Marcia Nielsen, PhD, Named Senior Vice President for Community Engagement for KCU
Kansas City, Mo. (PRWEB) May 03, 2017 -- Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (KCU) announces the appointment of Marcia Nielsen, PhD, MPH, to the position of senior vice president for Community Engagement.
Nielsen previously spent five years as chief executive officer and president of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, a not-for-profit, multi-stakeholder education and advocacy group that seeks to advance the goals of high-performing primary care as the foundation of our health care system.
Prior to that, she served in roles at the University of Kansas Medical Center, including vice chancellor for Public Affairs. Nielsen was also executive director at Kansas Health Policy Authority, where she was responsible for developing the health policy agenda for the state and for creating a comprehensive health reform plan with bipartisan support. Additionally, she served as a legislative assistant for U.S. Sen. Robert J. Kerrey of Nebraska.
“With more than two decades of academic, health care and health policy experience, Dr. Nielsen is a valuable addition to our leadership team,” said Marc B. Hahn, DO, president and CEO. “Her breadth and depth of leadership experience make her an ideal candidate for this role, and for advancing our mission of ‘improving the well-being of our communities we serve.’”
As senior vice president of Community Engagement, Nielsen will oversee departments involved in constituent engagement, and both internal and external communications, including Public Affairs, Institutional Advancement and University Relations. She will also hold an academic appointment.
“I’m excited to join KCU and look forward to building on the great collaboration and successes of the community engagement team,” said Nielsen. “The University plays a critical role in academics, research and clinical service, and I hope to create even more energy and enthusiasm for our mission in Kansas City, the region and across the nation.”
Nielsen served in the U.S. Army Reserves for five years, attaining the rank of sergeant, and also as a Peace Corps volunteer working for Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health. She has served on numerous boards and committees at the local, state and national levels and has published articles on the topics of patient-centered primary care, inter-professional health sciences education (IPE), population health and health policy.
Nielsen earned a Doctor of Philosophy from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland; a Master of Public Health from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.; and a Bachelor of Science in both Biology and Psychology from Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa.
About Kansas City University
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (KCU), founded in 1916, is a fully accredited, private not-for-profit university with a College of Biosciences and a College of Osteopathic Medicine. The College of Osteopathic Medicine is the oldest medical school in Kansas City, Missouri, the largest in the state and the 10th largest in the country. KCU is the second-leading producer of physicians for both the states of Missouri and Kansas, with 73 percent practicing in a primary care specialty throughout the Midwest.
KCU will open a second medical school in Joplin, Missouri, in the fall of 2017 to help address the primary care and rural health needs in the region.
Elizabeth Alex, KC University of Medicine & Biosciences, http://kcumb.edu, +1 816-304-9498, [email protected]
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