KCMS February 27 Webinar: Update on the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
Jim Braibish • February 10, 2021
Two months after the first COVID-19 vaccines were administered, how is the rollout going in the Kansas City area? Join KCMS for an informative webinar on Saturday, February 27, from 8 to 9 a.m. The webinar follows up on our December 5 COVID-19 vaccination webinar.
Among the topics our speakers will address: Where have we succeeded and where do we need to do better? Are we getting the data we need? What efforts are being made to ensure minorities, especially African Americans, receive the vaccine? How is the health and wellness of health care workers and the public being impacted? Among COVID long haulers, what is being observed in cardiac health?
Returning are the three experts from our December vaccine webinar updating us on vaccine progress. Plus, we will hear from a cardiologist about the impact of COVID-19 on the cardiac health of those dealing with long-term effects of the disease:
- Mary Anne Jackson, MD, FAAP, FPIDS, FIDSA , dean of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, professor of pediatrics and an infectious disease specialist
- Kevin Ault, MD, FACOG , professor and specialist division director, Center for Pelvic Pain and Sexual Health at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, who has specialized in development of a vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV)
- Sara Boyd, MD , infectious disease physician at Saint Luke’s Hospital
- Angel L ópez-Candales, MD, FACC, FASE , cardiologist with Truman Medical Center. Besides cardiovascular disease, he also is knowledgeable about the effects of COVID-19 on Hispanic populations in the Kansas City area.
As we finish 2025, I am humbled and honored to be your incoming Kansas City Medical Society president. I want to thank Dr. Sarah Hon for her leadership and mentorship over the past year, and our executive director, Micah Flint, for his administrative support. Our medical society began with the Jackson County Medical Society in 1881, later merging with Wyandotte and Johnson County Medical Societies to become the bi-state Kansas City Medical Society in 2018. We have led health initiatives including Tobacco 21 legislation, Medicaid expansion, the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid crisis, and physician wellness. Our society is currently advocating for a speaker’s bureau, promoting suicide awareness at our local hospitals each fall, and leading vaccine education efforts in our community. As we move into 2026, our healthcare environment continues to change rapidly. With new medications and procedures, hospital mergers, EMRs, AI, scope-of-practice changes, hospitalists, and the rise of employed physicians, there are many challenges but also opportunities to lead in our healthcare communities. We must support one another to thrive and flourish. I ask that you stay involved and active in our organization as we plan networking and CME activities for 2026. Continue reaching out to colleagues as we learn from one another.
I consider it a sincere honor to serve as president of the Kansas City Medical Society this year. As we look forward to this new year, we celebrate our previous accomplishments and look for new ways to meet the challenges of our ever-changing healthcare environment. As we recognize our recent successes, I want to take the opportunity to thank Dr. Greg Unruh, our immediate past president, for his excellent leadership, and I look forward to his continued partnership, providing much-needed wisdom and experience to our board of directors as well as a leadership council. I am also deeply appreciative of Micah Flint, our executive director, now in his third year with the Society. As a board, we are prioritizing key areas where we believe the Society can make a difference for physicians and the communities we serve. With this in mind, we will continue our focus on wellness, advocacy, and expand our opportunities for in person social and educational gatherings. Our journal connects us in a variety of valuable ways, and we will continue its publication and expand its distribution. Under the directorship of Karole Bradford, the Society’s Foundation continues to do invaluable work. We celebrate those accomplishments and the charitable care they provide to our community’s vulnerable population. We are grateful for our individual members and corporate sponsors and welcome your suggestions of how the Society can best serve physicians and our community. Please mark your calendar for the Society’s upcoming events and consider inviting physician colleagues to join you as we gather to learn and support one another.
Kansas City area hospitals turn out for Physician Suicide Awareness Day: September 17th, 2024
