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More than 70 years ago, Dr. Franklin D. Murphy, as executive dean, promoted what he called the Rural Health Program for Kansas. Affectionately known as the Murphy Plan, it had strategies to increase the number of doctors practicing throughout Kansas and ensure citizens across the state — especially those in rural communities — would have access to the best health care.
While the efforts of the plan have benefitted Kansans for decades, we believe it is time to renew its promise. How can we improve our education program for tomorrow’s physicians? How can we ensure bright students — especially those with Kansas and Kansas City ties — can attend our medical school? How can we create a workforce that looks more like the patients they serve? These big questions of health care access, pipeline development and health equity are at the core of our vision for the future.
We will undertake initiatives like a rural health center in Salina to better coordinate care and research from the center of the state. We will expand outreach programs targeted to college students that provide a pathway to a medical degree at an important decision point for undergraduates. We will bolster our research efforts and seek ways to provide rural communities with access to the research.
And we will prioritize increasing our scholarship support. With more than 840 medical students on three campuses, we have a large student body. Medical education is expensive, with an average student loan debt of nearly $200,000 at graduation. Our current average scholarship is $3,500 per student. This financial burden also places an extraordinary challenge for our promising students from diverse backgrounds. Every new dollar grows the available support, making it more affordable for a KU School of Medicine graduate to be successful.
Early support in a medical career has exponential effects. Please consider investing in our medical students with a gift today.
On behalf of all of us here at the KU School of Medicine, thank you in advance for your generosity.
Student Spotlight:
“The University of Kansas School of Medicine has far exceeded expectations regarding my medical education. From urban to rural care, research to clinical settings, the operating room to ambulatory centers, KU School of Medicine puts my colleagues and me in a position to succeed by preparing us both academically and, more importantly, in being a caring, well-rounded physician. It was no surprise to students when the school received a top 10 ranking in U.S. News & World Report for Best Medical Schools: Primary Care. We see the benefits of our education unfold over our four years here and continue to watch KU alumni excel far beyond KU’s campuses.” – Kate D., MPH, M.D. candidate 2023