I’m a professor and biomedical researcher at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC). I grew up in rural Kansas (Plainville), where my parents and community instilled values like honesty, hard work, and helping others. I rely on these values to guide my career, and I’m proud to contribute to my home state. However, it’s a challenging time for medical research and health care in Kansas.
KU Medical Center Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Professions are all dedicated to training new health care providers for Kansans. Although affiliated with The University of Kansas Health System, these educational programs are mainly funded by your state tax dollars and student tuition.
Faculty in these schools not only teach but also conduct research, ranging from basic science discoveries to practical methods for preventing and treating diseases, both clinically and in the communities throughout Kansas. Taxpayer dollars primarily fund our research through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and this investment in the NIH has enabled U.S. biomedical research to become the world's best.
More importantly, this research is used to develop and advance medical care for us and our loved ones. NIH funding and the research environment it provides also play a vital role in training future health care providers and helping them adapt to the changing landscape they will encounter throughout their careers serving Kansans.
KU Medical Center, as a medical research university, provides the necessary infrastructure to educate and train high-quality health professionals across the state. However, NIH and state funding for KUMC currently face significant challenges.
If health care for you and your loved ones matters to you, please consider talking to your state and federal elected officials to maintain or enhance funding for education and research. This funding has a direct impact on the number of health care providers and the quality of scientifically advanced health care in our state.
— John P. Thyfault, PhD