The investment will provide more KansasCOM medical students with hands-on clinical training in southwest Kansas communities, strengthening the pipeline of future rural physicians.
Kansas Health Science University (KHSU) has received a $250,000 gift from the Patterson Family Foundation to support the university’s long-term commitment to advancing rural Kansas communities.
The funds will expand KHSU’s Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (KansasCOM) Medical Education Hub (MedEd Hub) which is designed to strengthen the rural physician pipeline, expand access to quality healthcare, and encourage future physicians to practice in southwest Kansas.
“We are proud to partner with the Patterson Family Foundation in supporting solutions that strengthen healthcare in rural Kansas,” said Molly Fox, vice president for institutional advancement at KHSU. “The MedEd Hub is about more than medical education. It’s about connecting future physicians with communities, helping them understand local healthcare challenges, and inspiring them to be part of the solution. We are especially grateful to the many organizations and community leaders who have embraced this effort from the beginning. Their collaboration and commitment have been critical to its success, and we’re excited about what we can accomplish together for rural Kansas.”
Kansas was once ranked as the eighth healthiest state in the nation but now ranks 27th overall, and 71 of the state’s 105 counties are designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) for primary care. (Sources: America’s Health Rankings; Kansas Department of Health and Environment Division of Public Health). To address these shortages, particularly in rural communities, KansasCOM launched the MedEd Hub in 2023 with funding provided by the Patterson Family Foundation, Riverside Health Foundation, Western Kansas Community Foundation, City of Garden City, and many individual donors.
The multifaceted, integrated initiative connects KansasCOM students with immersive rural training experiences and builds long-term relationships with rural communities and healthcare providers. Since each community varies, the MedEd Hub has four parts to its hub-and-spoke model: assessment and research to determine community needs, early immersion to rural medicine and communities for student doctors, pipeline development of youth in the area to consider careers in medicine, and physician support for those practicing medicine in the area.
Since its inception, dozens of KansasCOM student doctors have participated in the rural medicine summer immersion program with favorable results. “The opportunity to participate in the rural medicine summer immersion program had a huge impact on my experience and ultimately, my training,” says Chase Hearn, KansasCOM class of 2026. “I performed most of my core clinical rotations in Garden City where I was hands-on and learned so much. While residency is taking me out of Kansas, my hope is that Western Kansas will find a place for me to call home once I’m finished with my training.”
“Just one aspect of the gift is that it will ensure more student doctors can experience the rural medicine summer immersion program and clinical rotations in southwest Kansas communities, ultimately leading to more students interested in practicing in rural Kansas and engaging in rural health research that benefits underserved communities. This is meaningful impact that will span generations and we are grateful to the Patterson Family Foundation for making this possible,” said Esther Tipton, rural MedEd Hub director at KHSU.