The endowed fund will provide lasting financial support for aspiring physicians committed to primary care in rural and underserved Kansas communities.
Kansas Health Science University (KHSU) proudly announces the establishment of the Riverside Health Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund with a $1.3 million gift – ensuring that future generations of KHSU’s Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (KansasCOM) students can pursue their medical education and carry forward the Foundation’s mission of improving healthcare for all Kansans.
While this is their first endowed scholarship for KHSU, the Foundation has awarded scholarships to 30 students since KansasCOM was established in 2022, totaling $435K.
“Since KansasCOM’s inception, the Riverside Health Foundation has remained steadfast in its commitment to future physicians by providing scholarship support to students in every entering class,” said Kimberly Long, Ph.D., president of Kansas Health Science University. “We are eternally grateful for the generosity of the Foundation’s continued support and commitment to easing the financial strain of medical school costs so that the recipients can focus on their training as future physicians.”
The timing of this gift comes at a critical time for students needing financial assistance. As of July 1, 2026, federal legislation capped unsubsidized loans at $50,000 a year with a lifetime limit of $200,000. The average cost of medical school is around $70,000 a year, leaving students to find alternative ways to cover the cost of tuition, fees and cost of living expenses.
“Scholarships play a valuable role in the recruiting of highly qualified student doctors and retaining them for the areas and specialties in most need,” said Molly Fox, vice president for institutional advancement at KHSU. “Through its extraordinary generosity and vision, the Riverside Health Foundation has helped create opportunities for aspiring physicians who are committed to serving communities across Kansas. The Riverside Health Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund stands as a lasting tribute to that legacy, and we look forward to seeing their generosity make a difference in improving healthcare for all Kansans for generations to come.”
Once the endowed scholarship is fully vested, the earnings of the fund will support student scholarships to provide financial relief for student doctors at KansasCOM into perpetuity. Successful applicants will demonstrate academic success and have a commitment to providing primary care in rural and underserved Kansas communities.
“Riverside Health Foundation has always been guided by its mission to support the education of osteopathic physicians. Establishing this scholarship is a powerful way to help generations of students fulfill their dreams of practicing medicine while also honoring the legacy of the Foundation that has been invested in this university from the very beginning,” said Randy Coonrod, chairman of the Riverside Health Foundation and a KHSU trustee.
The Riverside Health Foundation was established in 1995 following the sale of Riverside Hospital System in Wichita, with a visionary mission to strengthen healthcare across the state through the education and training of osteopathic physicians.
For decades, the Foundation’s board of directors provided stewardship of this mission, awarding significant charitable grants in support of healthcare education and community health programs throughout Kansas. Guided by a commitment to addressing physician shortages in both rural and urban communities, the Foundation invested in initiatives that would create long-term solutions for the state’s healthcare workforce.
The Riverside Health Foundation played a transformative role in the establishment of the Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine. In 2019, the Foundation provided a historic lead gift of $15 million, partnering with The Community Solution Education System to help bring the first osteopathic medical school in Kansas to fruition. This investment fulfilled a promise made nearly seven decades earlier—that if Riverside Hospital were ever sold, its proceeds would be used to support the training of osteopathic physicians in Wichita and throughout Kansas.
“The Riverside Health Foundation’s vision helped make KHSU possible, and this gift carries that vision forward, ensuring Kansas has the physicians it needs for generations to come. We’re deeply grateful for a partner who sees medical education as an investment in the health of our communities,” said Michael Horowitz, Ph.D., chancellor of The Community Solution Education System, of which KHSU is a member.