Northeast News
January 13, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — The Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (KCU), signed a partnership agreement with Missouri Southern State University (MSSU), a state-supported university located in Joplin, Missouri.

In a press release announcing the partnership, the collaboration provides select students pre-admittance to the KCU College of Osteopathic Medicine. Through this partnership, titled, “It’s Yours to Lose – Advanced Medical Acceptance Program,” up to 25 MSSU students will be admitted to the KCU College of Osteopathic Medicine annually following the successful completion of MSSU curriculum. Students of the program will be chosen through a joint selection process by both universities at the beginning of their first semester at MSSU.

KCU and MSSU believe this collaboration will foster student success at both institutions. KCU will open a second medical school in Joplin, Mo., in 2017 to help address the growing need for primary care physicians in the region’s rural communities. The KCU Joplin campus allows the university to continue educating high-quality doctors, specifically within the primary care specialty.

In the press release, Marc B. Hahn, president and chief executive officer of KCU, said this partnership with Missouri Southern State University guarantees students acceptance into medical school following their high school graduation, “paving a bright future for primary care in Joplin, Missouri.”

“Through this effort, we are not only excited about developing this pathway for local students into medical school, but recognize that together we can positively impact the access to medical care for Joplin and rural Missouri,” Hahn said.

Dr. Paula Carson, provost and vice president for academic affairs at MSSU, added that this partnership allows MSSU to come up with innovative curricular ideas to ensure their students are in the best possible position to succeed.”

“We can start preparing them for what medical school will be like,” Carson said. “We’ll have a rigorous curriculum and non-traditional scheduling of courses that will bette resemble the calendar and schedule of medical education.”