Investing in the Future of Children’s Health: Children’s Mercy Endows Four New Positions
Children’s Mercy invested four new endowed positions to honor outstanding clinicians, researchers and leaders who are committed to improving the health and well-being of children across the region and world. The formal investiture ceremony held on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020 celebrated the following honorees and their invested faculty positions:
- Ahmed Tawfik Abdelmoity MD, FAAP, FAES,Melva Dessenko O’Donnell Endowed Chair in Neurology
- William Ian Douglas, MD,Jerry Smith Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
- Robert H. Lane, MD, MS, MHA,Schellhorn Family Endowed Chair in Medical Administration
- Richard M. Schwend, MD, FAAP,Dr. Rex L. Diveley Endowed Professorship in Orthopaedic Research
“Established through the generosity of a committed donor, an endowed position is the highest academic award one can achieve – it is an incredible honor to be the named holder of the appointment and an enduring tribute to the donor who creates it,” Paul Kempinski, Children’s Mercy President and CEO said. “Endowed positions are crucial for recruiting and retaining world-class talent – they provide the recipient time and funding to focus on their work – it truly is an investment in the future of children’s health.”
Endowed chairs, currently funded at a minimum level of $1.5 million each, provide ongoing financial support for research and education. Children’s Mercy heartily thanks Melva and Rand O’Donnell, the Jerry Smith Family, the Schellhorn Family and Dr. Rex Diveley for their visionary leadership and generosity in establishing these vital positions for the continued work of revolutionizing pediatric healthcare.
Dr. Ahmed Tawfik Abdelmoity received the Melva Dessenko O’Donnell Endowed Chair in Neurology. Dr. Abdelmoity, is the Associate Chairman of Department of Pediatrics, Director of Division of Neurology and Chief Section of Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology at Children’s Mercy. He also serves as a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and at Kansas University. In his time at Children’s Mercy, Dr. Abdelmoity has built the Children’s Mercy Epilepsy Center from the ground up, not only bringing advanced pediatric epilepsy care to the area, but elevating care, education and research in Kansas City. Founded in 2012, the center is now a nationally recognized, level 4 facility and accredited by the National Association for Epilepsy Centers (NAEC). Dr. Abdelmoity’s work, with the support of his team, has improved patient access to care by bringing epilepsy care to patients across the region who did not have access to this level of care previously.
Dr. William Ian Douglas received the Jerry Smith Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery. Dr. Douglas is an attending cardiothoracic surgeon in the Department of Surgery at Children’s Mercy. In the field of cardiothoracic surgery, Dr. Douglas has been impacting patients around the country for more than two decades. Dr. Douglas has demonstrated outstanding success with a broad variety of congenital cardiac surgeries, including the most complex neonatal reconstructions among his own patients. But the impact of his expertise extends well beyond his own operating room and teams. Dr. Douglas has published extensively on topics related to his field and he holds a U.S. patent for a flow adjustable artery shunt. Today, Dr. Douglas continues to impact patients locally and around the world through improved practice, research and publications related to cardiothoracic surgical practice and techniques.
Dr. Robert H. Lane received the Schellhorn Family Endowed Chair in Medical Administration. Dr. Lane is the Executive Vice President and Physician-in-Chief at Children’s Mercy, a role he assumed in early 2020. Previously, Dr. Lane was the Chair of Pediatrics and Pediatrician-in-Chief at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Wisconsin. Dr. Lane has more than three decades of experience in the medical field and a well-earned reputation as a holistic leader with a focus on improving outcomes and metrics and his commitment to a work environment where faculty is challenged, respected and engaged. Dr. Lane’s role in the establishment of the Children’s Mercy Berry Institute, a unique, innovative, and collaborative experience designed to develop all employees as leaders and improvement specialists, hones in on his specialty of creating leaders throughout an organization and empowering a workforce to ask challenging questions that bring about change for patients and families. As a healthcare leader, Dr. Lane’s work will continue to evolve the practice of medicine, patient and family support and more as employees are empowered to grow themselves and in their roles as care providers.
