitive residency pathways, KCU graduate Jason-Flor Sisante is turning a lifelong passion into a career.

Selected from a pool of nearly 200 Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program students nationwide, he matched into the Navy's aerospace medicine residency track, where he'll train for the future of aviation, space and operational military medicine.

Read his story: https://bit.ly/4eeOgow

KCU graduate takes off toward elite aerospace medicine residency On Military Match Day at the United States Naval Academy, the weight of years of training came down to a single moment.

Dr. Linda Niessen is featured in this article from Harvard School of Dental Medicine highlighting the Reimagining Dental Education Summit, where she joined fellow dental education leaders from around the world to help identify priorities for the future of oral health education.

Dental school leaders chart a path for the future of dental education | Harvard School of Dental Medicine Dental education leaders from the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. convened at HSDM to develop priorities for the future of dental education.

Dr. Benjamin Grin, KCU professor, presented on the Street Wise Scholars program at the National Health Care for the Homeless Council Conference & Policy Symposium in Orlando, alongside Jaynell (KK) Assmann, CEO of Care Beyond the Boulevard and KCU adjunct instructor, and KCU medical students Rosheen Kamal and Bea Antonenko.

Street Wise Scholars is a Center for Population Health and Equity (CPHE) initiative that pairs students with individuals experiencing homelessness or housing instability. Through building relationships, students deepen their understanding of these lived experiences and strengthen their ability to provide compassionate, patient-centered care. The CPHE focuses on education and research aimed at addressing health disparities and improving outcomes for underserved populations.

Great to see our faculty, students and partners representing this impactful work on a national stage.

KCU's Global Health Program was proudly represented at the Institute for International Medicine - INMED 2026 Humanitarian Health Conference, where student doctors in the Global Health Track presented research addressing important global health topics.

Under the mentorship of Dr. Gautam Desai, students presented the following research projects:

• Jack Dunfield: Attitudes and Perceptions About Hernias in Rural Kenya

• Krishna Patel, Kaitline Weppner and Kaelin Dickey (not pictured): Menstrual Hygiene Practices and Barriers to Menstrual Product Access Among Rural Kenyan Women and Attitudes Toward Menstrual Cup Use in Rural Kenyan Women: A Pre- and Post-Education Analysis

• Andrea Weitoschova and Tanner Robinson: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Attitudes Toward and Perceptions of Childbirth Interventions in Rural Kenya and Guatemala

Congratulations to all of our student presenters for their outstanding work and commitment to advancing global health research. A special shoutout to Andrea and Tanner, whose poster earned second-place at the conference!

Registration for Alumni Weekend is open!

Join us Sept. 17–19 for three days of reconnecting, learning and celebrating new milestones with the KCU community. Highlights include campus tours, professional learning sessions, the Alumni Awards Gala, class reunions and more.

Whether you're catching up with classmates, exploring campus again or making new connections, Alumni Weekend is the perfect opportunity to come back to KCU.

View the full itinerary and register here: https://bit.ly/4e23vRw

From a small town in India to becoming the first Indian American president of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP), Dr. Gautam Desai continues to pay forward the mentorship that helped shape his own journey.

As chair and professor of Primary Care at Kansas City University, Dr. Desai has dedicated his career to preparing future physicians for success while advancing the field of family medicine at the national level. He has now completed his one-year term as ACOFP president and will continue serving on the organization's executive committee as he transitions to its Leadership Development Committee.

"We're hoping that when students learn the value of mentorship in osteopathic family medicine, it helps them succeed and inspires them to help the next generation."

Click here to read the full article:

KCU primary care leader reflects on historic ACOFP term and paying mentorship forward Gautam J. Desai, DO, FACOFP dist., chair and professor of Primary Care at Kansas City University recently completed a one-year term as president of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, becoming the organization's first Indian American...