Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences

Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (KCUMB), located in Kansas City, Missouri, is the second oldest medical school in Missouri, and the largest in the state. George J. Conley, D.O., founded the University in 1916. Today, KCUMB consists of both a College of Osteopathic Medicine and a College of Biosciences. The school is located at 1750 Independence Avenue in the original site of Children’s Mercy Hospital^[1].

KCUMB is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and recognized by the Coordinating Board of Higher Education for the Missouri Department of Higher Education.

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Mission

Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, a private, not-for-profit institution of higher education founded in 1916, is an integral part of the Greater Kansas City area. KCUMB is committed to the education of highly qualified students in osteopathic medicine and the life sciences.

Fundamental to the mission is the preservation and renewal of human life.

History

KCUMB's College of Osteopathic Medicine was founded May 19, 1916, as The Kansas City College of Osteopathy and Surgery. In January 1921, the college moved to the Northwest neighborhood, just east of downtown. In November 1970, the name of the college was changed to The Kansas City College of Osteopathic Medicine (KCCOM), and again in July 1980 to The University of Health Sciences (UHS).

Since 1916, the University has awarded the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree to more than 7,000 graduates. Today's enrollment is approximately 1,000 students who come from nearly every state in the nation and several foreign countries. Women comprise approximately 43 percent of the student body.

In 1999, KCUMB joined with seven other research institutions to form the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute (KCALSI). As a founding KCALSI partner, KCUMB is working to transform Kansas City into a national center for biomedical research.

In May 2004, the UHS name gave way to Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. The name reflected a change in mission as the University added a second college, the College of Biosciences. The College of Biosciences accepted its first students in the fall of 2005, offering a one-year master of science in biomedical sciences degree. The College of Biosciences has since added a two-year master of science in biomedical sciences and a master of arts in bioethics, which will enroll its first students in Fall 2008.

Academics

Through the progressive and innovative Genesis curriculum, students in KCUMB’s College of Osteopathic Medicine develop clinical decision-making skills using an integrated, patient-centered approach to medicine that eliminates the separation of the basic and clinical sciences.

The College of Osteopathic Medicine is one of three medical schools in the United States to be recognized twice with the John Templeton Foundation’s Spirituality in Medicine Curricular Award, which recognizes outstanding medical education curricula incorporating spirituality in medicine. KCUMB is also one of three osteopathic medical schools nationwide working to enhance future physicians’ cultural competency and eliminate disparities in health care through a grant from the American Medical Student Association.

College of Osteopathic Medicine students can elect to concurrently study leadership and management and earn a master of business administration in healthcare leadership through a partnership with Rockhurst University’s Helzberg School of Management. Further, the launch of the region’s first graduate-level program in bioethics in summer 2007 provides students an opportunity to concurrently earn a master of arts in bioethics, which explores moral values as they relate to research and the practice of medicine.

KCUMB’s sports medicine program and the Score 1 for Health program, both of which combine medical education and service, give students hands-on clinical training while still in medical school. Score 1 for Health utilizes first- and second-year KCUMB medical students to provide free health screenings to elementary school children living in Kansas City’s urban core.

The College of Biosciences currently offers a master of science in biomedical sciences. Students interested in pursuing the accredited master of science in biomedical sciences can enroll in either a 12-month or 24-month track.

The 12-month track places emphasis on the acquisition of knowledge regarding state-of-the-art research methodologies and protocols. The 24-month track targets individuals interested in pursing careers as research scientists, and includes coursework in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, research design and ethics, research instrumentation and methodology, biostatistics and epidemiology.

Graduates of the KCUMB dual-degree in osteopathic medicine and bioethics will be prepared to provide needed leadership in addressing bioethics issues rising from advances in stem-cell research, genetic engineering, health care policy, environmental quality and human health and the globalization of medicine. The degree program provides a broad orientation to the interdisciplinary field of bioethics, including an in-depth examination of philosophical and religious ethics. Students can complete both the doctor of osteopathic medicine and master of arts in bioethics at the end of four years.

Facilities

KCUMB is committed to providing students with a quality education in facilities equipped with the latest technology.

The Strickland Education Pavilion is designed from the ground up to be the best possible learning environment for future physicians and scientists. The 96,000-square-foot building, opened in 1996, houses a state-of-the-art anatomy laboratory with fully integrated camera equipment, a high-tech classroom for biomedical sciences students, a 250-seat auditorium and the campus library.

The Dybedal Center for Research is the focus of research activities at KCUMB. The 45,000-square-foot center is equipped for Biosafety Levels I and II research and includes more than 20,000 square feet of basic science laboratories. Opened in 2004, the Dybedal Center also includes an 8,000-square-foot clinical research center, the only adult academic clinical research center in Kansas City, Mo., which conducts Phase I-IV studies.

The Kesselheim Center for Clinical Competence, completed in 2006, significantly enhances the early clinical education of first- and second-year KCUMB medical students. By linking eight high-tech human patient simulators with the College of Osteopathic Medicine’s well-established Standardized Patient Program, medical students are provided invaluable opportunities to evaluate, diagnose and treat hundreds of “patients” in a realistic, yet risk-free environment.

Construction on the 1,500-seat Weaver Auditorium, scheduled to open in early 2008, is already under way. Other new buildings scheduled to break ground in the coming months include a new student activities center and an expanded campus library.