21 February 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The University of Kansas (KU) Medical School Wichita Pediatric Residency Program has received a $2.5 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services.
The grant will be used to innovate and improve the ways pediatricians and doctors in the program are trained to address youth mental health issues.
“With the shortage of pediatric mental health experts in Kansas and the increased number of youth struggling with depression, anxiety, and other mental illness, primary care physicians and clinicians (PCPs) are called upon more and more to diagnose and treat these diseases, but they need additional training,” said Kari Harris, M.D., associate professor, KU Wichita Pediatrics.
Harris says many teens are turning to drugs to cope with mental health issues, often with fatal consequences. According to the Kansas State Child Death Review Board 2022 annual report,
“The grant will lead to innovations in our resident curriculum,” said co-project director Melissa Jefferson, M.D., program director, pediatric graduate medical education, “which will eventually result in an impact on the mental health of Kansas’ children and adolescents as these residents complete their training and begin their practice.”
The grant is one of 24 awarded to physician residency programs across the United States. For more information on the KU School of Medicine in Wichita, click here.