Kansas Health Science Center Announces New Leadership

The newly appointed Board of Trustees and executive leadership team will continue work to establish a new best-in-class medical school in Wichita, Kansas

WICHITA, Kan., May 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Kansas Health Science Center (KHSC)—a nonprofit institution based in Wichita, Kansas—is proud to announce its new Board of Trustees and executive leadership team. Vadim Levitin, M.D., serves as the chairman of the Board of Trustees. Tiffany Masson, Psy.D., has been appointed president and Robert Hasty, D.O., is the founding dean and chief academic officer.

With this new leadership team, KHSC is poised to take the next step in opening a medical school—the first for Kansas in more than a hundred years—to address the need for more physicians in Kansas.

“Kansas, as well as America, is fortunate to have great medical schools. KHSC’s vision is to be an institution like no other,” Dr. Tiffany Masson says. “We will focus on training the physician of the future—one that is highly skilled and ready to work with the entire health care team to ensure best-in-class patient care.”

Dr. Masson is a clinical psychologist with nearly 15 years of experience in higher education. As dean of both The Chicago and Online Campuses at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, she was responsible for building and driving academic and operational excellence, and has earned a reputation for resolving complex problems, building sustainable strategies, developing quality programs, and improving operational efficiencies, yielding consistent growth in both new student enrollment and retention year over year. Her unique combination of both academic and operational expertise and forward thinking will help KHSC remain on the cutting edge.

Dr. Robert Hasty joins KHSC after serving as the founding dean of the first medical school in Idaho, the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM). He is board certified in internal medicine and is a fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Internists as well as the American College of Physicians. Prior to his time at ICOM, Dr. Hasty served as associate dean of Campbell University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine, where he worked to secure 383 new residency positions in the region.

As they begin their appointments, both Dr. Masson and Dr. Hasty plan to move to Wichita.

“In a state that ranks 40th in terms of physicians per capita, a new medical school can help improve access,” Dr. Hasty says. “There’s a growing need for doctors, not only in Kansas but across the country. KHSC is ready and eager to meet that challenge to help the community.”

This focus on community is reflected in KHSC’s new Board of Trustees, which includes doctors, business, and community leaders from the greater Wichita area and around the country:

• Vadim Levitin, M.D., principal and co-founder at the Merkle & Nonce (chair).
• Deborah Markos, M.S., chief operating officer of TCS Education System (vice chair).
• Tiffany Masson, Psy.D., president of KHSC.
• Michael Horowitz, Ph.D., president and founder of TCS Education System.
• Jeremy Ensey, MBA, CEO of St. Luke Hospital.
• James Ernstmann, director of global HR for INVISTA.
• Dasa Gangadhar, M.D., renowned corneal transplant surgeon.
• Jerry Gaston, D.O., general surgeon and vice chairman of the Riverside Health Foundation.
• Theron Fry, J.D., fellow at The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.
• Jon Kirkpatrick, D.O., internal medicine physician with 42 years of experience.
• Dan McCarty, D.O., physician at Ascension Medical Group Via Christi.
• Ronnie Troy, local business leader and Secretary/Treasurer of the Riverside Health Foundation Board of Trustees.
• Richard Chaifetz, Psy.D., CEO of ComPsych Corporation.
• Terrence Layng, Ph.D., scientific consultant for Generategy, LLC.
• Mark Skrade, Psy.D., director of academic partnerships for Burrell Behavioral Health.

“As a native Wichitan, this is a tremendous development for the city,” says Dr. Gaston, who was a strong supporter of the Riverside Health Foundation’s $15 million pledge to KHSC. “I am proud to be a part of KHSC’s development in establishing new opportunities in medical education.”

This leadership announcement comes on the heels of KHSC’s partnership with nonprofit TCS Education System. With this partnership, KHSC joins a national community of colleges and universities that have a shared mission to contribute to positive community impact. This allows KHSC an opportunity to provide cross-disciplinary opportunities for students, a unique offering beyond the traditional medical institution.

“I’d like to acknowledge Founding Chair Sudha Tokala for her vision to advance medical education in the community and the work she has done to this point to give KHSC a solid footing,” Board Chair Vadim Levitin says. “Our goal is to make KHSC a bedrock of the community. I’m excited to see the great impact KHSC will have on the Kansas region.”

About Kansas Health Science Center

Kansas Health Science Center (KHSC) is a private, nonprofit institution based in Wichita, Kansas, whose goal is to increase access to medical education opportunities and to address the growing need for physicians in the community. KHSC is a partner institution of TCS Education System, a nonprofit system of colleges advancing student success and community impact. The Kansas Health Science Center College of Osteopathic Medicine (applicant status-seeking accreditation) is currently in development.

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SOURCE Kansas Health Science Center