Division of Infectious Diseases

Welcome and Overview

Welcome to the Division of Infectious Diseases of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. We are extremely proud of the faculty, research endeavors, educational programs, service activities, and the medical facilities provided here. The goal of our faculty and staff is to continue to make this Division exceptional in terms of scientific achievement, clinical service and medical education.

As part of the University of Kansas and the School of Medicine, the Department of Internal Medicine, and the Division for Infectious Diseases meets selected educational, informational, and health care needs of Kansans. We continue to revolutionize medicine by exploring innovative ways to deliver health care to the residents of the State of Kansas and the greater Kansas City metropolitan area.

Our faculty continues to receive medical student, regional, national and international recognition for patient care, research, and teaching activities. The Department of Internal Medicine continues to lead the University in research funding with increasing numbers of clinical trials and grant funding being awarded.

The clinical activity of this department and of this division, like others across the nation, is being geared in response to the unique and challenging needs posed by managed care and the ever-changing environment of cost conscious health care. At KUMC, we are enhancing our primary care activities by expanding general internal medicine, re-energizing care of the elderly through our geriatrics programs, enlarging the ambulatory care facilities by opening a new center called KUWest, and developing outreach programs for offsite clinics and educational activities, through the Area Health Education Centers of Kansas.

Though there is growing emphasis on diagnosis and treatment in the outpatient setting, we maintain an active inpatient consultative service. Specific areas of clinical interest include an expanded woman's health initiative, in geriatrics, in family medicine and a push toward cross-specialty educational experiences such as office orthopedics, gynecology, sports medicine and adolescent medicine. The newly developed medicine/pediatrics combined residency program is functioning well in meeting the expanding needs of training in primary care.

Our Internal Medicine education programs have worked diligently during the past several years to revitalize the curriculum, redefine missions, and adapt to the changing marketplace. Today our curriculum accentuates care in the ambulatory setting, continuity of patient care and experiences in rural practices that provide our students, residents and fellows an opportunity to further enhance their understanding of primary care. This combination of experiences produces physicians who may elect to practice in rural, or in other underserved communities.