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GASTROENTEROLOGY FELLOWSHIP Patient demand for gastroenterologists is surging and opportunities for physicians to receive the necessary specialty training are extremely competitive. KUSM-Wichita is now among the limited places where physicians can get that training. "We have had no shortage of applicants," said Nathan Tofteland, M.D., the director of KUSM-Wichita's three-year Gastroenterology fellowship program. The program's two positions available each year draw between 300 to 400 applicants. Last summer, two fellows completed the fellowship. One of the graduates, Daly Al-Hadeethi, M.D., joined the KU Wichita Gastroenterology practice, while the other graduate, Stephanie Melquist, M.D., is completing an advanced endoscopy fellowship at The University of Michigan. The fellowship program offers an opportunity to keep KUSM-Wichita internal medicine residents who want to specialize in gastroenterology in Wichita, which wasn't the case when Tofteland and the chair of the KUSM-Wichita Department of Internal Medicine, William Salyers, M.D., MPH, FACP, completed their residencies. "There wasn't an opportunity to train locally, so both of us had to go elsewhere to do our training," Tofteland said. "It's harder to attract folks to come back. There is a great patient need across the state for GI providers, and we recognize that not only can we meet that need, but we can elevate the quality of care that we can provide for complex GI and liver patients." Currently, fellows in the program train at Wesley Medical Center and the VA Medical Center in Wichita. OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY RESIDENCY | PEDIATRICS RESIDENCY Last year, the OB-GYN and pediatrics residency programs increased their enrollments. The four-year OB-GYN program was granted an increase of one additional resident annually starting in 2025, going from five residents to six. With the expansion, the program has added another clinical site. Residents are now also being sent to Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph for training. The program has traditionally been based only at Wesley Medical Center. "From a capacity standpoint, we definitely have a physician shortage in Kansas," said Zachary Kuhlmann, D.O., director of the OB-GYN Residency Program. "I think rural Kansas especially could benefit from more physicians and OB-GYN (physicians). ... A lot of rural Kansas is a desert for women's healthcare. One of our priorities is to help provide physicians that are well trained to go out and help care for the rural populations." The three-year Pediatrics Residency Program was granted an increase of three new residents annually, going from five residents to eight. The program is the only training program for pediatricians in the state of Kansas, so optimizing its impact is critical. Expansion in clinical programs, faculty and other infrastructure over the last decade, including Wesley's development of the Wesley Children's Hospital, allowed for the increase in the number of pediatricians who can be trained in Wichita. "The program is thriving, so we had a great opportunity to expand," said Brian Pate, M.D., KUSM-Wichita Department of Pediatrics chair. Approximately half of KU Wichita pediatrics residency graduates go into primary care, including rural primary care, and the other half choose further training in a pediatric specialty fellowship. Regardless of the primary or specialty path, many graduates ultimately chose to work in Kansas, making the residency program critical for regional access to pediatricians in rural areas, cities and for specialty care. The increase in resident complement was approved by Wichita Center for Graduate Medical Education, Wesley Healthcare and HCA Graduate Medical Education administration prior to ultimate approval by the American Council for Graduate Medical Education. "We are very grateful for the support, particularly Wesley's and HCA's financial support for the increased number of residents," Pate said. Daly Al-Hadeethi, M.D., completed the KU School of Medicine-Wichita Gastroenterology Fellowship Program in 2025 and joined the KU Wichita Gastroenterology practice. KU Wichita OB-GYN resident physicians gain hands-on experience at local clinics and hospitals. 17