Dr. Richard Schwend received the Dr. Rex L. Diveley Endowed Professorship in Orthopaedic Research. Dr. Schwend, is the Interim Chair of Orthopaedics and Director of Orthopaedic Research at Children’s Mercy. He also serves as a Professor of Orthopaedics and Pediatrics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and University of Kansas Medical Center. Dr. Schwend has not only brought top-notch care to patients locally, but he has also personally touched the lives of patients around the world in an effort to bring care to those in need and improve care for patients. He has cared for patients in Liberia, Romania, Ecuador and on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. Dr. Schwend is Medical Director and a founding member of Project Perfect World, Ecuador, which sponsors the Ecuador Spine Project. Locally, Dr. Schwend co-founded the Summer Scholars program as well as a one-year scholar program for medical students completing their 3rd year of medical school in cooperation with the KU School of Public Health and their Frontiers Program.
Children’s Mercy Eminent Scholars and Endowed Chairs
Ahmed Tawfik Abdelmoity MD, FAAP, FAES
Melva Dessenko O’Donnell Endowed Chair in Neurology
Susan Abdel-Rahman, PharmD
Marion Merrell Dow/Missouri Chair in Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology
Timothy L. Bennett, MD
Elizabeth J. Ferrell Chair in Maternal Fetal Medicine
Tom Curran, PhD, FRS
Donald J. Hall Eminent Scholar in Pediatric Research
James F. Daniel, MD
James F. Daniel, MD, Endowed Chair in Liver Care
William Ian Douglas, MD
Jerry Smith Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
Kathy Goggin, PhD
Ernest L. Glasscock, MD, Chair in Pediatric Education and Research
Elin Grundberg, PhD
Roberta D. Harding and William F. Bradley, Jr. Endowed Chair in Genomic Research
Cheri E. Hunt, MHA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC
Bernell Hevner O’Donnell, RN, Endowed Chair-Chief Nursing Officer
Shao Jiang, MD
Frederick J. McCoy Endowed Chair in Plastic Surgery and Craniofacial Research
Paul D. Kempinski, MS, FACHE
Alice Berry, DDS, and Katharine Berry, MD, Endowed Chair in Executive Leadership
Robert H. Lane, MD, MS, MHA
Schellhorn Family Endowed Chair in Medical Administration
J. Steven Leeder, PharmD, PhD
Marion Merrell Dow Chair in Pediatric Precision Therapeutics
Cy Nadler, PhD
Josh Barnds and Stella Carlson Endowed Professorship for Autism
Bradford W. Olney, MD
Dr. Rex and Lillian Diveley Chair in Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery
Tomi Pastinen, MD, PhD
Dee Lyons/Missouri Endowed Chair in Pediatric Genomic Medicine
Richard M. Schwend, MD, FAAP
Dr. Rex L. Diveley Endowed Professorship in Orthopaedic Research
Girish S. Shirali, MBBS, FASE, FACC
Melva and Randall L. O’Donnell, PhD, Chair in Pediatric Cardiology
Shawn D. St. Peter, MD
Thomas Holder/Keith Ashcraft Chair in Pediatric Surgical Research
William E. Truog III, MD
Sosland Chair in Neonatology Research
Bradley A. Warady, MD
McLaughlin Family Endowed Chair in Nephrology
Open chairs under recruitment
Joyce C. Hall Eminent Scholar in Pediatrics
Katharine B. Richardson Chair in Pediatric Surgery
DeBruce Foundation Endowed Chair in Cancer Immunotherapy
Stanley H. Durwood Foundation Endowed Chair in Health Outcomes
Schutte/Speas Endowed Chair in Pediatric Hematological Malignancies
Marion Merrell Dow/Missouri Chair in Pediatric Medical Research
William R. Brown/Missouri Endowed Chair in Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine
Nick Timmons Endowed Professorship in Developmental and Behavioral Sciences
Dr. Brad and Dawn Olney Chair in Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery
Joy and Stewart Koesten Endowed Professorship in Developmental and Behavioral Health
Underdown Yeomans Family Endowed Professorship in Connective Tissue Disorders Care
Underdown Yeomans Family Endowed Professorship in Connective Tissue Disorders
Research
V. Fred Burry, MD & Sandra Hobart Burry Chair in Nursing Advocacy & Leadership
Batterson Family Endowed Chair in Pediatric Psychiatry
Rick and Cathy Baier Family Endowed Chair in Endocrinology